Far Flung Weddings

Having your wedding abroad in some beautiful exotic location could be one of your dreams. But will it work for you?

There are several practical questions that may throw cold water over this lovely dream, but if the answer to most of them is ‘Yes’ then it could well work out well for you.

Do you want a small intimate wedding?
Flying a hundred guests out to a beautiful and remote tropical island for your wedding is only going to work if you are seriously loaded and have your own private jet or helicopter. The logistics of getting a number of guests to the right place at the right time is far easier if you are only inviting a handful of your closest family and friends.

Can your family and friends afford the time and money to travel?
It’s a lovely idea to invite friends and family to a wedding in a beautiful far-off place, and even lovelier if they can turn it into a well-deserved holiday. But if your parents or best friends can’t afford the tickets or have a hectic work schedule and can’t get time off, you might find several important people missing from your special celebration.

Are your family and friends already living in different places around the world?
If you have a brother in Australia, a sister in the US, friends in South Africa and parents in the UK it could be a great idea to pick a destination somewhere in the world that they can all fly to fairly easily. Meeting up for a family reunion and wedding in Bali could actually become a practical and economical solution rather than an extravagant gesture.

Are you happy for your wedding to be a simple affair without all the traditional extras?
Organising a wedding at home is complex enough, but organising a wedding long distance when you will only be arriving at the destination and meeting your suppliers  a few days before is much easier when you keep things as simple as possible. Concentrate on a simple ceremony, good food and wine and a beautiful location. Forget about wedding favours, elaborate decor and all the frills and furbelows.

So now go ahead and plan your wedding abroad,  but make sure you give everyone plenty of notice to book time off work, organise tickets and so on.