The Thailand Wedding that changed my life.

Having just returned from another fact finding mission to Thailand, I can officially declare that Thailand is back on track to be the number one, insurmountable , unsurpassable, Destination Wedding Capital of the world.

Things have really stepped up a notch or two since my last visit to Thailand and the level of professionalism I encountered from the sidelines of some very cool weddings, was refreshing or to be more accurate, utterly staggering.

While all of the weddings were pretty swish, one particular wedding really caught my eye and has very much adjusted my perspective of what a Destination Wedding should be.
The other thing that this wedding also did, was open my eyes to what I now believe to be the strongest asset an Overseas Wedding has to offer.

The particular Wedding I am talking about was in fact an Indian Sikh or Punjabi Wedding.
But wait for it!
While the wedding was based on tradition, these guys totally made it their own and took what I feared was going to be a painfully long and drawn out event, into three days of absolute fun and madness.

And that made me think.

This is exactly what a Destination Wedding should be.

Tradition or Religion aside, under what other set of circumstances could would two people ever successfully gather their closest friends and loved ones and have them all to yourself, without distraction, for several days?

A Destination Wedding!

Family and friends, some of whom may never have met are suddenly thrust together to celebrate your marriage. But unlike a wedding at home, they are not just briefly introduced during the ceremony and reception, they have a number of days to really get to know one and other.
What I witnessed at the Punjabi Wedding, was how they took advantage of this time, to develop strong family bonds from both the Bride and Grooms family and friends.

Over the course of three days the couple hosted lots of smaller events that led up to the big day. There was dancing, drinking (lots of drinking), challenges, competitions, there were games, including the most ridiculous game of hide and seek I have ever seen.

But it was great fun!

With very little effort, these gatherings enabled the guests to closely interact and build some wonderful relationships that simply would not have happened at a brief wedding ceremony at the local church.

So when you are planning your big day, be it in Thailand or where-ever, don't waste such a wonderful opportunity to strengthen family bonds. You don't need to be a Sikh or follow any particular faith to appreciate the value of a strong family and you will be amazed how much fun it is!

For more information on getting married in Thailand, check out The Official Thailand Tourism Website below. 

Tourism Thailand

Wedding Destinations gets make over

If you read my post last week, you would have seen that I was just a little excited. Well, I can finally let the cat out of the bag. Yes, the Southern Hemispheres biggest and post popular Destination Wedding planner has just got even better, with a brand new, wizz-bang website. 

Based in Melbourne Australia and offering complete Destination Wedding Packages almost anywhere in world, Wedding Destinations have just relaunched their website and let me tell you, this website makes choosing your dream wedding location and absolute breeze.

The team at Wedding Destinations have been around since way before getting married overseas was in the mind of any bride. They have pretty much single handedly driven the Destination Wedding phenomenon in Australia, planning literally thousands of Weddings in destinations all over the world.
Being in Australia, the girls have a number of long term relationships with every wedding professional a bride could ever want, in destinations across the world, all of whom are tried, tested and most of all, trusted. They have partners across the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

While they have strong teams placed in the obvious locations such Bali, Thailand, Fiji and Vanutatu, Wedding Destinations are truly global and have similar set ups in Greece, Hawaii and the United States.

I really would urge any 'would be Destination Bride' to take a look at the all new Wedding Destinations website, as quite honestly, I don't think you will find a better resource on the web, to start planning your dream wedding.

Enjoy!

Some exciting news

I have just found out something really exciting and am just dying to tell you.
Problem is I can't!
Well, not quite yet anyway.

All I can say is watch this space for the most exciting thing to ever happen for Aussie brides considering a destination wedding.

Back soon...

Bali Destination Wedding Special Part 2

In Part one of my Bali Wedding Destination Special, I wrote about my wedding adventures on the tranquil island of Nusa Lembongan, where small to medium sized weddings can be held for a very attractive price. Having enjoyed five days relaxing and getting married at Nusa Villa, it was time to get to work and plunge headfirst into one of the worlds fastest growing, Destination Wedding wonderlands. Bali.

In the most simple of terms, a wedding in Bali can be incredibly cheap or it can be insanely expensive and pretty much anything in between.

Weddings are performed all over the island of Bali and each location has its own charm. While many brides dream of a cliff top wedding in Uluwatu, most may struggle with the cost of this location. Uluwatu is to my mind the most stunning wedding location in Bali, but I'm not sure that justifies an average sized wedding price tag at around $20,000 to $25,000. I guess it is down to the individual and if you are happy to pay for this premium location, you will certainly get a stunning backdrop.
Most clifftop weddings in Uluwatu are performed in the spectacular Villas that line the cliffs edge and caterers, entertainers and other wedding vendors can be hired to your taste and budget.

As with most Weddings Abroad though, I would always recommend using a reputable Wedding Planner, who knows the location and has tried, tested and most of all trusted people on the ground.  One such company is Wedding Destinations who while based in Australia, have an extremely large network of wedding vendors in Bali. From Photographers to Make Up Artists, even Baby-Sitters and Villa hire, it is worth touching base with these guys, if you are thinking about tying the knot in Bali.

Another great place to find Destination Wedding Planners in Bali is of course Wedsaway as I have mentioned in previous posts.


Anyway, enough plugging and  back to the weddings. On my travels it became blatantly obvious that Bali really is the Villa Wedding Capital of the world. I checked out a number of Villas from Seminyak to Cunggu and Bali simply cannot be beaten for it's endless choice of Wedding Villas. There are literally thousands of them and prices vary based upon location and size.


Not to be overlooked however are the resorts in Bali and boy, are there some special Wedding Resorts and Venues to be found. 'The W' in Karobokan, near Seminyak springs to mind and it is pure class.


The 'W' is very modern and attracts the more stylish of travellers and Wedding groups The restaurant is quite simply second to none and the wedding locations on site are equally as impressive.



While the super venues of Seminyak blew me away, I have to say that the place that really made me sit back and think was the restaurant Majoly in South Kuta. Now like most people, when Kuta and Bali are mentioned, I kind of switch off and for Destination Weddings Kuta is not really what  I would call a hot spot. Far from it! However, just a few minutes down the road in South Kuta, I found a pretty cool Restaurant called Majoly, which to my amazement boasted a perfect sandy beach, ideal for a wedding, as well as guest rooms and reception area. This venue had it all and whats more, is a snip of the price of most Villa Wedding Venues.

Majoly Beach Wedding

I see hundreds of wedding venues around the world and while it is easy to report on the most spectacular, it is not always quite so easy to find ideal venues at a realistic cost. Majoly is one of them which is why for me, it was one of my favourite Destination Wedding Venues in Bali.

To summarise, Bali is a true Destination Wedding giant and regardless of where you come from, Bali should be top of your Wedding Destinations. Indonesia is serviced by lots of Airlines from most of the world Capital Cities.

You'll find more ideas and services in Bali by clicking main image of this article.

Bali Destination Wedding Special Part 1 - Nusa Lembongan

Destination Wedding in Nusa Lembongan

My recent travels to Bali, Indonesia really have brought home to me, what a diverse Wedding Destination Bali and it's surrounding islands really are.

It Part 2 I will talk about Bali, but as my Destination Wedding adventure started in Nusa Lembongan, it's only right I start where the journey began.

Getting there

My flight arrived on time at 2:30PM at Denpasar Airport in Bali and after the usual shemozzels travellers face coming through Bali's international airport, my wife and I were finally in a cab and heading to the boat across to Nusa Lambongan.

Now 6 hours earlier I had left a very chilly Melbourne, Australia, so was appropriately dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-Shirt. On arriving at the boat however, it quickly dawned upon me that jeans may not be the most appropriate item of clothing for this adventure, since I had to wade into the sea in order to board my vessel, while incidentally my bags were chaotically whisked away by some seemingly random locals who carried them to one of the waiting speed boats. I took a deep breath, rolled up my jeans as best I could and plunged into the lapping waves, making my way to the waiting boat. Fortunately the day was a warm one, so I dried out quickly as we smashed across the angry sea for the 30 minute 'white knuckle' crossing to the Island of Nusa Lembongan.
On arrival we plunged back into the drink with some of our bags, while again, a group of seemingly random locals scurried off with rest of our luggage.

Despite all of the worry, confusion and somewhat scary boat crossing, the relief of feeling sand between my toes left me feeling happy to be alive. Whats more, all of my luggage was neatly piled up waiting with a friendly smiling driver. It was clear that my ordeal was over and my concerns unfounded, so I could now begin to explore just what Nusa Lembongan had to offer the would-be Bride and Groom considering a wedding on this peaceful Island, a stone throw from Bali, Indonesia.

Accomodation

Knowing very little about the Island I chose to play it safe and stay at the breath-taking Villa Nusa, located just 5 minutes from town. Perched on the side of a hill, Nusa Villa looks over town and across to Bali, boasting awe inspiring views of Bali's Gunung Agung Volcano, which towers menacingly above the clouds in the distance. Being up on the hill is also nice and quiet, but conveniently close enough to pop into town on one of a handful of small buses,  Motor Scooter or Golf Buggy. I opted for the Golf Buggy.

Surprise!

Unbeknown to me, some friends who were meeting us in Lembongan, decided to throw an
impromptu wedding. Even more unbeknown to me, it was I that was getting married, AGAIN, renewing vows with my wife.


Don't ya just love surprises!


Getting married in Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan suits a particular kind of wedding to my mind and the small, intimate ceremony that we enjoyed with close friends, seemed to be just the ticket for this quiet and relaxing location.
Unlike Bali, wedding events are pretty limited by the services available on the island, such as catering, entertainment etc and when I say "limited",  I mean  you will not find the variety or top end quality that can be found in Bali. Yes, you can ship stuff across from the mainland, but you will see the price of your wedding soar if you try ferrying people and goods across the high seas. Whats more, it kind of defeats the purpose of choosing Lembongan for a Destination Wedding, for here a simple wedding can be held for just a fist full of dollars.
That aside though, we enjoyed an amazing dinner, served up by a local chef who cooked up an absolute storm in the Villa, worthy of even the more refined of wedding receptions.

The big day

With the aid of the amazing Donna who owns the Villa Nusa, we were able to throw our little wedding in paradise for...

wait for it...

...you might want to sit down...

Under $1000.

This included the daily rate on the villa, Celebrant, Drinks, Catering and Entertainment.
Even if we include the flights for 2 adults from Melbourne Australia, the Wedding does not crack $2000.

Admittedly, it was a very basic wedding with just 10 guests, but was nonetheless beautiful, warm and rather special.

Places to tie the knot

Having now experienced first hand the perfect Lembongan Wedding, I decide to go exploring in my Golf Buggy and check out some of the other Destination Wedding Hot Spots on the island.



Possibly the most popular wedding location is The Beach Club at Sandy Bay. This resort is well catered and boasts draw dropping sunsets. The entire location seems naturally sculptured to accommodate the perfect wedding venue, where beautiful beach ceremonies can be held followed by a fun dinner and reception.

Arguably next in line would be the Batu Karang Lembongan Resort and Day Spa. The big draw card for this venue is that you and your guests can hire the entire resort for your Wedding, should you have a wedding party nudging up to 48 people. Accommodation is top notch, the cliff side location for a wedding is stunning and you are just a 5 minute walk from the town and restaurants.


Other resorts offer Wedding packages and some pretty special locations, but I was impressed mostly by some of the Villa Wedding possibilities on this island.

Summary

Nusa Lembongan and Bali are very different animals. The quality of food and level of service on the island is not as can be found in Bali. There are no late night bars or disco's and shopping is minimal.
However, there is no hustle and bustle on Lembongan, so what it does exceptionally well, is discrete, civilised weddings for small wedding parties. What is more, such events can be achieved insanely cheap, yet still result in the happiest day of your life.

... Oh, one more thing though.
They really need to build some piers for those damn boats!

Watch this space for Part 2 where I will be exploring some very cool Destination Wedding locations on the Island of Bali.

You can find out more about getting married in Bali by visiting my friends at Wedsaway, the worlds largest Destination Wedding Directory.
www.wedsaway.com

Why are Destination Weddings not for everyone?

As you’ve probably gathered, I am a bit of an ambassador for Weddings abroad , but I understand the reservations some may have when it comes to the Happiest Day of your life, getting married.

• What if something goes wrong?
• What if we get there and nothing is arranged?
• What if nobody wants to come?

Well if you are the kind of person who predominantly deals with ‘What if’s’ then maybe you should consider a nice simple marriage registration at your local council offices. It will probably only cost you as much as a KFC Family Feast and that includes the taxi fare. Perfect!

If on the other hand you are not such a paranoid android then what is wrong with a nice, traditional Wedding at home. Well to be completely honest, there is nothing wrong with it, nothing at all. It just means you’re a bit boring and maybe stuck in a 20^th Century time warp. Only joking!

Look, if you have a very large family and / or  it is not possible for some of them to travel to an overseas wedding destination, then your options are limited and a grand old White Wedding can be very nice. (Depending on where you live). In situations where family or friends prevent you from getting married abroad, sometimes it’s just as good to plan something out of town. Lets face it, regardless of where you live in the world, beauty can always be found within a fairly short a drive and where there is beauty, you can bet someone is hosting weddings.

One of the major drawbacks of a wedding at home for many of us is simply cost.

For some odd reason, a wedding at your local church or chapel can cost more than a NASA Satellite Launch. What I find interesting though, is that your home country most likely has its very own Cool and Funky Destination Wedding Industry, which can aggressively compete price-wise with a Tradition Home Wedding and still be for all intent and purpose, a Destination Wedding.

What I am trying to say is, if you really do not want to get the passports out, or mess around with foreign legalities,  you might be surprised what can be found on your doorstep.

If you are from the USA, you are spoiled for choice, but being as large as the USA is, a flight may still be required. Las Vegas is the obvious choice, but  Grand Canyon and Hawaii are also big players in the USA. 

The UK has a multitude of Castles, Pubs and Manor Houses where an incredible wedding can be held, usually just a stone throw from home.

The same goes for Canada, Australia and anywhere else you may come from. There are often hidden gems just around the corner.

So while a Destination Wedding theoretically can be held without actually leaving your own country, for more and more couples, it really is all about eloping to a Destination that is far, far removed from your own reality.

As I touched upon earlier in the piece, Passports and Legals can be a real drag when planning a wedding abroad, especially when trying to arrange the families travel as well. That’s where professional Destination Wedding Planners are worth their weight in gold.

The good ones will have there own Travel Agency which allows them to arrange every aspect of the Destination Wedding from Flights to Transfers, Guest Accommodation to Catering.  The really good ones will offer competitive rates and discounts on group booking too, that even your local Travel Agency may struggle to compete with.

 Dedicated Overseas Wedding Planners will have contacts in a number of locations and should be able to provide tried and tested Photographers, DJ’s., Wedding Celebrants and so on.

[Beware the Destination Wedding Planner who pushes you to one particular Destination. While it is great to be offered alternative options that you may not have considered, if they are pushing hard for just one destination, it is probably all they have access to or they are simply looking at their own profit margin rather than your best interests. Not necessarily a bad thing if you like the location but might get restricting as the planning progresses].

The really, REALLY good ones may also be able to look after the Wedding Legal Process in the Destination Country for you as well, though some countries can be fairly tricky and don’t be surprised if you are advised to do the legals at home and have the ceremony only at your Wedding Destination. This is quite normal advice so don’t be scared away by it. At the end of the day, a reputable Destination Wedding Planner is working to make your life easier but ultimately the decisions are yours, as are the consequences if you stray too far from the experts advice.

I’ll probably finish off by explaining the difference between a Local Wedding Planner and Destination Wedding Planner.

A Local Wedding Planner is based at or is close to the Location that you are staging the big day. They should have unsurpassable local knowledge and access to local service at good rates. Make sure you check them out first though and ensure they have a solid history and reputation. Dealing with Planner overseas can get frustrating especially where there are time differences, language barriers and high phone costs.

Email correspondence works for some Brides, but not all. Make sure you know what works for you.

You will have to place a lot of trust place in this person so I cannot stress enough, do your homework. I’m not trying to scare you as there are some fantastic planners out there and truth be known, even the big Destination Wedding Planners of the world, usually employee a local planner at their Wedding Destinations to keep things running smooth.

Local Wedding Planners can be found with some messing around in Google or Bing etc, but the easiest way to find a local Wedding Planner is via the Wedsaway Destination Wedding Directory. It is the one and only Global resource for finding Destination Wedding venues and service providers anywhere in the world, from anywhere in the world and it has a very rapidly growing index of businesses, many with reviews and Star Ratings.

If you are not the type to trust your Wedding Day to an overseas stranger, then you will most likely sleep much easier knowing you are dealing with someone from your own country or at the very least who speaks the same language.

Once again, there are lots of such people out there but it pays to do your homework, even if you do intend to let the Destination Wedding planner do all the hard graft. There are a lot of amateurs out there, some with Travel Connections and some without.  I would always recommend the one stop shop solution so a Destination Wedding Planner with an in house Travel Agency keeps everything neat and tidy. Plus as I said before, the big players can often get group rates that the High Street Travel Agent will struggle to compete with.

Probably the best thing though is having someone that you can call or email, anytime and get response that makes sense. For many, this is priceless and makes the planning fee charged by the top companies a small price to pay for such peace of mind.

Despite the amount of Overseas Wedding Specialists out there, it would appear that most Western Countries have one dominant force. This is easily proven in a simple Google search.

[Beware the Package Holiday Giants and their McWedding Packages.
Many of the Supersized Travel Corporations to whom we are all familiar with, have began a highly aggressive marketing attack on the Destination Wedding industry. With the assistance of Search Engines like Google, Bing and these companies massive advertising budgets, these Global Goliaths have in a very short space of time shoved the genuine businesses out of sight. Besides 3 or 4 of the biggest Destination Wedding Planners in the world, The Search Engines have aided the Travel Corporations to remove them from first page searches in Google, Yahoo, Bing and so on, so it’s worth checking page 2 and 3 when looking for planners online, to avoid the drivel].

If you are in the USA and Canada www.destinationweddings.com are undoubtedly the biggest and the most comprehensive. Catering for the North American Market they are very strong in popular Destinations for American Brides,  such as Caribbean and Hawaii. They are not quite so strong as some of the competition for Asia and Europe, but don't underestimate these guys. They are big players and have a very good reputation, so are certainly worth a look.

In the United Kingdom are Perfect Weddings Abroad, who not surprisingly are an affiliate to Destination Weddings in the USA. They have a great support network from their big brother but are up against probably the most hostile competition from the aforementioned Package Holiday Giants who dominate the UK Search Engines and media.

Australia and New Zealand  have an abundance of Destination Wedding Planners and have not been as badly affected by the Package Holiday invasion, though some UK companies even appear top on the Australian search engines. Go Figure!

Australia is dominated by a couple of Destination Wedding Planners, but the most comprehensive and significantly largest is Wedding Destinations

Surprisingly enough, they have one of the largest Destination Portfolios in the world, yes even bigger than the Americans and cannot be rivaled when it comes to Asia and Pacific Weddings. Such is their influence within these regions, that Destination Wedding Couples from around the world use their services for planning Thailand Weddings, Bali Weddings, Fiji Weddings and many more. They can found at www.weddingdestinations.com.au

So what have we learned?

Well, the choices are almost limitless and how much of the planning you want to be involved with can be measures by whether you use a Directory like Wedsaway and manage everything yourself, employ a Local Planner who you also manage yourself but will take care of the on site arrangements or hire a Destination Wedding Planner and leave it all to them to make your dream come true.

Or then again, there are the Local Council Registry Offices!

Top Destination Wedding Locations

For some couples, choosing a location to tie the knot is a real no brainer. For the rest of us it can be a real difficult decision.

With so many wonderfully romantic locations around the world, what is the perfect one for you???

Popular Wedding Locations

and why!

No two people are the same.

What’s more, no Wedding Couples are the same, regardless of how in love they are.

But don’t let this insignificant romantic flaw spoil the excitement of deciding where to marry.

If you are reading this article, you are probably close to ruling out an over expensive and under indulgent wedding at home. An overseas wedding can save you lots of money, especially if you keep it simple, but it doesn’t have to be cheap. Oh No!

Spend what you would spend at home here in a Western Country, lets say in Asia somewhere for example and your wedding really can give those Hollywood Celebrity couples a run for their money.

Thailand is a popular location to tie the knot, with Phuket and Koh Samui being the hot spots. Thailand is attractive to many because of Bang-for-your-buck. Yes, yes, yes, the weather is amazing,but when it comes down to value for money, Thailand takes some beating. It is popular with Australian couples, but with flights to Europe getting increasingly competitive, more and more couples from the UK and Northern Europe are bypassing the Mediterranean and heading to Thailand.

Next up has to be Fiji.

Fiji is the Heavy Weight of Destination Wedding Locations and I doubt there are too many Destination Brides who haven’t at some point, daydreamed of a wedding in Fiji. And Fiji is totally geared up to accommodate couples from around the world. It is an effort to get to for most (excluding Australians), but more and more couples are bitting the bullet and doing it in this Pacific Paradise. The Price tag may be higher than the Asian alternatives, but hey, it’s Fiji!

Greece / Santorini.

If you haven’t seen wedding photos in Santorini I strongly suggest you ‘google’ some. Few would argue that the picturesque island of Santorini and it’s simple contrast of White and Blue, makes for the the best wedding photos money can buy. The back drop in Santorini is second to none and in summer months (May to September) the climate is nothing less than perfect. It’s nice and easy to get to for Europeans and not too hard for the rest of us. Prices vary, but Santorini makes for either a simple or classy wedding location.

Scotland

Now while most of you imagine saying I do to the sound of waves lapping at the white sand between your toes, for some the dream of an Ancient Castle and glass like lochs has an irresistible attraction. There are a number of outstanding Castle Wedding Venues and some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world to add to your wedding photo album. Scotland is also very easy when it comes to the legals and to travel to.

Bali

One cannot even begin to count the number of Wedding Venues o the Indonesian Island of Bali. This place is almost built for Destination Weddings. Choose from mind blowing wedding villas to 5 star wedding resorts, the venues in Bali out class pretty much all other destination wedding locations. Again, Bali can be very cheap or it can be insanely expensive. Your budget is the only limit to what can be done in Bali. Hugely popular with Australian couples and growing in popularity with the Europeans.

Hawaii

I love Hawaii. Sorry but I had to get that in there.

Of Course Hawaii is centre of the world for Destination Brides from the USA, but Australian couples are no strangers to the Hawaiian Islands. The ‘Big Island’ is over-shadowed by it’s magnificent volcanos and when standing by the sea, the view inland is nothing less than awe inspiring. Kona is a popular spot on the Island of Hawaii. There are lots of other beautiful islands in Hawaii like Maui, but by far the most popular is Oahu. Waikiki simply has it all and as it is the USA, marriage legals are nice and simple.

I am very lucky and get to travel to lots of incredible wedding locations. Just when I think I have found the perfect destination for the most ideal wedding imaginable, I am whisked off somewhere else which causes me to hit the reset button all over again.

My latest destination wedding expedition took me to what I can only describe as the worlds best kept wedding secret. Even I had no idea until I visited a few weeks ago.

Vanuatu

Now I am already married, did it in Thailand and it was amazing.

But I want to do it Vanuatu!

I guess divorce is not an option so I will just have dream like the rest of you.

Vanuatu is located in the South Pacific between Queensland Australia and Fiji. It is tropical so it

sometimes rains, but who cares. Seriously, it rains and then the sun comes out again and if it rains on your wedding day, just relax and wait until the sun comes out again. There is no pressure in Vanuatu and you can have your ceremony when you are good and ready. The locals are the most incredibly hospitable people you could ever meet and are genuinely enthusiastic in welcoming you to their beautiful islands. Locations like The Blue Lagoon are stunning and a ‘Trash the Dress’ Photo shoot here would top all others. Another popular Photo location are the Cascade Waterfalls near Port Vila, where a 20 minute walk will reward the bridal party with yet another of the incredible back drops Vanuatu has to offer.

Vanuatu is packed with activities for you and your guests and only a hop and a skip from the Aussie Mainland. The food is great in Vanuatu due to it’s combination of French and Island Traditions and I could go on forever about Vanuatu but will stop here before I over do it.

All of the above locations and many many more can be investigated by visiting www.wedsaway.com

I hope these few ideas help, but please, don’t let me decide for you. Visit Wedsaway, contact some of the local wedding vendors and make your own mind up.

Oh and congratulations!

6 Tips For Planning A Destination Wedding

There's just something so romantic about the thought of saying “I do” in some far off destination with your family and closest friends by your side; but if you've already started to consider the possibility of an overseas wedding then you may have realised that it's not all about bare feet in the sand, bikinis and cocktails. In fact, just like any wedding there's a lot of preparation as well as (in many cases) a foreign language to contend with. Plus a huge list of legalities to comply with. So with this in mind, here are 6 useful tips to ensure your destination wedding is just perfect.

Start planning well ahead

Overseas wedding venues get booked up 18 months or more in advance so if you don't want to seriously limit your choices then book your venue as early as you can. In addition remember to send out 'Save the Date' cards equally as early since your guests may have to plan their annual leave around your wedding.

Give careful consideration to the location

Choosing your destination wedding location is one of the hardest decisions since it's only natural that you want your family and closest friends to share your special day. It's all very well choosing a destination on the other side of the world but if it isn't easily accessible for most people, then there's very little point in choosing it. Look carefully at the frequency of flights and check that there is a variety of accommodation to suit all pockets.

Enlist some help

Planning any sort of wedding is stressful and it's certainly no easier in a foreign country. Consider using the services of a local wedding planner to deal with the bulk of the work as they will have extensive knowledge of your destination, understand the legalities involved, have a fistful of contacts, and may even be able to pull the odd string or two. A fantastic resource where you'll find lots of local wedding planners listed is Wedsaway, which is the largest destination wedding planning directory in the world. However, if you're determined to do most of the planning yourself you'll also find hundreds of wedding vendors from around the globe all neatly organised into various destinations and categories.

Look after your guests

Your guests will have gone to a lot of expense and effort to be at your wedding so make sure that they too feel pretty special. Create a welcome pack for their arrival to give the personal touch from the bride and groom. Additionally you could book a restaurant for a welcome meal and organise a couple of events for their stay, after all it's also a mini holiday for them too.

Plan for the weather

Whether you're planning a Mexico wedding or Bali wedding, the weather can be very hot, so make

sure your venue offers plenty of shady areas so that you're not all flagging with the heat before the celebrations begin. You could include some flip flops and fans for your guests in their welcome pack and also arrange to have cold drinks handed around as guests are seated for the ceremony.

Pacing yourself

Unlike a wedding at home, you'll be surrounded by family and friends and it's all too easy to spend long days with them and late nights so that by the time your wedding day arrives, you're walking about like a zombie. Plan for yourself and your (soon to be) hubby to spend a little chill-out time on your own, perhaps at a spa, so you feel relaxed and stress free. If you're not planning a honeymoon then at least try and book a lovely hotel for a couple of days after your guests have all departed.

Weddings abroad are growing in popularity and can be a lot of fun. Wedsaway is an invaluable source to help you find reputable and experienced wedding planners, a plethora of vendors, and lots of useful hints and tips. Why not visit www.wedsaway.com for more information, you'll be glad that you did.