Flying away from your home town to celebrate your wedding abroad in style can ultimately result in you and your guests enjoying the experience of a lifetime, whether you say your vows on a white sandy beach in Mexico, a sun-kissed terrace in Santorini or in an elegant French Chateau, the possibilities for a dream destination wedding are endless.

Why should you choose to get married abroad?

You may have your heart set on a destination wedding or just dipping your toe in the idea so we have collated our main 11 stand out reasons to choose a destination wedding.

11 Reasons You Should Get Married Abroad

A quick list of 11 reasons to consider a destination wedding.

  1. The Weather is Better
  2. Picture perfect backdrops
  3. Extended celebrations
  4. Something unique
  5. Reduced guestlist
  6. Can be better value
  7. Different cusines
  8. Combine your hen & stag do’s
  9. Honeymoon
  10. Anniversary trips
  11. Great for global families

1. Give me some sunshine!

Let’s face it, the UK is notorious for it’s unpredictable weather, with the forecast forever changing. Rain showers make a sudden appearance even in the height of our summer, making visions of a full days outdoor wedding in the UK somewhat down to luck.

If Al fresco dining, dancing under the stars and walking down the aisle with glorious sunshine above tickles your fancy a destination wedding has you covered.

2. Picture perfect backdrops

It goes without saying destination weddings create the most enviable wedding photography and videography, such as Caribbean Ocean backdrops whilst on your own private white sandy bay or a Spanish villa nestled at the head of a sweeping valley with the Mediterranean sea glinting in the distance as seen on the magical wedding film below by Jacob and Pauline fine art wedding photography and cinema.

3. Extend your celebrations

Make a weekend of celebrating your wedding, no make a week or two of it! Consider extending your wedding celebrations past the traditional expectations of a day and enjoy a holiday with your loved ones.

Most recent bride and grooms will tell you their wedding day goes by within the blink of an eye, by the time you have finished with formal welcomes, eaten your wedding breakfast and had your first dance, you seem to have started with goodbyes.

By spending at least a few days in the company of your guests you can spend quality time revelling in your romantic celebrations. Relax, let your hair down and enjoy the gorgeous location your destination wedding has to offer.

4. Do something unique

When you hit your late twenties and thirties your diary seems to fill up with wedding invites and you attend lots of gorgeous weddings in your local area, and then one day the big question comes your way and it’s your turn. But how do you make your wedding stand out from the crowd?

An obvious choice is to impress your guests is with your wedding venue, destination weddings have some spectacular venue choices. With a unique vision in mind you can say your vows on a floating stage in tropical Bali, at Santorini’s oldest industrial winery or at a picture perfect Tuscan country house.

Photo by Anna Roussos at Venetsanos Winery

Breaking from the norm and creating an informal celebration abroad can ensure your guests are more present in your day. With everyone in holiday mode generally there are no work day commitments pending on the following day or days allowing you and your guests to enjoy your more unique choice of wedding ceremony.

After the wedding day you can enjoy a unique experience abroad with your guests, boat party, an all white beach or pool party, cooking classes or some sport.

5. Cut down your guestlist

When it comes to creating your wedding guestlist sometimes the planning headaches can begin, like when your parents call and say Aunty Amy’s husband’s brother just must have an invite and you realise the last time you actually seen this man was on your 5th birthday!

Destination weddings can help to reduce your guestlist, obviously expense for guests may keep the number lean but sometimes invites which may seem a necessity with a wedding proceeding in your home town will not have the same necessity abroad.

6. Keep hold of your finances

Generally your money will go further abroad and you may find for example the quality of cuisine for the price you pay will be better than what you may receive in the UK. And of course keep in mind if your guest list is smaller for a destination wedding this should mean a tighter budget than a large UK wedding.

Depending on the location and what you are looking for it can be cheaper however we also find destination weddings are better value.

7. Enjoy different cuisines

Fresh Italian food, classic French wines, Spanish tapas, Mexican favourites, your wedding breakfast can be mouth wateringly amazing when you choose a destination wedding.

Photo by Lemonade Pictures at il Faro, Italy

Fresh cuisines and local drinks are what dream weddings are made of, just imagine indulging in fresh seafood whilst dreamily watching the bright blue Ocean before you on a beautifully dressed table with the ones you love most in the world.

8. Combine your hen & stag do’s

Once you & your guests have arrived let the celebrations begin, you can utilise your chosen destination by holding both your hen & stag do’s. With everyone in the holiday mood, there are sure to be parties to remember!

As your guests will be all in one location the logistics around these events should be far easier and you can always keep to tradition handing over duties to bridesmaids and grooms men.

9. Add on your honeymoon

Whether you stay at the venue you exchange your vows or choose to travel further afield adding your honeymoon to your destination wedding is both practical, better on your overall wedding budget and extends the celebrations for you to enjoy being husband and wife.

Most destination wedding locations are perfect spots for honeymoons, romantic, exotic and luxurious.  If you want a bit of privacy as a couple before your guests head home post wedding, you could travel round the coastline, to the next village or hop on a short haul flight to move on to a newlywed romantic retreat.

10. Anniversary Visits

By choosing a destination wedding you have appointed an incredibly special place for you both which will have some of the most momentous memories of you life. As your journey through life continues you have a place to visit for years to come which will ignite your passion for each other and make some fantastic future holidays.

11. Great for global families

If you have families spread across the world or perhaps your partners family reside in a different country, then a wedding abroad in a neutral location can eb a great way to bring all the families together.

There are many reasons why travelling for a destination wedding could result in the day of your dreams, from breathtaking backdrops and venues to extended celebrations and indulgent cuisines but ultimately the wedding planning journey is yours, so enjoy!