DIY wedding abroad: Planning your own wedding abroad

One of the first stages of planning a wedding abroad is deciding whether to hire a wedding planner or to plan everything yourself. Hiring a wedding planner, either privately or through a tour operator, is a popular choice for couples getting married abroad. This is because many couples are busy, confused about the legal aspects of getting married abroad, or simply feel like they don’t know enough about the wedding process and/or the destination of their wedding abroad.

Although wedding planners can be extremely useful, it is perfectly possible to plan your own wedding abroad and there can be some advantages:

  1. Planning a wedding abroad can be a fun and creative experience for you and your partner.
  2. Organising your own wedding abroad can save you money on paying a planner’s or tour operator’s fee.
  3. By planning your own wedding abroad, you will retain control and won’t risk feeling excluded from the preparations.

You should bear in mind though, that planning your own wedding abroad can be time-consuming and at times stressful.

If you’re up for the rewarding challenge of planning your own wedding abroad, here are some tips on making the process go as smoothly as possible:

  1. Try to gain as much knowledge about your wedding abroad destination as you can. The best way to do this of course is to visit, but that isn’t always practically possible. There is loads of information available in books, magazines and online as well though.
  2. Make a plan of everything you need to do for your wedding abroad, from inviting guests to packing sun tan lotion. Don’t leave anything to chance!
  3. If you speak the language of your wedding abroad destination, this is a great advantage, but it’s probably  more likely that you don’t. Many companies in the wedding abroad industry will employ English speakers, but if you find you’re having communication problems it may be worth hiring a native speaker to translate.
  4. Contact the foreign embassy of the destination where you are planning to get married abroad. They will be able to advise you clearly on the legal aspects of your wedding abroad.

To help you start planning your wedding abroad, here is a guide to some of the main things you will need to take into account

  1. Clarify the legal requirements for getting married abroad with the relevant embassy. Do this as early as you can so that you leave enough time for any paperwork.
  2. Set a budget for your wedding abroad. This will help provide parameters for the rest of your wedding plans too.
  3. Set a date for your wedding abroad.
  4. Contact the guests you would like to ask to join you for your ceremony abroad.
  5. Liaise with suppliers for your wedding abroad. Here’s where you need to make decisions about optional extras such as flowers, photography and music.
  6. Plan your ceremony abroad. You will need to decide what sort of ceremony you’d like and possibly write your own vows.
  7. Plan the reception which will follow your ceremony abroad. Think about venue, times, food and drink and perhaps entertainment.
  8. Think about what you and your partner will wear for your wedding abroad.
  9. Organise transportation and accommodation for your wedding abroad and don’t forget to investigate the options for your guests as well.
  10. Make a list of what you need to take with you. Don’t forget important legal documents and passports.

Organising your own wedding abroad can be fun, but just requires some time and patience. Time to start compiling lists and making those calls!