World’s top wedding destinations

More and more couples are choosing to marry abroad for a number of reasons. It can be a cost-effective alternative to a big white wedding in the UK. It is often wonderfully simple to organise (you pay someone else to do it for you), and you get the chance to say your vows in a picture-perfect idyllic setting where you can spend your honeymoon. What’s not to like?

Getting married abroad has become very popular says Megan Barker from the travel firm Kuoni, which sells wedding packages for destinations around the world. The top destination is currently Mauritius, but couples are also choosing Sri Lanka, the USA or the Caribbean as the perfect place for their marriage ceremony. With the traditional white wedding in the UK costing as much as £20,000, many couples find that they can cut the cost of their wedding day loan by getting married abroad.

Mauritius

The American writer Mark Twain asked if God had modelled heaven on Mauritius, and it is as heavenly today as it was in the nineteenth century. Imagine paradise and you probably have a view of Mauritius, with its blindingly white stretches of perfect sand fringed with tropical palm trees and the bluest of blue seas and skies. No wonder this is the top destination for weddings abroad today.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is also one of the most beautiful and exotic islands in the world. Set in the Indian Ocean, it offers stunning beaches, ancient cities and mysterious jungles. The people are known for their hospitality and warmth, and many couples choose to include Sri Lankan traditions into their wedding ceremonies, such as a troupe of drummers and dancers and perhaps even an elephant to take them to the wedding ‘poruwa’.

The United States of America

The US offers a huge array of perfect wedding destinations, of course, and so it isn’t really fair to count it as one choice. Within the US, though, Las Vegas is perhaps the most popular place for a wedding. It is glamorous, glitzy and outrageous. Where else in the world will an Elvis impressionist walk the bride down the aisle singing Love Me Tender but in Las Vegas?

New York

New York is regarded by many as the most exciting city in the world today. It’s cosmopolitan, jammed-packed with iconic sites and full of history, art and western culture. Central Park offers a number of venues for a wedding ceremony, from the six-acre formal splendour of the Conservatory Garden to the wonderfully romantic Bow Bridge — one of the locations for the films Manhattan and The Way We Were.

The Caribbean

As with America, the Caribbean offers a number of wedding destinations. The most popular is St Lucia, but Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica are also favourites. Any of these islands will make the perfect backdrop to your wedding. You’ll find tropical forests, green mountains, volcanoes, banana plantations, crystal-clear lagoons, clear blue skies and azure seas. You can add a carnival feel too with a steel drum band and delicious West Indian food.

Thailand

Thailand is another popular destination for beach weddings. The bride can opt for a Western-style wedding with a white dress or a Thai wedding with a traditional silk dress. Whilst many couples choose to tie the knot on the beach, some are even more adventurous and opt for the beauty and splendour of a Buddhist temple.

UAE

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is another increasingly popular wedding destination. Golden beaches, tax-free shopping, glitzy wealth, towering skyscrapers and guaranteed heat attract many couples. The hottest months are from May to September, when the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees C.

Scandinavia

Most couples choose exotic destinations for their weddings abroad, opting for hot, sunny climates and beautiful cloud-free skies. However, there is also a growing trend for weddings in far cooler countries. Hotels and even chapels made entirely from ice are an unusual but breathtakingly beautiful choice for a wedding in countries such as Sweden, Norway and Finland. These destinations are often more expensive, but with a holiday loan readily available, many couples are choosing an icy white wedding with a difference.