Mediterranean destination wedding

[StrongInside]

Hi,

If some of you have read my other thread, you will know that my dream wedding is abroad where not only would it cost a small fraction of a wedding locally in Scotland, but it would also need less in terms of decorations (hello, blue sky and sea) and would give us a good excuse not to invite half the people we know (less likely to offend because destination weddings tend to be smaller).

We now have a young baby and travelling seems like such a hassle for us personally. He has not been a good sleeper, he gets bored quickly and there is no way of knowing wjat he will be like next year when he turns 1. I know people travel with babies all the time but I don’t think I could relax with him abroad. So I have started looking at getting married in Scotland where we live, but at the back of my mind I would love to keep my options open.

Could anyone who has successfully wed abroad tell me about your budget, location legalities (I don’t fancy a pretend ceremony which I would still need to make legal at a registrar’s back here), was it difficult with kids etc.

Thanks!

Why don’t you get this moved to Chat? They’ll be more people there who got married abroad who aren’t interested in Weddings anymore.

I didn’t know about it, is that a board for general discussions?

People I know have got married in Cyprus and it’s been legally valid (that’s probably the wrong terminology) in the UK. You contact the local council and get a licence the same way you do here, I think you have to be in the country at least a week before the wedding..
Budgets IME have been around £5-10k for a small wedding of 20-50ish people and £20-30k for bigger weddings with over 200 guests.
I think a lot of European countries are similar.

Thanks, Cyprus was my initial dream destination but the travel there with the little one will be too long for my liking, so leaning towards a Scottish wedding now.

Ok, leaning back towards a wedding abroad somewhere in the Med within a short flight from Scotland. Can anyone give me their experience of organising a wedding in the Med and also of travelling with a one-year-old? I’m imagining a bored child trying to stumble up and down the aisle if he is walking by then, crying because of the ears popping, dropping toys under the seat every five minutes etc. Never travelled with my baby, and that’s the only thing that puts me off going for a destination wedding. Wedding prices in Scotland just don’t make sense for one day when you can spend the same or less on a week’s holiday and wedding abroad! Not even mentioning almost guaranteed sunny weather!

Hi again. A one year old will make things trickier but going abroad with one shouldn’t put you off. I flew 11 hours with mine when he was 1 year and 1 month old. Absolutely no problem. I think he loved having my attention quite honestly ( and a plane full of people to smile at).
Choose flights that keep the routine and don’t let them get “ overtired” in the hope they’ll sleep. They won’t, they scream.
You can take buggies ( not sure about car seats) on the plane in the hold no problems.
Your major issue will be who will have him in the evening of the wedding. But really if you got married in the morning had a fabulous lunch on your Italian terrace and mucked around the pool until the early evening you could wouldn’t need to party all night.
I always thought I might jump in the pool in my wedding dress actually. In the end I had a large tulle number so I’d have drowned but it was a cool idea!

Ah, yes, I meant to move this thread to Chat!
I did jump in the pool as a bridesmaid (indoor in Scotland), it was pretty cool until I realised my dress was now see-through and I had no towel, haha!

Overtiredness is a big issue for my baby from time to time just now so I worry a lot about that, but I guess we have at least a year to work on his routine.
You are welcome in my Chat thread anytime😊