Destination Wedding

[Whatshername20]

Hi all,

So I got engaged earlier this year just before giving birth to our first baby. I feel like starting to plan but want it to be a little while yet so baby would be walking and not so much a 'baby'.

I've been married before and really don't like the idea of doing it all over again in the typical, traditional way so we wanted to explore the idea of a destination wedding, very small and intimate without a big guest list. The question is - where do you start!? I briefly looked at a TUI brochure and loved the look of some venues there in Italy.

Any reputable websites/companies to look at?
Any recommendations or things to avoid?
Anything else helpful?

Thank you, it's been a long time since I did this and can't remember anything!

We did ours abroad for the same reason. However I do think the best destination weddings are because the place means something or it’s just a great place in its own right .Otherwise just a really expensive holiday for guests and it’s not fair.
We knew our posh village in the South of France was brilliant. We a managed to find a big AirBNB with an infinity pool and jacuzzi. Overlooking the sea,That’s where we had the ceremony but I also dud pre wedding party the night before in the pool , guests partied into the night after the wedding ( we had gone to a hotel) , we had family round the day after the day after that for a big French lunch and pool party, AirBnB was less than 2k ( considerably less than U.K. options ) and 26 degrees in October. Reception in the best restaurant in town (5k amazing, 3 course buffet for 45, unlimited wine) Being France it is was bonkers, brilliant and bloody amazing food.

But. Our friends are older, freelancers, retired. They made a week of it. They booked apartments and flights and many where enjoying the holiday before we arrived a few days later. Are yours actually happy to go away?

TUI is marriage fast food. You’re on a plane only with other wedding parties. Fun or hell?

Hey OP, I could have written your exact post!

I've just started looking at a small wedding in the sun and I've started with Tui too.

I reckon I'll be looking at 2022 and possibly Rhodes or the Italy ones you've mentioned.

The only thing I'm certain about is wanting it to be a legal marriage; I've noticed some are 'ceremonial only' which I don't want.

I'm thinking early evening ceremony then private dinner (there'll be about 12 of us I think) then maybe cocktails on the beach and watch the sunset? One of the Ibiza ones looked fab but I don't think it was a legal marriage. Gah!

Hey OP, my partner and I have decided to elope to
Jamaica. We’ll be doing the wedding at a Sandals
resort- they call it a “wedding moon”. Did you manage to sort anything out?

@SheWoreBlueVelvet

We did ours abroad for the same reason. However I do think the best destination weddings are because the place means something or it’s just a great place in its own right .Otherwise just a really expensive holiday for guests and it’s not fair. We knew our posh village in the South of France was brilliant. We a managed to find a big AirBNB with an infinity pool and jacuzzi. Overlooking the sea,That’s where we had the ceremony but I also dud pre wedding party the night before in the pool , guests partied into the night after the wedding ( we had gone to a hotel) , we had family round the day after the day after that for a big French lunch and pool party, AirBnB was less than 2k ( considerably less than U.K. options ) and 26 degrees in October. Reception in the best restaurant in town (5k amazing, 3 course buffet for 45, unlimited wine) Being France it is was bonkers, brilliant and bloody amazing food.

But. Our friends are older, freelancers, retired. They made a week of it. They booked apartments and flights and many where enjoying the holiday before we arrived a few days later. Are yours actually happy to go away?

TUI is marriage fast food. You’re on a plane only with other wedding parties. Fun or hell?

Can you provide details of this venue name please. Looking at doing similar in 2022. Ideally a private villa for wedding ceremony and family bbq day after. Thanks

Just elope. It's really a bit rich to ask people to stump up for a destination wedding that's also a second wedding. And on top of that the weddings aren't even legal a lot of the time so you're asking people to pay to watch you fake get married again.

Hi, I got married in Malta and it was fantastic. I wasn't worried about how many people attended but we wanted a destination where people could book budget flights and accommodation and not stay the full duration if they didn't want to.

We booked the basic wedding package through the tour operator and the reception directly with the hotel so that we got exclusive use of the venue. I live in Cyprus and most of the hotels round here do conveyor belt weddings and I didn't want that. Exclusive use of the venue and budget accommodation and flights for guests was an absolute priority for me as was ease of paperwork so look into that too. Also we got married on a Monday. Some of our guests only needed to take 1 day off work.