Weddings and Honeymoons Worldwide
DARING DEEDS
From a quickie drive-thru in Vegas to a Sri Lankan ceremony where you arrive on a painted elephant, weddings abroad now come in many forms, says Jane Anderson
arounders do, and taking on a fresh glamour as the choice of venues and the sophistication of services increases. Most resorts in popular long-haul
O
wedding locations now have in-house wedding co-ordinators to help couples every step of the way. And although some couples still use overseas weddings as a way of escaping annoying guests, increasingly they are taking friends and family along too. One of the latest wedding abroad trends to emerge is the ‘buddymoon’, where friends stay on for part of the honeymoon too. Along with more reliable weather, one
of the major selling points of getting married abroad remains the price tag.
16 June 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
verseas weddings are shaking off their image as something that second- or third-time
Weddings abroad usually work out significantly cheaper than a traditional white wedding at home. According to the latest Mintel
wedding abroad survey, one in five weddings (18%), now take place abroad. Since 2005, the number of ceremonies abroad has risen an impressive 27%, up from 45,000 and reaching just over 57,000 in 2010. Mintel’s research also showed that in
2010, the average wedding abroad cost £6,585, around a third of the cost of a UK wedding. For example, Kimpton’s Vero Beach Hotel & Spa (
verobeachhotelandspa.com) on Florida’s Treasure Coast offers wedding packages from £3,446 for up to 50 guests. Thomas Cook (
tcs4agents.com) reports its top-selling area for weddings
in 2012 is the Caribbean with Jamaica proving popular with larger groups travelling to the Hilton Rose Hall and couples choosing Sandals Resorts. It has also seen an increase in renewal of vows as well as requests for unusual weddings such as private game reserves in South Africa.
has seen increasing with new Virgin
starting this summer.
Mexico also interest, flights
The desire to honeymoon abroad continues to rise. According to Mintel this ’desire’ rose from 57% in 2008 to 70% of couples in 2010 and no doubt Kate and Williams’ decision to head for the Seychelles after their royal wedding in 2011 will boost the demand for Indian Ocean honeymoons.
However there is also a shift in what couples are looking for on their
honeymoon. The proportion who just
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