Looking at getting married in Zante in 2020. Looking for practical help/advise

dickdasdedly

Hi
My partner and i are looking at getting married in aug/sept 2020.
We both have been married before and we dont want a register office wedding. We would love to get married somewhere like Mauritius on a tropical beach but as we want our families there Mauritius isn't practical. So we are thinking about Zante but were open to similar areas/places. We want it to be on a beach or cove or at least overlooking one. We want to do it so it can be incorporated into a holiday for our family's. So what im asking is if anyone has practical advise or has done similar themselves or can maybe point out pitfalls to look for or money saving ideas that would help.
Thank you
Richard W

Guerillatoker

My brother got married abroad and I was best man. A few things to consider:

-He would still opt for a marriage abroad again if you asked him now.
-It is expensive but costs can be managed by limiting guest numbers.
-There may be several private beaches in one area that can hold the wedding so see if you can find testimony to figure out which is best.
-Be prepared for disgruntled family and friends who cannot afford the trip abroad.
-As the place is likely not staffed entirely by English speakers be prepared for the odd request to have been misunderstood (menu etc.) but overall the experience was great and he by no means used a really expensive marriage service.

He did in the Oludeniz bay (Blue Lagoon) in Turkey, its a beautiful place so take a look.

melanzana

I wish you well, but I doubt many guests will be over the moon about having to go a specific place for your wedding especially in high Summer Season. Thus stifling other plans they may have for a family holiday.

Think long and hard about the onus you may be putting on others in your delight about getting married in Zante or wherever.

Second marriage. Just do it yourselves alone, and forget about the expense and all the rest of it you will be putting on others to attend.

But I suspect you know this already.

motivated

Friends of ours went to a wedding in Zante last year. They said it was beautiful and overlooked the sea. Her son and daughter-in-law had a wedding planner out there and they took lots of things with them. Wedding favours,table decorations etc. Very :money:

Have a look at The Balcony Hotel Zante.

The photos looked amazing.

melanzana

Guests are the issue, and their ability to afford to go, or indeed forego their own family holiday, no matter how lovely the place is for B+G.

mgdavid

Be prepared for plenty of follow-on hassle when UK institutions and companies refuse to accept a foreign marriage certificate especially if not translated into English. Do plenty of research up front....

unholyangel

Well OP did say they want their families there - that could just be immediate family so they may not be expecting (or want) everyone to come.

OP, maybe turtle beach? At laganas? You'll find most travel agents will have wedding packages available that might be a good place to start and give you some ideas as to whats available and where. I believe most (if not all) of them will include things like marriage licence etc so you have less to worry about.

Pollycat

Head over to the Zante board on Tripadvisor.

dickdasdedly wrote: »

Hi
My partner and i are looking at getting married in aug/sept 2020.
We both have been married before and we dont want a register office wedding. We would love to get married somewhere like Mauritius on a tropical beach but as we want our families there Mauritius isn't practical. So we are thinking about Zante but were open to similar areas/places. We want it to be on a beach or cove or at least overlooking one. We want to do it so it can be incorporated into a holiday for our family's. So what im asking is if anyone has practical advise or has done similar themselves or can maybe point out pitfalls to look for or money saving ideas that would help.
Thank you
Richard W

Have you discussed this with your families?
You might find that costs and dates rule out the guests you would want to be there.
Speaking personally, I don't mind who gets married where but I'd decline to attend a wedding abroad regardless of how close I was to the bride or groom as I choose my holiday dates, location and accommodation based on what suits me, not others.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to point out my selfishness.

Red-Squirrel_2

If you want your families there, you will have to pay for them to be there or make it somewhere easier (and cheaper) for them to get to.

Fireflyaway

Congratulations! We got married in Mauritius. We have a small family and few friends so we had a little barbeque party thing when we got back.
My main tip would be sort the paperwork out well in advance. Ensure you provide everything to the wedding planners with time to spare. If something is lost / someone forgets to do something, you need time to be in the safe side.
I was allowed to take my dress into the cabin. The crew hung it up in the galley. Call the airline to ask if it's possible. Couldn't imagine arriving and the dress doesnt!
Other tip is make up. I don't wear much so although I had my hair professionally done, I did my own make-up. In some countries / cultures their idea of wedding make-up is different to ours, you don't want to look like a clown so either have a trial before or do it yourself.
Take note of where the marriage is registered ( which district / address of the office) . I lost my certificate and it was a mission tracking down where to get a copy.
Hope everything goes great!

TonyMMM

1) make sure that you can comply (residency/licence etc.) with whatever conditions make a wedding legally valid in the country that you choose - it can be difficult/expensive or even impossible (e.g. the Maldives) for non residents to have anything other than a "ceremony" in some places so you end up having to marry in a register office before/after anyway to be legally married.

2) Don't expect friends and family to have their holiday in your chosen location. Getting married abroad could save you money - but it could mean huge costs for your guests, who may feel under a lot of pressure to attend,