If a wedding without bridesmaid dresses and seating charts sounds like bliss to you, join the party–just don’t throw one. A growing number of couples now fold their wedding and honeymoon into one far-flung event. There are no hard statistics on the trend, but travel professionals say the number of “weddingmooners” is rising steadily. At Unforgettable Honeymoons in Portland, Ore. (unforgettablehoneymoon.com), bookings for destination weddings have increased tenfold in the past two years, according to owner Renee Duane.
Some couples just don’t want a traditional ceremony. (Kimmie Kemberling was creeped out by the idea of everyone’s staring at her.) But there’s another incentive for the peripatetic wedding party: it can be a lot cheaper. For about what you’d shell out for fancy floral arrangements and hors d’oeuvres back home, you can say your vows inside Florence’s 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio (destination-weddings-in-Italy.com) or at a villa on a Greek island (thewedding experience.com). If you plan ahead, you can even get the mayor of Santorini to officiate. New Zealand Wedding Services (nzweddingservices.co.nz), which organized the Kemberlings’ nuptials, charges between $2,000 and $2,500 to arrange local transportation, flowers, photography and legal documentation at jaw-dropping locations like the Tasman Glacier. And for $4,000 to $6,000, Duane’s company coordinates Fijian wedding ceremonies (weddings-in-fiji.com), featuring costumed warrior escorts, elaborate bridal boats and choirs.
Certainly, money isn’t everything when it comes to planning a wedding. Rick Hernandez, 50, a Washington, D.C., financial-services executive, was more interested in reducing his stress than cutting the tab. So he held his second wedding on the sand at Fiji’s isolated Turtle Island resort. “At a traditional wedding you have relatives tugging at you and rehearsal dinners. On my wedding day, I was walking on a beach. No stress.” (Sipping calming tea at a Fijian kava ceremony also helps.)
As demand has increased, the governments of such idyllic spots as the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Bonaire have made it easier for foreigners to marry. In June, Scotland enacted a new law permitting couples to wed almost anywhere, not just in a registrar’s office or a church. (Scottishweddings online.com can put together a ceremony in a 14th-century friary, complete with bagpipers in kilts, for about $6,500.) But getting married abroad isn’t all white veils and teal beaches–there’s also plenty of red tape. If you want a Buddhist monk to watch you wed in Thailand, you’ll have to marry before 11 a.m. Mexico requires a blood test in the town in which you marry. And forget about wearing a swimsuit at a beach ceremony in Aruba.
Most countries require that official documents, such as birth certificates and licenses, be translated into the local language. And most places have residency requirements–in France, couples must cool their heels a minimum of 40 days before they wed. The British Web site confetti.co.uk/travel/finder.asp lets you check such rules (and search out the best weather). Although it’s not required, you can have an overseas wedding authenticated by the local U.S. Embassy for about $32 (travel.state.gov). And if things don’t work out, don’t worry. No matter where the ceremony is held, as long as it’s legal, you can still get a quickie divorce in Vegas.
title: “Travel The Weddingmooners " ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-26” author: “Genevieve Bally”
If a wedding without bridesmaid dresses and seating charts sounds like bliss to you, join the party–just don’t throw one. A growing number of couples like Lam and Lai, who are from Hong Kong, now fold their wedding and honeymoon into one far-flung event. There are no statistics on the trend, but travel professionals say the number of “weddingmooners” is rising steadily. At New Zealand Wedding Services (nzweddingservices.co.nz), online bookings for destination weddings have tripled in two years, according to operations manager Minetta Stevens. Americans and Europeans each account for roughly one third of its clientele, and more than a quarter make the trip from Asia.
Some couples just don’t want a traditional ceremony. (A church wedding didn’t appeal to Lai and Lam for religious reasons, and waiting in line at the Hong Kong marriage registry seemed about as romantic as going to the post office.) But there’s another incentive for the peripatetic wedding party: it can be a whole lot cheaper. For about what you’d shell out for fancy floral arrangements and hors d’oeuvres back home, you can say your vows inside Florence’s 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio (destination-weddings-in-Italy.com) or at a villa on a Greek island (theweddingexperience.com). With a little planning, you can even get the mayor of Santorini to officiate. And if you throw a wedding halfway around the world, it conveniently turns out a lot of guests can’t make it.
New Zealand Wedding Services, which organized Lai and Lam’s nuptials, charges between $2,000 and $2,500 to arrange local transportation, flowers, photography and legal documentation at jaw-dropping locations like the Tasman Glacier. And for $4,000 to $6,000, Unforgettable Honeymoons in Portland, Oregon, coordinates traditional Fijian wedding ceremonies on beaches (weddings-in-fiji.com), featuring costumed warrior escorts, elaborate bridal boats and choirs.
As demand has increased, the governments of such idyllic spots as the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Bonaire have made it easier for foreigners to marry. In June, Scotland enacted a new marriage law permitting couples to wed almost anywhere, not just in a registrar’s office or a church. (Scottishweddingsonline.com can put together a ceremony in a 14th-century friary, complete with bagpipers in kilts, for about $6,500.) But getting married abroad isn’t all white veils and teal beaches–there’s plenty of red tape. If you want a Buddhist monk to watch you tie the knot in Thailand, for instance, you’ll have to marry before 11 a.m. Mexico requires a blood test on-site, at least in towns that permit foreign weddings. And though Aruba recently relaxed its laws, don’t even think about wearing a swimsuit until the beach ceremonies that often follow official weddings, which must be in city hall.
Most countries require that such documents as birth certificates and licenses be translated into the local language. And most places have residency requirements–in France, couples must cool their heels a minimum of 40 days before they wed. The British Web site confetti.co.uk/travel/ finder.asp lets you check such rules, plus search for the best weather in the month you choose to wed. Local wedding planners–not to mention Fijian warriors–can help with the legwork.
