19.1 Planning Weddings Abroad
More couples than ever before are planning to marry abroad, and as the wedding planner, you are responsible for making their dreams come true. There are several ways to ensure that you can pull off a foreign wedding without a hitch: First, you want to work with a wedding planner in the location the couple has chosen. You do this for two reasons: to become aware of legal and traditional requirements and to have a contact in the area for planning. You also want to find out if the couple must have a UK based wedding at the registry office. Though many location weddings are recognised in the UK, some locations may require a legal registry wedding in the UK to make it legal. Once you know where the couple is planning on travelling, look for resorts in the location for wedding deals. This not only helps to make your job as a wedding planner easier, but it also may help the couple to save money.
FACT
Couples can save up to £10,000 on the cost of their wedding by getting married abroad.
Source: weddingideasmag.com19.2 Your Role as a Wedding Planner
Since you will preferably be working with a wedding planner in the chosen locale, you might wonder what role you will take at home. There is still a lot to do in the UK, and this is where your role will come in. For instance, if the couple needs to get legally married in the UK, you will need to work with the registry office to make this happen. Another thing that you will need to do at home is finding dresses, getting discounts, arranging transportation, choosing favours and negotiating with vendors.
19.3 Helping the Couple Get the Most Out of Their Foreign Wedding
As you help your clients plan their wedding abroad, it is important that you keep a mental list of how you can help them to achieve their dream of marrying in a new location. One of the things you may find yourself helping with is actually choosing the location for their wedding. Some couples will come to you and say, “I want to get married in a castle,” yet they have no idea where they want to go. One way to help them is to suggest they start looking at photographs of places that stand out to them by browsing magazines or the internet. Using a resource such as Pinterest can help you work together to create a list of foreign locales. Once you have created a list with your clients, give them some time to focus, and then advise them to choose a location by a certain deadline. Remember, you need several months, or even a year or more, to plan a wedding abroad.
19.4 Work With Others Abroad
Once the couple comes to you with their dream destination, start contacting other wedding planners in that area. This helps to make it easier on you, especially if you are unfamiliar with the location. You may have to work out a deal with this wedding planner when it comes to compensation, of course, but there are several ways to do this. You could give them a percentage of your fee, you may pay them a flat rate or you may even suggest trading services. For example, if you are working with a wedding planner in the United States for your clients to get married there, ask if they have any clients wishing to get married in the UK.
19.5 Think About Who to Invite
Another thing you must help your clients with when it comes to a wedding abroad is the invitations. Talk to the couple about how they want to handle this, as not only will they need to deal with inviting guests to the wedding, they also must think about things such as accommodation and travel. Most couples who choose a wedding abroad will have a smaller guest list than those getting married at their local church, but remind them that due to the associated cost of travel, that many of the guests they want to come may not be able to. Instead, suggest inviting those who they believe can travel, and then have a party or even another ceremony when the couple returns to the UK.
19.6 Don’t Forget About the Decor
As with any wedding, you also need to think about the smaller details when planning a wedding abroad, including the decor. If working with a resort or wedding planner at the foreign destination, you will likely have decor choices and colour schemes to choose from, but this is not always the case, so you may need to discuss this with your client and find out the logistics of the decorations based on the location. For instance, it may not be practical to take decorations with you to the Caribbean. Instead, set up the decorations there, which will be waiting when you arrive.
19.7 Consider the Logistics of Travelling with a Wedding Dress
The wedding dress is one of the most important parts of any wedding, and when it comes to a wedding abroad, there are also some logistics to consider. If possible, suggest to the bride that a simpler, lighter dress may be more appropriate for a foreign wedding, as she will have to transport it from the UK to that location. Trying to fit a wedding dress in an overhead bin is simply not a good plan. Instead, either deliver the dress to the location ahead of time, or urge the bride to choose a dress that is easy to transport.
19.8 Finding Out About Food
Most weddings, even those on foreign soil, have a meal associated with them, and the most fun weddings have a meal and a party. However, as a wedding planner, it will be up to you to work with your clients to plan this. Instead of planning it here in the UK, however, you have to plan it in a foreign location. The nice thing about planning a reception with a wedding abroad, however, is that you won’t have as many people, and most venues will have food and beverage service available. Also, you may want to suggest a menu that reflects the local cuisine or culture. For instance, instead of serving wine, as you may in the UK, serve some Jamaican rum punch or switch out the cold buffet for a beach front Mexican barbecue. Again, this is a good time to trade ideas with your foreign wedding planner counterpart.
19.9 Don’t Neglect the Details
Though most wedding planners can handle the main parts of a wedding abroad, such as the venue, menu, and dress logistics, it is the details that may cause problems. For instance, you may find that your couple still wants a band, a cake and a photographer, and it is up to you to find these services in a foreign land. Also, don’t forget to plan for a hairdresser and make-up artist for those photographs!
19.10 Encourage the Bride and Groom to Spoil Themselves
Finally, planning a wedding is tough, especially if you are the couple who is getting married. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute. They have never done this before, they are working with people who may not speak the same language as them, and they need to coordinate the most important day of their lives with people who may live thousands of miles across the sea. Since this is the case, and your job, for that matter, make sure that you talk to the couple about doing something luxurious for themselves when away. Though they will likely have a honeymoon, try to convince them to do something fun and/or relaxing before the wedding and splurge. For instance, a couples massage on the beach the day before the ceremony can help both the bride and groom relax before the ceremony.
19.11 Working to Arrange a Wedding Package
Choosing the tour operator will also be on your list of things to do. Companies such as Virgin, Thomson and Kuoni are popular for destination weddings, though each tend to focus on a particular part of the world.
Read the Small Print
As you search through the packages, it is also important to look at the small print, as you don’t want to take the blame for the couple having to spend more than they thought due to fees. If the package is too good to be true, it probably is. A basic wedding package usually ranges from £300 to £400 minimum, plus other travel costs.
Visas and Insurance
You will also have to arrange visas and travel insurance for the couple if necessary, though they will have to do a lot of this on their own. You can, however, give them information on what they need and how long it will take.
19.12 Common Destinations for Weddings Abroad
Though you may be thrown for a loop at times, most couples will choose popular wedding locations for their ceremony abroad. For instance, if they want to marry in a countryside château, France is the place to be. If they want a tropical locale with white sandy beaches, Barbados is an excellent choice. Most couples will come to a wedding planner with an idea, and it may be up to you to give them direction, but you also want to think outside of the box and give them alternatives, too. For instance, if they say they want to marry in the Caribbean, also suggest other locales, such as Fiji. Many couples also may want a romantic setting for their wedding, and may want a classic choice, such as Paris. However, there are locations that are equally as romantic, such as South Africa, New Orleans or Italy, which may suit the couple better. Don’t neglect to suggest locations closer to home, either, such as Scotland or Ireland. These can be very romantic and since they are closer, are usually less expensive. Some couples may also be seeking out a wedding location with a religious element, and when this is the case, you can’t go wrong with Cyprus or another Greek island.
Module Summary
A wedding in a foreign locale is popular for couples who don’t want to spend their entire wedding budget on only one day. They are also good for those who want to limit the number of guests, as not everyone will be able to afford the travel costs. As you plan more weddings abroad, you will become better at it, and eventually, you may be able to specialise in this type of wedding if you wish.[Tweet “I just completed Module 19 of the Wedding Planning Course”]
