Plan a cheap wedding abroad

by Rachel Wait on 24 April 2010  |  6 comments
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If you’re planning to get married overseas, make sure you check out these top tips first!

With my wedding being less than three months away, I’m pretty aware of how stressful planning a big day can be – and how expensive!

And when I was sunning myself on holiday in Barbados a few months ago, I did start to wonder whether it would have been far easier to simply get hitched on the beach there and then and forgo all the serious planning.

But how easy is it really to get married abroad, and how do you prepare for it? With a little help from Caxton FX, here are seven top tips if you’re thinking of tying the knot abroad.

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Research your destination

When you’re contemplating where to get married, you need to carefully consider what time of year it will be and which countries are suitable at that time of year.

For example, if you’ve got your heart set on getting hitched in the Caribbean, make sure it’s not during September, which is hurricane season. Similarly, if you want to get married in Kenya, be aware that its rainy seasons run from March to May, and October to December.

You can find a list of countries and their seasons here.

Once you’ve decided, you need to start looking into what documents you should have. Make sure you have all the visas and paperwork you need well before the wedding day. It can take several months to obtain the correct documentation from the relevant authorities.

You may find it easier to hire an overseas wedding planner as he/she will be able to help you with this, as well as help you to get the best deal on all aspects of your wedding.

However, if you’d prefer to do it all yourself, make sure you check out the Foreign & Commonwealth Office which will provide you with useful links, including embassy details. You should also check whether your wedding will be recognised in the UK, and watch out for extra costs such as document translation fees.

Check out your venue carefully

Because you’re getting married overseas, it may not be possible to check out your venue in person before the big day. In an ideal world, you’ll be much better off paying it a visit, but if that’s not possible, make sure you do some research on the internet and read reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor which offers information about hotels and the area in general.

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If you’re not sure about anything, make sure you ask the hotel manager, so that everything is crystal clear and you don’t get any nasty shocks. For example, you might want to check whether you can play your own music, or choose your own flowers. And what happens if it rains?

If you choose to arrange your wedding through a tour company, it’s vital that you check the small print carefully. Check exactly what is included in the price and find out how many weddings your venue has for that specific date – you don’t want to be hurried through at top speed because there are another four couples waiting.

Be careful how you pay

Unfortunately, due to the fact that you’ll be paying for a wedding that’s overseas, you’re likely to get charged a foreign transaction fee every time you pay the venue, photographer, caterers, and so on. High street banks often charge £25 or more just to transfer your money, and banks can also charge commission and take overseas delivery charges, so you’ll need to be aware of this.

One way to get around this is to use Caxton FX’s online payment service, FastPay. This is free to set up and won’t charge a transfer fee. It’s easy to open an account and once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to make as many international bank transfers as you wish. Funds take 1-3 working days to arrive.

Similarly, once you’re abroad, you need to be aware that using a debit or credit card can work out to be very expensive as you’ll be hit with a variety of charges and fees. A good way to avoid this is to use a pre-paid currency card, such as the Caxton FX currency card, the Travelex Cash Passport, or the FairFX currency card.

You can usually buy these free of charge and all you need to do is pre-load the card with foreign currency - at no additional cost. Not only will you get a competitive exchange rate, but in most cases, you won’t be charged a transaction fee. The Caxton FX card also won’t charge you if you withdraw money overseas, and neither will the Travelex Cash Passport if you have applied for your card from selected retailers.

If you apply for the FairFX Anywhere card (in Sterling), you also won’t have to pay ATM fees, although there will be a 1.5% charge on all transactions. The Euro and Dollar cards, on the other hand, won’t charge you a transaction fee, but will charge you for withdrawing funds from an ATM.

These pre-paid currency cards also mean you won't have to carry lots of cash around with you.

• Watch our video: Pre-paid currency cards

Visit your GP

It’s worth paying a visit to your GP to find out whether you will need any injections, or preventative measures, such as Malaria tablets. Make sure you do this well in advance – some vaccinations are required three months before travel.

Don’t forget to also pack medications such as mosquito repellent and something for an upset stomach.

Don’t forget insurance

It’s a good idea to take out wedding insurance, as well as travel insurance, to ensure you’re completely covered if something goes wrong – this could be anything from losing your dress to a hurricane preventing your wedding from taking place.

Make sure you shop around for your insurance to ensure that you’re getting the best deal, but also that your policy covers you for everything you need. Don’t forget that all important small print!

Think about what to wear

You also need to ensure you have the right wedding outfits for the weather in which you are getting married. You won’t want to be wearing a heavy, full-skirted dress or a heavy suit if the weather will be hot! The bride could consider a backless dress in a light fabric, while the groom could simply forgo a jacket.

It’s also worth checking with your airline about their policy for taking your dress onboard.

Give your guests advance notice

Finally, you should give your guests as much notice as possible so they can look into booking their flights and accommodation early and get the best deals. You may find if you have a group of people staying at one place, you’ll be able to get a group discount.

Make sure you also provide your guests with lots of information about the location and venue – tell them whether they will need any injections, what visas they will need, and maybe suggest flights.

You could even set up a wedding website to provide all this information. For my wedding, I’ve used the website weddingpath.co.uk which is free to use and easy to set up. It’s a great way of providing your guests with all the information they need, without having to send out lots of pieces of paper. An alternative is gettingmarried.co.uk.

So wherever you’re getting married, I hope it’s everything you want it to be!

More: How to tie the knot on a budget | Blissful budgeting for the big day