Planning a Wedding Abroad Yourself

Planning a wedding abroad yourself is very achievable. Your guests will be amazed by the spectacular event you have organised.

If you like the idea of being hands on and personally involved in all aspects of planning your wedding then planning your own wedding abroad could be the perfect option.

Planning a wedding abroad is not as complicated as it may first seem and many couples have successfully planned their own wedding abroad.

Not only will you have a lot of fun and have an immense feeling of satisfaction by planning your own wedding abroad you will also save money on the costs of using a wedding planner or Tour Operator.

If you are prepared to put in the time and effort and do your research thoroughly you will be well rewarded. I am sure your guests will wonder how you managed to organise such a spectacular wedding so far from home.

Planning a wedding abroad yourself may be the best choice if.

• You would like to be in control of planning your own wedding and would not feel 100% happy handing the responsibility over to anyone else
• You are organised and good at planning
• You would enjoy the challenge of taking on a new project
• You are happy to devote some of your spare time to planning your wedding
• You would enjoy investigating and choosing suppliers in the country you have chosen to get married in. You would feel confident enough to negotiate with them in their native language
• You know your wedding destination and local area well. This is not vital but it is advantageous
• You can speak the local language. Again, whilst not vital, it is advantageous
• You are able to visit your wedding destination prior to your wedding day

The benefits of planning a wedding abroad yourself:

• You know your wedding abroad will be exactly the way you want it to be
• Your wedding will be unique and reflect your personalities and individual styles
• You will save money by not having to pay a wedding planner or Tour Operator to organise your wedding abroad
• You will gain a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction from organising your own wedding abroad
• You will gain an incredible amount of knowledge and new skills

The downsides of planning a wedding abroad yourself:

• It is time consuming and can become stressful
• If you do not speak the local language, the language barrier may become an issue when trying to deal with local suppliers
• The business practices and social culture of the host country may differ from those of your own
• You need to take care of the paperwork and legalities for getting married abroad yourself. You need to be 100% certain that you get this correct

If you do decide to plan your wedding yourself:

• Visit your wedding location before your wedding day. This is not absolutely necessary but if you can take a weekend trip it will be beneficial for you to get to know your wedding location better and meet up with local suppliers
• Get in contact with a native speaker. If you do not speak the language of the country where you are having your wedding it would be helpful to find a friend / acquaintance that does. Although most people generally speak English there are times when it is easier for suppliers to communicate in their native language especially to help avoid any misunderstandings. If you do not know anyone who can help out it may be worthwhile using a translation company
• Consult the foreign embassy or consulate of the country you are getting married in to discuss the legal requirements of getting married in their country. It is very important you know what needs to be done and when
• Find out the best method to communicate with suppliers in the country where you are getting married. Although email may appear easier, in some instances you will achieve more if you communicate by telephone
• Plan, plan, plan. Draw up a list of everything that needs to be taken care of. Become super organised!
• Use the Weddings Abroad Guide to pick up advice and tips from other couples who have planned their own wedding abroad

Wedding Planner & Plan it Yourself

If you like the idea of planning a wedding abroad yourself but do not feel comfortable sorting out the legalities for getting married abroad then the perfect option may be a combination between organising it yourself and using a wedding planner.

Many wedding planners will happily sort out the paperwork to ensure your marriage is legal and charge you a one-off fee for doing this. You will not be under any obligation to use their services for organising any other part of your wedding.

You will then have the confidence that your marriage will be legal and you can organise the rest of your wedding however you desire.

You could also use a wedding planner to co-ordinate activities only on your wedding day itself. This will relieve you of the burden of worrying about everything going according to plan, allowing you to enjoy your day without having to think about what should be done next.

Charlotte & Christian who married in the South of France planned their own wedding abroad but used a wedding planner to be their "organiser on the day". Charlotte commented, "her help was invaluable and she did a brilliant job on the day. I felt it was brilliant value for money as I wouldn't have wanted to organise anything on the day and didn't want any of my friends and family to have to worry about it".

Charlotte also offers the following advice on planning a wedding abroad, "I would recommend wedding planners to others but it didn't suit me to have someone doing the whole thing as I wanted to keep a lot of control. I would say for people with no contacts or none of the language that a wedding planner is invaluable. I would say that the money you spend on the planner you will save in flights to do meetings that they can do for you"