Destination Weddings
Destination weddings may well have begun as a run-off to Gretna Green. Today destination weddings have become fashionable and very much the done thing among the wealthy and those not so wealthy. Destination weddings are intimate affairs with just a few people around to witness the exchange of wedding rings – maybe just family and close friends, unless of course one is Tom Cruise, flying out a large party to Italy. Destination weddings are available for every budget. From super clubs that handle everything including planning and hosting to countryside and seaside affairs or the Caribbean, Italy, luxury cruises, the safari park or anything the couple wants. More often than not, everything is planned and all you have to do is carry along the wedding rings.
Destination weddings do have advantages. Keeping the guest list small means no one will feel left out. There is less stress and practically no family interference, it is more cost efficient and the rules are those made by the couple and no one else. Think of it - at a beach wedding you can exchange wedding rings in swimwear if you wish. In fact it is a great idea for second marriages where you can exchange wedding rings with just the people who really love and support you around.
Destination weddings can also become the honeymoon venue. Having a few close people on hand, the couple gets to know and share with each other’s family and friends for a few days. Then after the wedding ring ceremony, the couple stays on while the others leave. It would have been a few wonderful days of sightseeing and sharing with the nearest and dearest, before being on one’s own.
When planning a destination wedding, a few things must be checked out. There are a lot of arrangements that can be managed by the company, super club or cruise offering the destination wedding. Most of them are civil ceremonies that are of a non-religious nature and the exchanging of wedding rings can be done in hotels, outdoors, historic locations, on the high seas, wherever. Many of these destination wedding providers sometimes also provide for a religious wedding of most of the major religions. However, one must check and make sure a religious ceremony of your religion is available.
In some locations, you can only exchange wedding rings in the town hall or other government buildings or in a chapel. At other places, you could exchange your wedding rings at the ceremony that could be held anywhere at all, at the discretion of the local marriage registrar.
Many countries do not accept a marriage, even if the wedding ring ceremony has been adhered to, if it has been performed in a third country. Sometimes after the wedding, a registration must be done at a local embassy. This may need looking into or checked with the destination provider. Many countries have residency rules that state that one or both should have been a resident for a certain period of time in that country before marrying. Other countries have no rules and one can just step off the plane to get married with your wedding rings right away.
