Plan Your Wedding Abroad

Thinking about getting married in a luxurious destination with sensational sea views? Well, you are not alone! It is currently estimated that one in five British weddings now take place overseas. With the lure of white sands and guaranteed sunshine, it’s no wonder so many couples have their nuptials outside of the UK.

However, there are a few things to consider before making a decision and Sainsbury’s Bank have produced a useful guide which aims to do exactly that. Whatever the season or destination, you’ll find plenty of practical tips and advice inside the ‘Getting married abroad’ booklet.

From budget planning and paperwork to choosing a venue and time of year, you’ll find all the details you need to make wedding planning a stress-free and exciting experience. You can read the full guide on the website: http://www.sainsburysbank.co.uk/library/default/resources/married-abroad.pdf

Here are some just a few tips you can find inside:

• Top 10 destinations for getting married abroad
• Key questions to ask when choosing a venue
• Useful budget advice
• Perfect locations for every season
• Applying for a marriage licence  
• Choosing the best suppliers 

A good place to start is by searching for the perfect place - we've discovered one on the paradise island of Cyprus, which you can read about in our autumn issue of West Weddings. Some of the couples featured in West Weddings magazine over the years have also exchanged vows in fabulous faraway places - find out about their stories in our previous digital issues.

Now, why not tell us where you plan to have your nuptials. As always you can find us on Facebook and Twitter, and take a look at our Pinterest boards for inspiration.  

Honeymoon Spotlight: Porto, Portugal

The beautiful city of Porto is often overlooked for the better-known Lisbon when travellers think of visiting Portugal, but we want to take a moment to introduce you to this lovely city and excellent honeymoon destination. Hopefully these photos (taken by our blog editor when she visited last year) give you a peek at the gorgeous destination that is Porto.

Without further ado, we present 5 Reasons to Visit Porto:

1. Food

One of Porto's most well-known dishes is the Francesinha - a sandwich that some have described as Portugal's answer to the French croque-monsieur. You can read all about its delicious details here, but suffice to say that paired with a basked of chips and an ice cold beer, this is one of the most indulgently tasty meals out there. Bonus: your excuse for eating it can be that it's a genuine cultural experience, especially if you dine at the tiny, hole-in-the-wall Bufete Fase.

The Editor's francesinha - before and after.

2. Drink

Porto is the home of - you guessed it - Port, so not only is the drink available nearly everywhere you go, but there are several wine cellars just across the river that give interesting and informative tours that cover the history and making of the drink.

3. Beautiful scenery

In Britain we easily grow familiar with the idea of old buildings and old cities - but it's striking to visit a place where even old buildings have a unique sense of Portuguese character that really stands in contrast to traditional English architecture.

There are many spots from which to glimpse a birds-eye view of Porto across the river. If you visit, be sure to take in these vantage points to encounter truly breathtaking views.

4. Shopping

While in Porto, our editor spent nearly an entire afternoon in an outdoor market filled with eclectic stalls. It truly was a shopper's paradise - particularly if that shopper is interested in original, unique, and sometimes downright random items!

5. Affordability

Last, but not least, we found Porto to be a city where no tourist would find themselves limited by budget. On so many holidays one has to be careful to pick and choose exactly what they do and don't want to visit and experience, because each of those experiences come with a price tag. Not so in Porto. We were surprised to find that many elements of our tourist experience were inexpensive (e.g. the wine cellar tour and port tasting, transportation on the Metro) or free (e.g. museum entry, visiting nearly all notable landmarks). Unsurprisingly, Lonely Planet also listed Porto #4 in its list of 'top 10 best value destinations' in 2012.

For more information on visiting Porto, TripAdvisor is a great starting point.

Have you visited anywhere that YOU think would make a great honeymoon destination? Let us know! We'd love to feature your experience and your photos on the blog to help others as they plan their special getaway.

Planning a Wedding Without Breaking the Bank (Part 3) - Anneka's Story

Today we wrap up our series with Anneka’s story. Anneka and Tom got married only last month and it just so happens that it was photographed by none other than Yours Truly (me!).

Having spoken with Tom and Anneka I knew that they didn’t have the world to spend on their wedding, so I was interested to see how they went about planning. On their wedding day I was so floored by how gorgeous, well-planned and all-around FUN the day was that I couldn’t help but ask a few nosey questions to find out how they did it. While I was inspired by many weddings and many brides, it was actually Anneka’s wedding that really sparked this series!

Also, there are only three days left to enter to win your copy of ‘A Priceless Wedding’! Scroll to the bottom of Anneka’s story to enter.

(Click here for Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.)

Top Trumps & Candy Jars: Anneka’s Story

© Kate Hacker Photography

1.       Tell us a little bit about you, your wedding, and your wedding budget:

My name is Anneka and I got married to Tom in February of this year. We had just 4 1/2 months to organise our wedding. I work in a school so we had to plan around school holidays in order to have a honeymoon after. It was definitely a very busy few months. It helped that I worked part time and was able to do a lot in my spare time. Our budget was £7,500. 

2.       What elements of a wedding took top priority for you in your planning?

We were both flexible about how we wanting things to be. Neither of us had specific ideas and this made decisions easier. The one thing that was very important to us was that the day would be laid back and enjoyable for everyone.

3.       What was your experience of working on a budget, and what would you tell a bride who is worried that she needs to go into debt (or wait 10 years) to afford the wedding she wants?

It was very useful to have a budget and keep track of what we were spending. Before we wrote our budget we asked some friends about theirs. We didn't keep to it strictly but in the end we found that we were only £250 over. We asked friends and family to help us. We saved money by making lots of things, such as the invitations, orders of service and table decorations, and also we arranged the flowers ourselves.

© Kate Hacker Photography

4.       What did you end up spending the least amount of money on? Why did you spend less on this, and how did you manage to keep the cost down?

We tried to keep things simple. Instead of individual favours we had Top Trumps games and jars of sweets, which we had decorated, on each table. We also saved money by the men wearing their own suits but we hired matching shirts, waistcoats and cravats.

© Kate Hacker Photography

5.       What did you end up spending the most on, and why? What made this particular thing a spending priority for you?

We spent the most on providing food and drink for our guests - about £2,500. We wanted to celebrate with lots of our family and friends, so with nearly 200 guests we couldn't avoid this. We bought the drink ourselves when the supermarkets had offers on. We also decided to hire crockery that could be sent back dirty which cost more.

6.       What would you give as your top ‘insider tip’ for throwing a wedding without millions of pounds to spare?

Organising a wedding on a budget doesn't mean that you can't make it what you want. Decide what is important to you and be willing to compromise on some things. You can save lots by asking others to help you.

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Share your top tip for planning a wedding on a budget in the comments section below for a chance to win our giveaway of 'A Priceless Wedding'

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