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Get me to the beach on time(Daily Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WE'VE ALL heard of weddings on exotic Caribbean beaches, but these days thousands of couples are giving up the traditional English wedding and the tropical alternative - and are instead jetting off with family and friends for a Mediterranean celebration. In fact, more than one in ten British marriages is now held abroad - and many are so called 'easyJet weddings'. Short, cheap flights mean that friends and family can join the happy couple in a romantic location where the sun is pretty much guaranteed to shine. And costs are surprisingly low. A typical English wedding - church, country house hotel reception with champagne and a sit-down meal for 100-plus guests - costs the average couple (or the bride's father) about GBP16,000. Couples who marry abroad, according to Mintel, spend nearer GBP6,000, due mainly to the smaller number of guests and factors such as cheaper champagne. Kerry Vear-Smyth, who runs Celebrations In Spain, a wedding planning business on the Costa del Sol, says: 'Spain is cheaper anyway. But the big difference is that hotels here are more generous. If you decide to hold your wedding dinner at a certain hotel, they'll give you a suite for your wedding night for free.' Many couples tell their guests not to bother with a wedding present: they'd rather their friends spent money on an airline ticket and a hotel room and helped make it a day to remember. And while brides and their girlfriends tend to dress for the Big Day, much as they would at home, men have no need to hire morning coats and so on - another saving that can go towards the air ticket. It's the ladies who are leading the way. 'Bikini brides' are most likely to press for a foreign wedding; research shows they are more willing to break with convention than men. Says wedding planner Kerry: 'We have a young bride-to-be whose parents are both very powerful lawyers. They wanted to plan a wedding for her with 250 gifts - but she simply refused. 'Instead, she and her fiance have chosen to fly out here and get married in the morning in Gibraltar [where a civil wedding can be organised without residency]. Then they're going to Spain for a tapas lunch, and after that, they're going to have a siesta before a celebration dinner at a lovely seafront restaurant.' Here are some of the best Mediterranean marriage locations: The Amalfi Coast, Italy THE LAW: Civil weddings can be much more characterful in Italy than the UK. In Positano, for example, they are held on the terrace of the town hall, overlooking the sea - and the good news is that two non-resident foreigners can be married legally here. You need to arrive in the country at least four working days before the wedding to finalise the paperwork. WHERE? Capri Palace Hotel, Anacapri, through Italian Expressions (020 7433 2675; expressionsholidays.co.uk). Party size catered for: 20-100 guests. This stunning coast and its nearby islands are littered with hotels suitable for weddings, but the best choice is the Capri Palace, a great whitewashed affair surrounded by palm trees, 300 metres above the sea on the island of Capri. It can lay on a lavish wedding reception with all the trimmings after a colourful civil ceremony at the Mayor's office in Capri's famous cobbled square, the Piazzetta Umberto I. COST: Five nights at the Capri Palace, including return BA flights, transfers to Capri, and a sea-view room on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis costs from GBP1,598 per person in June. (The Luna hotel is a cheaper alternative for guests, costing from GBP585 for three nights in June.) For a champagne reception and fabulous sit-down dinner, allow GBP170 per head. PLANNER: Italian Expressions has its own planners. From GBP1,000 for all paperwork. FLIGHTS: To Naples with easyJet, Monarch and BA. Costa del Sol, Spain THE LAW: Church and civil weddings are impossible in Spain for non-resident foreigners - except in the case of Roman Catholics, who can enjoy a church wedding without residency. Others have a civil wedding in advance in Britain, or on the same day in Gibraltar, and begin their wedding party with a blessing. WHERE? Guadalmina Golf Hotel, Marbella (00 34 952 882211; guadalmina.com). Party size: 50-100 guests. The Guadalmina is a large comfortable four-star hotel that knows how to lay on a good wedding party. Given how many Brits own apartments in the area, couples often turn up with 100 guests. A free deluxe suite for the wedding night and flowers on the tables for dinner are both thrown in to make the happy couple even happier. The restaurant used for large receptions has fantastic views of the sea, the golf course and the pool. COST: All from GBP80 per head for a party of 100, a sit-down dinner, cocktails, a DJ, and coaches if necessary. Double rooms with sea view cost from GBP103 per night in June. PLANNER: Celebrations In Spain (00 34 636 588697; celebrations inspain.com) will organise everything. Fees start at GBP360. FLIGHTS: To Malaga with easyJet, BMI and BA. Cote d'Azur, France THE LAW: It's impossible to be married at a French town hall or church unless one of the couple has been resident for 40 days. So the answer is a civil wedding in the UK, followed by a symbolic blessing, either by a wedding planner or an Anglican priest. Certain French priests will agree to hold a blessing. WHERE? Chateau de la Chevre d'Or, Eze (00 33 4 92 10 66 66; chevredor.com). Party size: 16-28 guests. If you love France, and you want a small, luxurious wedding party in a magical setting, this is the place. Have your blessing on a hillside lawn overlooking Cap Ferrat followed by champagne on the terrace and a sit-down gourmet dinner in the private dining-room, cooked by the two-Michelin-star chef, Philippe Labbe. This amazing hotel - the exterior is medieval, while the interior offers every 21st-century comfort - sits 400 metres above the sea, just beyond Nice. The happy couple should upgrade to a junior suite (room 16 is perfect) with a private terrace overlooking the sea. COST: From GBP180 per head for a fourcourse dinner, including wine; GBP300 per night for a medium double room next May; GBP575 for a junior suite. PLANNER: Golden Star Events in Monaco (00 377 97 70 84 34; golden- star- events. com) will organise the blessing, including musicians, photographer, florist, hair and makeup for the bride, and champagne cocktails, from GBP2,350. FLIGHTS: To Nice with easyJet, BMI and BA. Provence, France THE LAW: As above. WHERE? Auberge de l'Aiguebrun near Bonnieux, Provence (00 33 4 90 04 47 00; aubergedelaiguebrun.fr). Party size: 25-80 guests. A delightful country hotel sitting on a riverbank in the heart of the Luberon. Peacocks stroll in the gardens, the waterfall is lit up at night, the rooms are pretty and the food is superb. The norm at boutique hotels throughout Europe is that for a wedding party you must take over all the rooms, because other guests would feel awkward. At weekends, you usually have to take the hotel for two nights - and that's the case here. COST: Hotel rental for two nights is GBP2,670, which gives the couple a suite and enough rooms to put up 23 other guests. Allow GBP15 per head for champagne toast; GBP75 per head for dinner and GBP28 per head for a brunch the next day. For a large party, and if you want dancing, allow GBP2,200 for a tent and trimmings. PLANNER: Mirabilis in Paris (00 33 1 40 88 34 88; mirabilis.fr) can organise a blessing and everything for the wedding day, including a DJ and photos, from GBP2,500. FLIGHTS: To Marseille with easyJet or BA. The Turquoise Coast, Turkey THE LAW: A civil wedding is possible with proof of 'no impediment'. You must arrive in the country at least three days before the wedding to allow for a visit to the British consulate in Antalya and to the local Turkish registrar, who will then conduct the service anywhere you wish. WHERE? Kalkan Regency Hotel, through Exclusive Escapes (020 8605 3500; hiddenturkey.com). Party size: 16-50 guests. This is one of the most chic hotels on the Turquoise Coast, known for its excellent food and fantastic pool (and poolside bar), which overlooks the ocean. It's a boutique hotel, but big enough to hold a small wedding party without the couple having to book the entire place. There are plenty of cheaper options nearby, available through Exclusive Escapes, including the Serra boutique hotel, for guests who don't wish to splash out on the Regency. COST: One week in a deluxe seaview room in May, including flights and transfers for two, from GBP1,600. For champagne and dinner with drinks for a small wedding party, allow from GBP50 per head. PLANNER: Paradise Weddings (020 7405 5007; paradiseweddings.co.uk) can also advise on special locations, such as Bodrum Castle. Allow GBP950 for all paperwork and fees. FLIGHTS: To Dalaman with BMI as part of Exclusive Escapes package. Southwest Cyprus THE LAW: Non-residents can enjoy a full church or civil wedding in Cyprus which will be valid worldwide, but you should arrive at least three days beforehand to finalise paperwork. WHERE? Villa Taurus, Paphos, through Villa Select (01789 764909; villaselect.com). Party size: ten-30. STYLE: Get married at the birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Very few villa owners in Europe will allow wedding parties, but Villa Select has several properties in Cyprus - maid service included - where they are permitted. Taurus is a spacious new villa, set high on a hillside overlooking the sea near the Coral Bay resort. The garden and large pool make a great setting for a relaxed wedding party after a service either in St George's Chapel outside Paphos - which caters for both Anglican and Catholic weddings - or in Paphos Town Hall. If you prefer a hotel, the Elysium at Paphos (00 357 26 844 444; elysium.com.cy) has its own wedding chapel. COST: Two weeks' rental of Villa Taurus, which sleeps ten, costs GBP2,990 in June. PLANNER: Villa Select charges GBP100 for handling paperwork. The fee for a church service is from GBP250, and for a civil ceremony from GBP185. FLIGHTS: To Paphos with Monarch from GBP224 per person. * BA (0870 850 9850; ba.com), easyJet (0905 821 0905; easyjet.com), BMI (0870 6070 555; flybmi.com), Monarch (08700 405040; flymonarch.com). TOP TIPS IN SOME countries - Turkey and Italy - it's relatively easy for two non-resident foreigners to enjoy a civil wedding ceremony as long as all the paperwork is carefully planned ahead of your trip and you arrive a few days in advance of the Big Day. The key requirement is a 'no impediment' document, which you get from your local registrar, proving you are not already married. In Cyprus, you can even have a church wedding. In France and Spain, however, it is impossible to be married legally without long residency (with the exception of Roman Catholics travelling to Spain). The solution is to marry at a register office at home (or in Gibraltar if your party is on the Costa del Sol) and then organise a blessing at your reception. |