Getting married abroad can be a wonderful and exciting experience with a lot of positives. You get to experience somewhere new, you can choose somewhere with dreamlike scenery and guaranteed sunshine, and you’ll know that those who mean the most to you will make the journey, leading to an intimate and loving affair. But there are also downsides you might worry about. Will I be able to travel with my dress? How difficult will it be to organise a wedding from a different country? Sometimes, it’s best to hear it from the perspective of a bride who’s already been through it. Danielle and David tied the knot in Ibiza this year and you can check out their stunning wedding here. Danielle has shared her experience with us to help other brides-to-be considering getting married abroad.
I have never been a huge fan of the traditional Irish wedding, they are always great fun to attend but I always knew it wasn't for me. When we were planning our wedding we wanted to step outside the box and create a slightly different experience for our guests. I always knew that I wanted to get married abroad, but wasn't quite sure how to go about it. When we decided on Ibiza we started to do our homework on wedding & event planners in the area. After a few meetings we met Navine and Craig from Cardamom Events. They are a husband and wife team that were very down to earth but extremely professional too. I'm not a very organised person, so I needed somebody to help me with all the planning. I would gather ideas from Pinterest and magazines of flowers, cakes and interiors and send them to Navine and she would track down the right person for the job.
The one downside to having a wedding planner is that you do need to be the type of person who can let go and put your wedding day into someone else's care. In my opinion though I think it is completely necessary when planning a wedding abroad as you can fall into many pitfalls when you do not speak the language and are not living in a country. It does also require a little more time and money going back and forth to check out entertainment and have food tastings etc. who can complain about a weekend in Ibiza though! We visited Ibiza about four times before the actual wedding. We had the opportunity to try out lots of amazing restaurants and venues. This is one of the perks of planning a wedding abroad, you get lots of weekends away.
I was conscious that I was in Ibiza for nine days and didn't want to forget anything, so I went through many a notebook listing everything I needed to bring with me. My husband, David is super organised so at least I didn't have to look after him. I own a fashion boutique so I was lucky enough to have lots of amazing outfits and accessories on hand. I know this can be a huge expense for brides around the time of their wedding.
The only downside that affected me when planning a wedding abroad was the language barrier. It can make things difficult when you are trying to deal with florists, caterers etc. This is why I think it's so important to employ the services of a reputable events planner. Navine from Cardamom events spoke fluent Spanish and has lived on the island for 10 years so she had all the top contacts. There were a few instances when I had problems and Navine was on hand to solve them straight away.
I would highly recommend opting for a wedding abroad but I would advise them to choose their location carefully and pick an area that you have been to many times and know well so you know exactly what you are buying in to. Make sure you also take the weather into account as I have heard stories of people nearly passing out from the heat in churches waiting for the bride to arrive. Choosing the slightly cooler months is definitely a better idea.
I think people have a misconception that weddings abroad are cheaper than weddings in Ireland. In my experience and from people I have spoken to it's quite the opposite. This is a big business for many places such as Ibiza, Italy and Spain and I really think that they are capitalising on it. I know that we had to pay for every little extra right down to the salt and pepper on the table. We didn't mind as we had the time of our lives and wouldn't change it for the world, but it is something to consider when getting married abroad.
Image credit: Ana Lui Photography