Your Dream Honeymoon

For some people, lying on a beach all week is bliss while others couldn't think of anything worse! Your honeymoon is a time that you and your new spouse want to remember forever as a magical holiday, and what that conisists of is down to you. Here are some ideas for your style:

Traditional

Sun, sea and sand - the idyllic components of a holiday brochure style honeymoon. If this is how you picture your dream honeymmon then there are plenty of romantic detsinations to choose from. One of the most popular is the Maldives which has some wonderful island resorts to relax on. Also take a look at Hawaii, Barbados or the Goa

Budget

Honeymoons can cost a lot of money but you don't need to break the bank to have a romantic getaway. There are some beautiful detsinations across Europe and you can fly to the romantic heart of Italy for a reasonable price. Don't rule out the UK though - there is some stunning scenery in Scotland or check into to a lovely country hotel for some real English charm.

Adventure

If lounging on a beach isn't your idea of fun then you may want to add a bit of get up and go to your honeymoon. There are some amazing trips worldwide from cosying up after a day on the slopes or sunning yourself on a sailing holiday to more extreme advenures like horse riding across Argentina.

Extended

Career breaks are becoming much more common so why not spend your honeymoon cash seeing the world. A few months on the road is an exciting way to start your marriage and will mean that the wedding glow isn't over in such a rush. Consider buying a round the world flight to kick start your trip

How to pick a location for a wedding abroad

So how do you pick a location for your wedding abroad? After ruling out the UK you've still got another 190 or so countries to go....

Some people just know where they want to get married while for others it is going to take a bit of research and your own process of elimination. Start by asking yourself a few questions:

Is there anywhere that means something to you and your partner?
How far are you willing to travel?
Is it important that your family and friends can travel there?
Is there a particular type of venue or backdrop that you want?
Do you want to combine it with your honeymoon?

Then, before you get your heart set on somwhere, check out the basics:

• Marriage laws - Can you marry there? (Good thing to check out!!)
• Language barriers - do they speak English? Would it be easy to get a translator?
• Weather
• Cost
• Travel - Are flights regular? Is the detsination far from the airport?

My wedding venue: Ocean Flyer Yacht, Cyprus

When I was looking for places to get married abroad I found it difficult to get a sense of what venues were like, without investing the time and money going to see them. So, throughout this blog I want to give you some ideas for where to go and what to expect, and what better place to start than where I got married! Introducing the beautiful Ocean Flyer Yacht in Paphos, Cyprus.

This 35metre million dollar yacht is owned by Exclusive Yacht Weddings, a company based in Paphos but run by an English lady. They have a fleet of different yachts to choose from and all sorts of packages to tailor-make you day. One thing I liked about them was that they are very upfront on the website about what is available and how much things cost, as otherwise, I probably would have thought it was out of my price range.

We took a bit of a leap of faith and booked the yacht without seeing it in person but we weren't disappointed, it is even more luxurious and classy than it looks in the photos. It has three levels - the first one has a small outside area and then a luxurious bar inside, the second one is the main level where the wedding ceremony is held and is then re-set for dinner and then a third level which we used as our dance floor. They have a video on their site which gives you a bit more of an idea.

They are the only company in Europe that offer accessible, reasonably priced yacht weddings and after my dream day, I don't hesitate in recommending them to other brides-to-be.

5 top tips for weddings abroad

It was my one month anniversary on Wednesday. One month since my husband (slowly getting used to that!) and I said 'I do' onboard a yacht in Cyprus. It was a magcial day, in fact a magical week with all our friends and family around us. When I was planning it though I found there was a lack of good information about how to get married abroad. So after our idyllic honeymoon in the Maldives I am keeping the feelgood factor going by sharing some of my new found knowledge with all you brides to be. Here are my top 5 tips:

1) Remember it won't be the same as the UK
The laws, the vows, the service, the catering - none of it will be how you expect a traditional UK wedding to be so make sure you know what you will be getting and are happy with it (we ended up with a delightful non-negotiable passage about bigamy in our service!)

2) Not all friends and family will come quietly
If you are getting married abroad you have to be prepared for a lot of your friends and family not to come, and for those who do to moan about it and treat you as their travel agent.

3) Get a Planner
It's hard enough to deal with all the planning in this country, let alone thousands of miles away. Most venues or travel agents will provide you with a planner so take advantage of it

4) Think Luggage
How are you going to transport your dress? Can you really pack 42 wedding favours? You will only have limited space so think about all these things earlier than the night before

5) If it's your dream, do it
There was never any doubt in our minds that we'd get married abroad and even with all the difficulties it was the best decision. It's generally cheaper, nearly always sunnier and the people who really love you will be happy that you're happy.