WHY AUSSIE COUPLES ARE TRAVELLING OVERSEAS TO MARRY
Aussie couples are traveling overseas to marry, with weddings in Bali, Thailand, and Fiji booming in popularity, a wedding expert has revealed.
Darcy Allen, Senior Wedding Planner at Easy Weddings., told Lifestyle News post-COVID, couples were looking for an adventure of a lifetime with an overseas wedding and honeymoon in one.
"And many Aussies are ex-pats or children of ex-pats with family overseas, wishing for their loved ones to attend their big day," she said.
Ms Allen said Bali, Thailand, and Fiji weddings were the most popular hot spots for overseas weddings for Australians, with other popular spots including New Zealand, Hawaii, and Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece.
Before booking her dream wedding spot on the Greek Island of Corfu, social media influencer and winner of Love Island Australia Season 2, Anna McEvoy, hadn’t even been there.
“We locked in the venue without visiting it in person which was kind of terrifying because we didn’t know if the pictures were accurate," she said.
"Going through the destination wedding process and having a professional provide insight is so important when you’re spending so much money.”
The celebrity bride and her fiance Michael Staples are deep in planning mode, ahead of their May nuptials. Their worries are common to thousands of Aussie couples each year who are planning to wed abroad.
To cater to this increasing market, Easy Weddings has just launched Destination Weddings, which supports couples looking to plan their dream overseas wedding, by bundling the perfect venue and local suppliers into one package.
“One of the best things about Easy Weddings is that they have relationships with overseas resorts and suppliers, and local travel knowledge.," Anna said.
"They know the ins and outs - from travel requirements to local customs, even the best beaches. They can provide the entire wedding package for you, booking the venue, florist, photographer, hair and makeup — or anything else — rather than you having to do all of the nitty-gritty research."
Ms Allen said couples who wanted an intimate wedding often sought an overseas venue as travel naturally reduced numbers.
"A big benefit of a destination wedding is that you can create a week-long experience for you and your guests rather than just a one-day event. Multi-day wedding events have been a trend post-pandemic," she said.
Ms Allen's top tips for an overseas wedding include:
SAVE THE DATE: Most couples send their save-the-dates about 6-12 months before the wedding to give their guests plenty of time to coordinate travel. We usually recommend at least 10 months — it gives your guests enough lead time to check on airline prices, suss out accommodation options, and decide whether they can make it work. Then, send the official invitations out 6 months in advance, with a 3-month RSVP window; again, it gives the guests enough time to figure out whether they can make it work and allows couples to plan around their official guest count with a 3-month window.
ACTIVITIES: We would recommend at the very least a welcome dinner and a recovery brunch the next day. A great tip for a recovery brunch: if all your guests are staying at your wedding hotel and breakfast is included in their accommodation package, all you need to do is add some mimosas or something special, but it won’t cost you too much extra because their breakfast is already covered!
EXTRA TOUCHES: Little touches are appreciated, such as a welcome bag in each of their rooms (if they’re all staying at the same hotel) when they arrive, or perhaps a cultural activity like Hula dancing for a Hawaiian wedding, or a yoga class if you’re in Bali; something that’ll make the stay even more special and memorable.
Easy Weddings CEO and Founder, Matt Butterworth said: “We have had thousands of requests for destination weddings, so we’re excited to launch this tailored service designed specifically for Aussie
couples.
“We’ve launched our Destination Weddings service for Bali, Thailand, and Fiji weddings because they are some of the most popular hot spots for overseas weddings. We will soon be branching out to Europe, which is so exciting! And if couples have another destination in mind, we can facilitate that too,” he said,
All-inclusive Fiji wedding packages start from $10,359 for 20 guests; a wedding in Thailand starts from $11,802, and a Bali wedding starts from $12,872 — with a range of trusted and verified resorts and suppliers to choose from as well as options to add services on.