A wedding can be stressful enough to plan but with these 10 ideas for the perfect break we can take away some of the stress
Have your dream wedding break - whatever your budget
Morning suit - or swimsuit? Home – or away? Budget – or splurge?
A wedding throws up so many questions it can be hard to know which way to turn. Here are 10 great ideas.
1 The full English
Where? Tylney Hall, Hampshire.
Why? For elegance, for easy access - and for the chance to check it out beforehand, which is especially important when celebrating with friends and family.
If history, vaulted ceilings, minstrel’s galleries, and the immaculate gardens of a quintessentially English country house are your kind of thing, then this Hampshire hotel pretty much fits the bill.
The deal: Tylney’s Signature Package in the Hampshire Suite costs from £5,000 for a minimum of 40 guests, to include the ceremony and reception with prosecco, followed by a three course wedding breakfast, including half a bottle of wine and a glass of champagne per person.
The happy couple get an overnight stay.
2 White on Blue
Where? Pernera Blue Waters, Cyprus.
Why? Because you don’t need to shell out big money for those idyllic sun-lit images. The Cypriots, on their island of olives, citrus groves, vineyards and beaches know what hospitality is all about.
Pernera Blue Waters by Ayia Napa is a purpose-built seaside wedding platform set against the azure backdrop of the Mediterranean and linked by walkway to adjacent tavernas.
The deal: Planet Weddings has staged ceremonies all over this island. In this case its sister company Planet Holidays offers seven nights’ B&B at the Cavo Maris Beach Hotel, plus flights, from £575pp.
Planet Weddings sorts the paperwork and the venue, liaises with the tavernas and provides an on-site co-ordinator, for an additional £761.
3 All at sea
Where? On a cruise ship in the Western Mediterranean.
Why? Get married and see the world – or at least key bits of it. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic sails out of Rome for a seven-night celebratory cruise that bundles up the lovely Italian cities of Florence and Pisa with glamorous Cannes, Barcelona and the holiday island of Majorca, before heading back to Naples and Rome.
It may sound like a whirlwind tour, but the ship makes the going easy.
The deal: The travel part costs from £1,019pp for seven nights, including flights. The Wedding at Sea package of $2,995 includes a bouquet, champagne, wedding cake etc, plus the services of a wedding coordinator.
The ceremony itself will be conducted by the captain.
4 It's amore
Where? Italy’s Sorrento, classically romantic.
Why? A glorious landscape where sea and mountain, valleys and citrus groves come together around an ancient hillside town with sweeping views and cafe-lined squares.
You could be starring in your own black and white romance here, in the spirit of Cary Grant and Sophia Loren.
Get married in the 13th century Cloisters of San Francesco, and then drink in champagne whilst gazing out over the Bay of Naples.
The deal: The classic package in the Cloisters costs £1,401 and includes the ceremony and all fees, the venue and bouquet, as arranged by Italian specialist Citalia.
Additionally, seven nights half board in Sorrento’s classic Grand Hotel Vesuvio, where Sophia Loren has stayed, costs from £798pp, including flights.
5 Ocean of love
Where? On the last remaining ocean liner heading for New York.
Why? Because there’s nothing quite like the glamour and the grandeur of the RMS Queen Mary 2, with her combination of fine restaurants and grand ballrooms, and the chance of being escorted by White Star bellmen to a ceremony presided over by the ship’s captain.
You get to marry in mid-Atlantic, and can honeymoon in the USA.
The deal: The seven-night transatlantic crossing (M847) from Southampton costs from £1,299pp including flights.
The wedding package of $3,400 includes the ceremony, venue, flowers, music, etc, plus the services of an on-board wedding co-ordinator.
6 For nature lovers
Where? On the Caribbean island of Tobago.
Why? Tobago has a nice mixture of beachfront properties and hilly, forested interior.
Inland it is particularly known for its colourful birdlife, while its shoreline welcomes waves of egg-laying turtles.
The Grand Courlan, a hotel on one of its turtle beaches, offers a Turtle Wedding package during the nesting season (March to September) which includes turtle-watching and adopting a turtle via local charity SOS (Save Our Sea Turtles).
The deal: Golden Holidays has seven nights all-inclusive at Le Grand Courlan from £927pp, including flights.
The Turtle Wedding package costs £625 and also includes the decorated wedding arch, flowers, wedding ceremony, cake, sparkling wine and a candlelit dinner, plus the adoption.
7 Barefoot beauty
Where? On the Caribbean island of Jamaica.
Why? Sandals South Coast offers a picture-perfect formula of sand, sky, and a fairytale chapel straddling azure seas.
The resort is village-themed and set on a pristine beach and secluded within a 500-acre nature preserve, so there’s really no need to set foot outside.
The new Over-the-Water chapel even has a glass-floored aisle.
The deal: Sandals offer seven nights all-inclusive from £1,875pp, including flights.
Guests staying three nights or longer get the starter Beautiful Beginnings wedding package for free, to include the ceremony, a bouquet and a cake.
8 Full-on fiesta
Where? In a Mexican resort that knows how to party.
Why? The land of the Mayans is a mix of culture, adventure and tequila, and its popular resort of Cancun on the historically-rich Yucatan peninsula gives you access to all of the above.
The Grand at Moon Palace is a particularly lavish hotel, with no fewer than nine pools, 10 restaurants, and its own nightclub.
The deal: The wedding package of ceremony, bouquet, cake and the services of a wedding co-ordinator costs $500, with an additional government fee of $500 which includes HIV blood tests.
Thomas Cook Signature offers seven nights all-inclusive at the Grand from £1,449pp with flights and a $1.500 per room resort credit. Stay 14 nights and the wedding package is free.
9 Moonlight and dance
Where? On the exotic island of Sri Lanka.
Why? Koggala is on the beach near the Unesco-registered gem that is Galle,
an old Portuguese fortress-city whose walls are invariably busy with local newlyweds. Just inland is a valley where moonstones are mined, and beyond that are the rainforested highlands, all in easy reach.
The deal: The Fortress at Koggala is a boutique-style resort offering beautiful views of the Indian Ocean, along with four restaurants and a relaxed spa.
The Moonstone Wedding package includes the ceremony, paperwork, welcome champagne, bouquets and Sri Lankan dancers, with a seven-night B&B stay from £1,959pp (plus flights), via Destinology.
10 The call of the wild
Where? On safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara.
Why? Combining the thrill of the Big Five with the romance of the Big Day.
Okay, not everyone wants to be staying in a tent on their wedding night, but safari camps like this one have all the glamour of Robert Redford’s Out of Africa.
And Mara Bushtops is a camp with a difference, with its butlers, hot tubs and spa treatments.
The deal: Mara’s wedding package includes the ceremony, champagne and canapés, bouquets and cake, Maasai dancers and a candlelit dinner, as well as your own private game drive.
This, plus three nights full board, one night in Nairobi and flights, costs from £5,708pp via Kuoni (quote: KU9511).
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