Will you marry “moi” ?

In today’s stormy economic times brides and grooms to-be are tightening their belts and wondering how they can still pull off that perfect wedding; relax and enjoy the company of their loved ones, have fun and frolic with their closest friends as well as honeymoon all at the same time without the fear of breaking their purse strings!

Isn’t that the definition of a perfect wedding?

Well, I have good news in that despite these turbulent times it is still possible for you to achieve all your dreams of a magical and memorable destination wedding in Europe.

France for example is one of the most popular wedding destinations in the world. It offers every conceivable and imaginable attraction, from world-class art museums, sophisticated cuisine, picturesque villages and châteaux as well as breathtaking beaches. You’ll find unsurpassed shopping and enough history to drain your brain! From the Atlantic to the Riviera, the coast lines of Brittany and Normandy, from Paris to the Pyrénées, France is packed with tons of breathtaking sceneries as well as a whole lot of activities for your friends and family.

“But how can I afford this” you may ask? Well let’s explore this shall we…

Fewer Guests, More Savings

There’s no question that a wedding destination in Europe will have fewer guests than the one back home. A destination wedding in France is a great way to control costs. The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. for 2009 is projected to be around $ 29,000. On average, European weddings cost about a third of the price, excluding the cost of travel. The size of the party will be limited as only a certain number of guests will fly over for the event. Some guests will not be able to attend, cannot take the time off from work and a majority of those “must-invite” relatives and colleagues will graciously excuse themselves from the invitation. With fewer people, this means the cost of your wedding will be less and you can spend more time with the ones that do make the trip. Also you can safely send out hundreds of invitations to everyone you think should be invited and be reasonably sure that those who really want to be there (and those are after all the people that matter) will come.

Cost effectiveness

Even though you have to pay for transportation and shipping must-have items ahead of time, chances are your destination wedding will still cost less than the $29,000 an average American couple spends on their nuptials.
With a smaller guest list and favorable exchange rates in many overseas locations, (the Euro has dropped) couples are able to spend less on food and reception locations, while receiving equal or better quality. Often, the couple is able to splurge on things they would not be able to afford “back home”, such as an open bar, unique and personalized favors or even extra opportunities, like a private tour of the area for all of the guests, a hot air balloon ride, a fire work display after the reception or a morning-after brunch at the Eiffel-Tower for instance.

Vacation opportunities

Many Americans choose a destination wedding on tropical islands like Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Caribbean or the Virgin islands. Europe on the other hand offers so much more than just the sun and sea. Apart from the sandy beaches of the Riviera, there is also luscious food, first class wines and Champagne at affordable prices ; cultural visits and endless leisure activities, art and architecture as well as easy travel from one country to the next.

Having a wedding in France means easy access to more than 20 European countries. This means that you can combine your wedding with your honeymoon, cultural visits with beach time, fine cuisine and endless shopping… the combinations are endless.

With such high costs for a wedding – not including the honeymoon – couples can see the advantage of combining a wedding with a honeymoon destination. Instead of taking a week off of work prior to the wedding to organize and then rushing through a shortened honeymoon at an exotic location soon thereafter, couples can spend two weeks at the country of their choice.
This doesn’t mean you have to honeymoon at the location where you were married, many people choose to fly off to another country or take a leisurely train ride. Because guests also view destination weddings as vacation opportunities, they will often extend their trip into a full week, allowing the busy bride and groom to see their loved ones more than just on the day of the ceremony. Additionally, a destination wedding provides an excellent opportunity for a family reunion. Because there is so much to do and see outside of the wedding itself, there are plenty of options for family-bonding activities!

Attractions

Have you always pictured a barefoot wedding with ocean waves crashing up against the beach…? Wished for an opportunity to be married in a castle with lush green hills…? Just imagine your wedding in France, you might choose Paris – the romantic City of Love – for its elegance and sophistication. Or perhaps you will choose the Loire Valley for its majestic fairytale-like châteaux, or the Bordeaux wine region for its incomparable vineyards. Or perhaps you will opt for a traditional wedding on the magnificent Riviera or in Provence alongside the beautiful poppy and lavender fields.

Must have attractions that are not available in your home area are other reasons for a destination wedding.

Other cost saving items

• Wedding services in the U.S. have become a giant industry where as in France or Italy, weddings are much smaller and intimate, a huge saving to your budget.
• A cake will not cost several thousands of dollars like in the States but just about 10 Euros or about $ 12.75 per person at today’s exchange rate.
• Your average quality photographer and videographer will cost you on approximately $ 2500; the cost in Europe is equivalent for the voted best wwedding photographers and videographers of the continent.
• Flowers are kept to a minimum in France or Italy as the setting itself does not require the usual overwhelming flower arrangements at each table. Just picture a wonderful villa in the south if France or Italy… full of luscious greens and blooms. This will save plenty of money.
• No need for wedding-favors, instead treat your guests to a private tour of a castle, a guided tour of an enchanted forest, a wine and cheese tasting; no matter where your wedding will be held you are sure to find the perfect activities which your wedding planner will have already researched for you.
• The quality of the wines and Champagnes are incomparable not to mention the prices! You can splurge on a local wine or local Champagne and still have plenty of money left over. This would be impossible at home.
• Transportation to and from the ceremony in Europe is easy, fast and cheaper than in the U.S. Chances are that your wedding ceremony will be held in a small chapel in the same village as where your reception will take place , no need to travel far. Or choose a castle for both the ceremony and the reception, many castles have their own chapel.

From success to perfection

It is one thing to have a successful event but it’s quite another to have a perfect wedding. Here we recommend that you hire a wedding planner who is specialized in destination weddings, local wedding planners who focus on French couples are not accustomed to your expectations such as fast turnaround or quality of service. A destination planner will maintain constant contact with you via phone and email and will have excellent command of the English language. They will know how to navigate through the paperwork requirements and red tape.

And lastly let’s talk about your dear controlling mother or mother in law who wants to be in on every detail of your wedding!!! Well guess what… a destination wedding will solve all of that since only you and your wedding planner will be 100 % in charge, it’s too far for “her” to make any important decisions. No more bickering, problem solved!

We hope that you have enjoyed this article, for further information on wedding destinations to France or Italy please do not hesitate to contact us via this site and we will answer all your questions.

References:www.wikipedia.org, www.weddingreport.com, www.theknot.com,