More couples tie the knot in exotic locales

By Thurston Hatcher
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Many couples still prefer the old-fashioned ceremony in the hometown sanctuary, followed by a reception at the country club or hotel down the road.

But others increasingly are passing on the traditional in favor of an exotic setting across the border -- at the beach or a lush tropical garden, maybe, or in a medieval castle.

"Everyone wants to put their own imprint and make a wedding unique, so destination weddings certainly add a bit of uniqueness to it," said Nelson Clark, president of California-based Beverly Clark Enterprises, whose Web site weddinglocation.com helps link couples with wedding destinations.

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They also can be a lot more enticing to out-of-town guests, who might prefer a February wedding in Aruba to one, say, in Akron.

"If you have to bring people from point A to point B, why not make point B someplace interesting?" said Jerry Monaghan, president of the Connecticut-based Association of Bridal Consultants.

Leave the crowds behind

While having a wedding abroad might seem like a forbidding expense, it doesn't have to be. Actually, a destination wedding overseas can relieve couples of the burden of having to invite everyone they know, thereby cutting the costs of all those extra guests.

"You don't offend anyone by doing a destination wedding. What you do is choose your most intimate friends and family and make it an intimate wedding," Clark said.

"People will go with a smaller wedding party," Monaghan said, "so instead of having 200 people at your local resort or country club or hotel, you have 20 people in Monaco."

Among the more popular spots off the U.S. mainland are the Bahamas, St. Lucia, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica, Clark said.

Planned wedding packages

Many resorts now promote themselves as prime wedding destinations, with complete wedding-planning services and special deals for the bride and groom.

Sandals, for example, which has resorts in several Caribbean locales, offers a free wedding to couples who stay five days or longer.

"It's worry-free. They let us know exactly what they're looking for. Whatever their needs are, we do the best we can to accommodate them," said Susan Mangan, manager of the wedding department of Miami-based Unique Vacations, which works with Sandals.

The services may include everything from finding flowers and organizing the reception to arranging for a minister and hiring a photographer.

"When they get down to the property, they don't need to do anything except meet with a wedding coordinator, choose the location where they want to get married, and get married," Mangan said.

Do your research

But what if you don't want to head for a resort where it's all planned out for you? You can seek guidance from planning consultants, some of whom may either specialize in weddings abroad or can help you link up with someone at your destination.

"Using a planner or somebody on site is almost essential when you go overseas," Monaghan said, citing all the bureaucratic hoops couples need to jump through.

Or you may choose to go it on your own. But you'd be smart to do a little research before you hop on the plane.

The trickiest part can be figuring out how to meet all the legal requirements, both at home and in the country where wedding will be.

In general, marriages that are legally performed and valid abroad are also legally valid in the United States. But couples are encouraged to check with the attorney general of their home state to make sure.

Then, they should research the rules for the wedding locale, which often are available on the countries' government or tourism Web sites.

Countries' requirements vary

Cancun, for example, requires copies of both people's birth certificates or valid passports, blood tests from their doctors taken within 15 days of their wedding, tests for sexually transmitted diseases and four witnesses.

Residency requirements are another important factor to consider. In the Bahamas, couples must have been there for at least 24 hours before the application date.

France, on the other hand, requires that one of the parties live in the community where the marriage will be held for at least 30 days beforehand. In addition, a document must be posted for 10 days at City Hall, increasing the wait to 40 days.

Marriages in France also must be performed by a French civil authority, meaning religious ceremonies are not legally binding and can only be performed afterward.

Countries also may require proof of legal eligibility to enter into a marriage, which may be available from a consular official in the United States or the American embassy or consulate in the country where the marriage will occur.

Just about anywhere you go, one thing that probably won't be required is that you adhere to any kind of wedding convention.

At Sandals, Mangan said, the couples can go for the full wedding gown and tuxedo, or the summer dress and white cotton trousers.

"It's really up to them," she said. "Nothing's out of the ordinary."