First of all, having an overseas wedding isn’t the cheapest way to have a wedding, but it is an excellent way to save money if you want a fancy wedding. American wedding venues come at a tremendous premium. After all, this is an industry we’re talking about. Just look at the bridal section on the magazine rack at your grocery store. Weddings are big business, and there are lots of companies that want to make sure you spend as much as possible on your special day. One of the best ways to skip out on the extra expense of an American wedding, without sacrificing the bells and whistles, is to choose a venue outside of the United States. Here’s how to make it work.
- Pick a Country that is Easy and Cheap to Visit. For Americans, Central and South America may be great places to look for venues. Many of these nations rely on America for tourism dollars, so they make travel and accommodations inexpensive to draw in more people. It may actually be cheaper for your guests who have to fly to go to your wedding to fly to a nation like this. Hotel accommodations will often be cheaper here as well. Your wedding guests may be surprised when you announce that your wedding will be held overseas, but when they run the numbers, they’ll understand. Discounted air travel also makes Europe/Scandinavia and Asia good options.
- Send Money to an Overseas Bank Account. If you choose an overseas venue for your wedding, you’ll have to send a lot of money to another country. This is an opportunity to lose money if you don’t know what you’re doing, as many money transfer companies are in place to skim as much off the top as possible, not to save the consumer money. Companies like World First are a new generation of international money transfer companies which have emerged over the past decade. Because there is a lot of competition in this industry, consumer costs have been driven down significantly, as more companies try to differentiate themselves by offering better service for less money. Do your homework and find the best deal.
- Choose the Right Venue. Of course, you won’t be able to save money on an overseas wedding if you don’t choose the right venue. Venues overseas will often not conform to American wedding venue conventions. It may be possible to offer lodging to your guests, celebration and feasting space, and even recreation activities, all under one roof or in a single facility.
The only limit to the possibilities of an overseas wedding are your own research and creativity. Because the American wedding industry doesn’t have a lot of influence in most places overseas, you’ll probably have to create your own perfect situation. But that’s not a bad thing. Take extra time and figure out how to create a truly unique and mindblowing celebration, all for far less cost than what you’d put together in the the United States or Europe.
