Destination Wedding Planning For the Groom

Useful things to know

Don't leave it too late to do the paperwork. In general plan your wedding at least 2 or 3 months in advance, as otherwise you will be limiting the choice of countries you can get married in. Many countries require the legal documents to be sent through to them a certain number of months before the ceremony in order to process the marriage licence, so that can rule out a "quickie" wedding.

Certificates of No Impediment (CNI) can be obtained from your local register office in the UK. You may then have to have them translated at your embassy in the country you're marrying in (this varies according to country).

If you need the CNI (or any other documents) to be legalised (stamped with an apostille) then this can be done at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK. Other countries will have a similar government department to legalise documents.
As long as the marriage ceremony is legal in the country in which it takes place then it is generally recognised as legal in the UK (other countries may vary).

You do not have to register your marriage in the UK when you get home.

You may have to wait for your marriage certificate from certain countries.

If you married in a non-English speaking country you will need to have your marriage certificate translated so it can be used at home to prove you are married.

Clothes - don't forget to adapt your wedding clothes to the climate in which you're getting married. A heavy formal suit isn't a good look on the beach. Wear clothes appropriate to the weather and not something that'll make you look hot and sweaty in the wedding photos!

Groom hints & tips

You may be getting married abroad, but often couples will either take enough friends and family with them, or have a big party when they get home (or both). This generally ends up with some of the more traditional wedding activities taking place, so here are some useful groom tips & interesting facts from our friends at Simply the Best Groom to help you through the party!

Best Man duties: if you're having a best man at your wedding abroad then his duties may be slightly easier on the actual wedding day (providing you aren't having a huge wedding), but he's still got all the usual best man duties to take care of at home beforehand. If he needs help take a look at Simply the Best Man.

Speeches: whether at your wedding or the after party, the father of the bride speaks first, followed by the groom and then the best man. Here's more info on how to make a speech.

Interesting wedding facts from around the world

In Sweden, if the bride leaves the room the female guests line up to kiss the groom, and vice versa.

In Slovakia the groom carries the bride away from the reception over his shoulder.

In Portugal the brides takes her shoes off and guest fill it with money!

 

In Germany the bride is "kidnapped" and the groom starts the search for her at the pub. He buys everyone who helps him find her a drink.

In Korea the friends of the groom beat the soles of his feet with a fish! This is supposed to make him stronger before the first wedding night.

In Ireland the bride must dance at her reception with her feet on the floor. If not then she might be taken away by fairies!

Also in Ireland it's bad luck for anyone to wear green at a wedding, or for the bride or groom to sing (not sure if they all abide by the singing one!).

In the USA, 1 in 8 people who marry met online.

All info for Groom hints & tips and Interesting facts are © Simply the Best Groom.