With an average-sized wedding costing more than €15,000, one way to keep down the cost is to sacrifice some of the guests and get married as far away from home as possible, writes Laura Slattery
Getting married is a costly affair. Most couples don't have enough cash to splash the estimated €3 million recently spent on the wedding of Ms Katie Magnier, daughter of businessman and horse-breeder Mr John Magnier, but an average-sized wedding in Ireland still costs more than €15,000.
Couples tying the knot can try to justify the expense of the one-off event by dreaming of the tax breaks they might qualify for afterwards, or they can work to a budget.
Instead of scrimping on the finer details like the dress, the flowers, the luxury transport and the honeymoon suite, one option is to sacrifice some of the guests and get married as far away from home as possible.
People who want to merge the cost of their wedding and their honeymoon often buy wedding packages with specialist tour operators to destinations such as the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, Bali and Hawaii.
Combining wedding venue and honeymoon destination cuts out the most expensive part of the day - the reception with around 100 guests, some of whom will be "plus ones" the bride and groom have never met before.
Most couples don't pay for friends and family to go to the event when it is held abroad.
"Definitely, people pay for themselves. The odd exception would be paying for a mother or a father to attend, but usually people pay separately," says Ms Denise Kelly, manager of Cara Worldwide Travel.
"It's easily cheaper than having the wedding at home. It really costs the couple no more than their honeymoon.
"There's a whole lot of extras you can add or subtract - for example, if you were in the Caribbean you might hire a steel band," says Ms Kelly.
Las Vegas has a reputation for quickie weddings but some agents warn that parts of the Caribbean can also seem like a marriage conveyor belt. "It's a bit like a maintenance line. You pull out a loveheart and 10 minutes later there's another wedding taking place," says a spokeswoman for one travel agent.
Mauritius is a more selective, expensive option, with only one wedding taking place in any one hotel.
The wedding itself costs just €438, according to Mr John Galligan of John Galligan Travel. This includes affidavits, documentation, legal fees, supreme court charges, registrar's transport, wedding cake and flowers. But the island's location in the Indian Ocean means it's a 12-hour flight from London, adding significantly to the overall cost.
"You could have a holiday in Mauritius for €2,000 or you can have one for €5,000 a head or even €10,000 a head," says Mr Galligan.
Young couples often spend around €3,000 on their wedding overseas, then come back and put what they would have spent on a reception here toward a deposit for their house instead, he says.
Closer to home, the traditional venue for Irish couples looking to say "I do" overseas has been a Catholic church in Rome.
"Rome, 20 years ago, was the place to get married without all the aunties and uncles coming along," says Mr Galligan. "That's the obvious one," Ms Kelly notes. "People whose parents don't want to travel to the Caribbean, they would go to Rome."
Cyprus, which is marketed to tourists as "the island of love" and birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, also attracts engaged couples and newly-weds to its shores.
"With Cyprus, people say 'we're getting married on such and such a date' and then their friends can book their holiday for that time, so it's affordable for everyone," says Ms Kelly.
Keen to point out that no churches or recommended venues were permanently harmed during the summer floods in the Czech Republic, Pragueweddings.com offers a number of packages to the city with the slogan "your Bohemian Rhapsody for wedding destinations in Europe".
Under a Big Church Package, prices start from €7,790 during low season and €8,450 during high season.
The price includes wedding co-ordinating services, a professional photographer, basic transport, flowers, a DJ, a four-course meal for a party of 30 guests at a reception venue and a wedding cake.
The paperwork Irish couples need for marrying abroad varies from country to country, and travel agents selling wedding packages should inform clients of all of these details.
For example, if you are getting married in Italy, a legal form called a nulla osta should be obtained around six months before the wedding date.
Notice of a few months should also be given if a priest of a particular religious denomination is required for the service.
