If you’ve decided to tie the knot, it’s understandable that you’d want to do it in front of your family and friends. When that’s without any limitations, a better way to celebrate being able to do so than getting married abroad? The freedom to travel internationally to a beautiful destination will help create magical memories that every guest will talk about for years to come. So, if you’re thinking of getting married abroad, here are some great places to do so.
Portugal
Full of the romance of Europe, Portugal has long beaches, great food, and great weather. It is a fantastic location for marriages as everybody speaks English, and you’re spoilt for choice for great wedding venues, whether that’s in an abandoned cathedral, a beach, or even one of the palaces that are available for hire! In Portugal, both civil ceremonies and Catholic Church weddings are recognized, but you need to get a civil ceremony first if you want to marry under another faith. There’s no legal residency requirement, and you can get married from the age of 16. However, the wedding will be conducted in Portuguese.
Australia
Australia is a huge country, with thousands of wedding venues that would be perfect for your ceremony. A great tip for an Aussie wedding is the Adelaide Hills, a beautiful series of rolling hills and stunning landscapes. Beautiful environments aren’t unique in wedding planning. Still, the Adelaide hills also host some of Australia’s best wineries and gourmet cheesemakers and, in general, world-class food. An Adelaide Hills wedding venue is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser whatever the season.
Mexico
Slightly closer to home, Mexico is a great wedding choice due to its fantastic climate and picturesque buildings, beaches, and colors. You don’t need an official residency requirement in Mexico, but you will need a tourist permit. Mexico does have some slightly exotic laws – like needing a blood test and chest x-ray before getting married, but the wonderful experience will be well worth it.
Italy
One of the world’s cultural epicenters, what could be better than marrying in the country that bore Romeo and Juliet? You could journey to your church via gondola in Venice, get married in a breathtaking location in Rome, or even pay homage to Shakespeare’s epitome of romance in Verona. If you are religious and Catholic, you should feel at home in one of the stunning churches across the country. If you’re not too religious but want to give your guests a good time (more Dionysus than Jesus), there are endless vineyards to marry near so you can ensure the wine won’t stop flowing. However, the only church ceremonies legally allowed to be performed without a civil ceremony are Catholic weddings. To qualify for those, either you or your partner must be Catholic. Marriage in Italy is also host to a lot of bureaucracy – the whole process takes about two months, and your church needs the paperwork at least two months before the marriage.
