Wedding Abroad

Weddings abroad are becoming increasingly popular every year.  More and more couples either completely forgo expensive banquets for distant relatives and unfamiliar people from the series «because this is mom's second cousin and she'll be offended if she's not invited» and simply register their marriage at the registry office, or choose a symbolic ceremony on the shores of the Caribbean islands or in Europe (add as appropriate) for their closest friends and parents. Even more often, they fly away together, having gathered the courage to resist their father's «do everything like normal people». If comparing all pros and cons is a long-passed stage, and you're already one foot on the plane, with your ring finger almost in a ring, don't forget to consider a few important details.

Do you want to get officially married abroad or would a symbolic ceremony suffice? It's not possible to officially register a marriage in every country. Some countries impose restrictions or special conditions for non-resident registrations. For example, in Thailand, only those registered with the Russian Embassy or holding a permanent residency permit can register a marriage. To get married in the Seychelles, you need to reside on the islands for at least 11 days, and in Sri Lanka — at least four nights before the wedding. French authorities require newlyweds to stay in the country of marriage for at least 30 days before registration. In some countries, only a religious form of marriage is recognized – in Indonesia, only marriages of Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Protestants, and Buddhists can be registered. Orthodox Christians are not on this list. Moreover, the newlyweds must belong to the same religion. However, there is a wide selection of countries where legislation allows citizens of any state to register their relationship. And if you are planning just a symbolic wedding ceremony abroad, then the choice of location for a wedding overseas is unlimited.

What documents are needed for official registration?

• Russian passports;
• birth certificates of the bride and groom;
• foreign passports and their copies;
• affidavit (certificate from the registry office stating no legal impediments to marriage);
• completed application form (if the wedding is organized by the hotel);
• divorce certificate, spouse's death certificate (if these events occurred);
• in some countries, documents on changes of surname and name under relevant circumstances, medical certificates of health (France) are also required.

 

For all documents (except passports), copies must be made in the official language of the country where you wish to marry. All copies must be notarized in Russia. An apostille, a special stamp placed on non-commercial documents by notaries or the issuing authorities, must be affixed to the birth certificate (divorce certificate, spouse's death certificate). Be sure to clarify the list of necessary documents for a wedding abroad in advance and their submission deadlines.

A marriage certificate issued in another country is not exchanged for any Russian-style certificate. After receiving a legalized marriage certificate with a notarized translation, you will get a “Marriage Registered” stamp in your Russian passport at the passport office at your place of registration. If a surname change is required, you need to apply to the registry office at your place of registration with a surname change application, and after receiving the surname change certificate, change your passport and make marriage registration marks in the new passport. It's unpleasant to talk about, but it's necessary – divorce can only be processed in the country where the marriage was concluded.

Clarify the legalization period for the marriage certificate in advance. This procedure takes different amounts of time in different countries. In some countries, a legalized document can be obtained the very next business day after marriage registration, while elsewhere you might have to wait up to six months. Symbolic Wedding Ceremony This option is suitable if you don't want to spend money and time collecting documents for an official overseas ceremony and are willing to obtain an official marriage certificate at a Russian registry office without a traditional solemn ceremony, but dream of a beautiful and elegant wedding ceremony abroad. In most cases, newlyweds receive a decorative certificate, usually quite impressively designed: in Europe, it might be stylized as ancient parchment, while somewhere like the Maldives — it could be artistically crafted on a palm leaf.

Since symbolic ceremonies carry no legal weight, they can be organized almost anywhere in the world, exactly as you dream. There are countless options for such ceremonies — from airborne or underwater ceremonies to traditional Buddhist wedding rituals. Unlike official ceremonies, here the flight of imagination is limited only by your financial capabilities.

Our reader Anya shares her experience of a symbolic wedding «A secluded wedding on the ocean shore among coconut palms had always been my  dream, so when it was time for the wedding,  other options weren't even discussed. We just needed to decide on the location. Several countries were considered, but after viewing many photos, videos, and reviews, the choice fell on the Dominican Republic. Wedding ceremony organization services in the Dominican Republic are very popular, so you are offered quite diverse programs for any budget and taste. You can book a ceremony with a tour operator, at a hotel, or through a wedding agency. It's better to choose wedding agencies; they offer more services, arrange everything according to all your whims, and have their own team of designers, photographers, stylists, etc., so organizing a wedding through an agency turns out cheaper.

There are two ceremony options: official and symbolic. The official one implies the issuance of a marriage certificate that is valid in Russia. For such a ceremony, you will need to collect, certify, and translate the necessary package of documents into Spanish and send them to the wedding organizers at least 1-2 months before the ceremony date. The agency will book the judge and the registration date. The cost of such a ceremony in the Dominican Republic is $1000 + the cost of the chosen wedding package. When conducting a symbolic ceremony, a certificate is issued that has no legal force in Russia. Agencies offer various wedding packages with services, costing on average from $600 to $1500 depending on the location and services. The standard package includes the following services:

• Transfer;
• Individual wedding decoration (beautiful gazebo with fresh flowers and decorations);
• Professional photo session, 200-300 edited photos;
• Ceremony host in Russian;
• Unity Sand Ceremony;
• Drinking water;
• Bottle of champagne;
• Musical accompaniment;
• Rose petals;
• Wedding certificate.

Many agencies include bride's hair and makeup, oceanfront dinner, cake, and fruits in their packages. Various additional services can also be added to the package for an extra fee, catering to any taste. Organizing a wedding abroad presents no difficulties and saves the bride and groom nerves and time, while also providing a sea of unforgettable impressions and memories.

Once we decided on the country, we started buying plane tickets and booking a hotel. We chose one of the most popular resorts, Punta Cana, in the Bavaro area. Once the tickets were bought and the hotel booked, the hardest part began: finding a wedding agency. There are a huge number of agencies online; I selected about 5 based on their offers, and after studying their social media groups and talking to representatives, I settled on the one that suited us best. The choice of wedding packages is extensive; we chose Saona Island – a nature reserve in the Caribbean Sea where there are no hotels and virtually no residents. The cost of this package was $1000. All wedding details (decoration, style, bouquet) were discussed as much as possible online.  On the day of our arrival, we met with the organizer at the hotel, discussed all the details again, and received our day's schedule. On the wedding day, a car picked us up early in the morning at the hotel and took us to a Russian beauty salon, where I had my makeup and hair done. After that, we went to the port, where a team and a boat were waiting for us. We sailed to the island for about an hour, enjoying the stunning views around. When we arrived at the island, our Love Story photoshoot began, and at the same time, the team was decorating the ceremony location.

During the ceremony, to romantic music, we exchanged vows of love, performed the Unity Sand Ceremony, exchanged rings, and signed the wedding certificate. After we were pronounced husband and wife, champagne popped, and we danced our first dance under falling rose petals.

After enjoying champagne and a photoshoot, a romantic dinner awaited us on the seashore with lobsters and fish caught and prepared in a local fishing village. This is how our wedding in a paradise location concluded».

And the guests?         

Consider whether you will invite anyone to your ceremony, regardless of whether it's official or not. Remember that some guests might not have a visa or even a foreign passport, so this point needs to be thought through in advance.

The next point should be the decision about guests' flights and accommodation – who pays for the trip, the newlyweds or the guests themselves.  This again depends entirely on your budget. Consider that guests might not fly in for just one or two days, but for a longer period, especially if the celebration takes place on distant islands. The wedding will end, and the honeymoon will begin – think carefully about whether you want to spend it alone or with a crowd of friends and parents.

Tickets and Hotel Take care of flights and accommodation in advance. You don't want to spend time and nerves searching for convenient flights and the best hotel a week before departure, do you? On our website, you will always find the cheapest flights and hotels for any budget.  kupi.com will help you fly into a fairy tale. Bitter!