A Quick Guide To Insurance And Planning Ahead For A Wedding Abroad
According to market research conducted in July 2012, one in five UK couples are now going abroad for their nuptials. A better guarantee of sun on the big day, the joys of escapism and combining the wedding and honeymoon location together all seems like groom and bride heaven. However, there are different aspects to think about if you are choosing to wed abroad which you must be fully prepared for such as added documentation including insurance, local laws and excess payments.
In order to plan properly, couples must choose their destination carefully. Legal validity of your marriage is governed by the laws in that country rather than laws back home. It would be wise to contract the appropriate embassies in advance in order to know what documents you will need to bring. This is especially prevalent if you are in a same sex couple as most countries unfortunately still do not see your wedding as valid.
For example, in Cuba, if you or your partner is divorced from a prior marriage, you must decree the divorce as absolute. If you or your partner is a widower then the previous marriage certificate and subsequent death certificate should be presented. Lastly if one of you is adopted, an adoption certificate must also be packed. As an extra note, if you are thinking of Cuba as your destination, documents are valid for six months once legalised by the Cuban Consulate. Always make sure that your passports are up to date as some countries require that you have at least six months left on the passport before its expiry date.
Quick Guide
It is recommended that you also invest in travel and wedding abroad insurance. The prices are relatively small and will give you more piece of mind for the big day so you can focus on more glamorous things. Wedding insurance and wedding abroad insurance is mostly the same, however, wedding abroad insurance provides additional cover with most policies. This additional cover includes delayed travel and essential documentation protection, which are both vital in case the day does not go as smoothly as you would like.
However, this insurance does not include marquee extensions or public liability extensions. Therefore, it is your legal duty to pay for damage costs or accidental injury costs or even accidental death costs to the third party in question. If you do wish to make a claim, you will have to pay the insurance company additional expenses. In most policies, the cost is around £35 or you have look at comparison websites to find the best insurance policy for you.
One of the key aspects of any wedding is who you celebrate with. So you must decide between you and your guests what payments will be made and who by. Who will pay for travel costs and what percentages? Will you provide guests with travel insurance or will that be their decision? It is a good idea to send invitations four to six months prior to the set date in order for them to make their travel preparations early on.
Once you have all this information sorted and out of the way, you can really begin to start planning your dream wedding abroad and your time in the sun, fingers crossed.
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Tessa Fortescue is a freelance copywriter in the beauty industry. She does mobile bridal hair in her spare time.
