A Venue Abroad To Host A Wedding
Discussion
We're looking for a venue abroad which we can hire out for a week to host our wedding at and stay with a majority of the guests, whom wish to do so, for the entire week, treating it as a holiday.
Something a bit different, or overlooking some spectacular scenery (sea, lake, mountains, etc) where all guests can stay together or within walking distance of one another. However, we want to spend money on food, drinks, entertainment and activities so don't have the budget for a venue which predominantly specialises in weddings and charges a ridiculous markup.
It generally needs to be somewhere with low cost flights and/or drivable from the UK in a day, so mainland Europe. France (although we understand the legal difficulties around having the registrar there) and Italy seem to be obvious choices as the fiance speaks both languages, but we really don't have a preference for country.
Does anyone have any suggestions based on their own experiences or even knows someone who has a suitable venue?
Something a bit different, or overlooking some spectacular scenery (sea, lake, mountains, etc) where all guests can stay together or within walking distance of one another. However, we want to spend money on food, drinks, entertainment and activities so don't have the budget for a venue which predominantly specialises in weddings and charges a ridiculous markup.
It generally needs to be somewhere with low cost flights and/or drivable from the UK in a day, so mainland Europe. France (although we understand the legal difficulties around having the registrar there) and Italy seem to be obvious choices as the fiance speaks both languages, but we really don't have a preference for country.
Does anyone have any suggestions based on their own experiences or even knows someone who has a suitable venue?
I have an absolutely incredible place to suggest, we got married there two years ago.
http://www.chateaustpaul.fr/en/
We had 22 guests who stayed with us for the week and about a further 80 who came over and stayed elsewhere. The place is absolutely perfect for weddings, they have their own chapel on site which is free to use. It is reasonably close to Bergerac airport and flights from Stansted are usually £60 return.
We actually tried to book the whole place again this summer but they're now fully booked with weddings.
I can't speak highly enough of the place/owners.
It's actually very well priced and a if you are clever doing this kind of thing in France is much, much cheaper. Out entire wedding including honeymoon came to about £6k, but you wouldn't have realised that if you were there.
http://www.chateaustpaul.fr/en/
We had 22 guests who stayed with us for the week and about a further 80 who came over and stayed elsewhere. The place is absolutely perfect for weddings, they have their own chapel on site which is free to use. It is reasonably close to Bergerac airport and flights from Stansted are usually £60 return.
We actually tried to book the whole place again this summer but they're now fully booked with weddings.
I can't speak highly enough of the place/owners.
It's actually very well priced and a if you are clever doing this kind of thing in France is much, much cheaper. Out entire wedding including honeymoon came to about £6k, but you wouldn't have realised that if you were there.
Edited by Muncher on Wednesday 8th March 16:09
Prepare for 50%+ of your invites to get binned. People wont travel/will bite into their holiday allowance/cant afford to take time off/havent got the money to do that.
If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
andy-xr said:
Prepare for 50%+ of your invites to get binned. People wont travel/will bite into their holiday allowance/cant afford to take time off/havent got the money to do that.
If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
If the place is good enough, people will go, about 90% of the people we invited came.If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
andy-xr said:
Prepare for 50%+ of your invites to get binned. People wont travel/will bite into their holiday allowance/cant afford to take time off/havent got the money to do that.
If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
The views up in the Troodos mountains are rather goodIf you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
andy-xr said:
Prepare for 50%+ of your invites to get binned. People wont travel/will bite into their holiday allowance/cant afford to take time off/havent got the money to do that.
If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
We appreciate this and it's not the worst thing in the world. However, we're working of experience from a friend's wedding we attended in the Vendee region of France a couple of years back for whom almost 100 guests turned up. Of which I'd say 90% drove over.If you're OK with that, crack on - your day after all.
Cyprus is one of the easier ones from where my extended family have had weddings.
Admittedly, we may find our friends aren't as loyal or interested in us
.It's also useful in sorting the wheat from the chaff, you don't need to worry about church invites/evening invites and offending people, you can also cast the guest list a little wider knowing only your true friends will bother to come, and you won't have to pay for meals for people you don't really like.
As for the legal bit, we did that in the UK a couple of days before going, popped to a registry office in our lunch break.
As for the legal bit, we did that in the UK a couple of days before going, popped to a registry office in our lunch break.
Muncher said:
I have an absolutely incredible place to suggest, we got married there two years ago.
http://www.chateaustpaul.fr/en/
We had 22 guests who stayed with us for the week and about a further 80 who came over and stayed elsewhere. The place is absolutely perfect for weddings, they have their own chapel on site which is free to use. It is reasonably close to Bergerac airport and flights from Stansted are usually £60 return.
We actually tried to book the whole place again this summer but they're now fully booked with weddings.
I can't speak highly enough of the place/owners.
It's actually very well priced and a if you are clever doing this kind of thing in France is much, much cheaper. Out entire wedding including honeymoon came to about £6k, but you wouldn't have realised that if you were there.
Thanks Muncher! Did you legally get married there, or just had the ceremony and the registrar back home before/after? And where did the majority of your other guests stay?http://www.chateaustpaul.fr/en/
We had 22 guests who stayed with us for the week and about a further 80 who came over and stayed elsewhere. The place is absolutely perfect for weddings, they have their own chapel on site which is free to use. It is reasonably close to Bergerac airport and flights from Stansted are usually £60 return.
We actually tried to book the whole place again this summer but they're now fully booked with weddings.
I can't speak highly enough of the place/owners.
It's actually very well priced and a if you are clever doing this kind of thing in France is much, much cheaper. Out entire wedding including honeymoon came to about £6k, but you wouldn't have realised that if you were there.
We did a quick trip to the registry office here (no guests) before we went, I think that is much easier, not to mention cheaper and less complicated.
The ceremony was done by one of my mates, we planned it all and it went really well. We arranged the caterers, cake, DJ and flowers over the internet and during a pre-visit in the year before. The venue bought the wine (at no charge) and bought back the excess. We drove over in a Ford Galaxy filled with all the bits we needed, we bought our own wine and champagne glasses over for example as it was cheaper to buy them in Ikea than to hire them over there.
Our guests stayed in various places in the nearby towns and villages, several groups booked their own big chateau and also stayed for a week themselves plus there are loads of places with character around there. PH'er pvapour has some holiday gites just around the corner from there too.
Drop me a PM if you like and I can share more details.
The ceremony was done by one of my mates, we planned it all and it went really well. We arranged the caterers, cake, DJ and flowers over the internet and during a pre-visit in the year before. The venue bought the wine (at no charge) and bought back the excess. We drove over in a Ford Galaxy filled with all the bits we needed, we bought our own wine and champagne glasses over for example as it was cheaper to buy them in Ikea than to hire them over there.
Our guests stayed in various places in the nearby towns and villages, several groups booked their own big chateau and also stayed for a week themselves plus there are loads of places with character around there. PH'er pvapour has some holiday gites just around the corner from there too.
Drop me a PM if you like and I can share more details.
Muncher said:
We did a quick trip to the registry office here (no guests) before we went, I think that is much easier, not to mention cheaper and less complicated.
The ceremony was done by one of my mates, we planned it all and it went really well. We arranged the caterers, cake, DJ and flowers over the internet and during a pre-visit in the year before. The venue bought the wine (at no charge) and bought back the excess. We drove over in a Ford Galaxy filled with all the bits we needed, we bought our own wine and champagne glasses over for example as it was cheaper to buy them in Ikea than to hire them over there.
Our guests stayed in various places in the nearby towns and villages, several groups booked their own big chateau and also stayed for a week themselves plus there are loads of places with character around there. PH'er pvapour has some holiday gites just around the corner from there too.
Drop me a PM if you like and I can share more details.
Email sent The ceremony was done by one of my mates, we planned it all and it went really well. We arranged the caterers, cake, DJ and flowers over the internet and during a pre-visit in the year before. The venue bought the wine (at no charge) and bought back the excess. We drove over in a Ford Galaxy filled with all the bits we needed, we bought our own wine and champagne glasses over for example as it was cheaper to buy them in Ikea than to hire them over there.
Our guests stayed in various places in the nearby towns and villages, several groups booked their own big chateau and also stayed for a week themselves plus there are loads of places with character around there. PH'er pvapour has some holiday gites just around the corner from there too.
Drop me a PM if you like and I can share more details.
.Slovenia, especially on/overlooking Lake Bled. My brother got married there and apart from obvious family bias, it was the best wedding/location combination I've been to, by far.
Lake, mountains, castles. Job jobbed!
Rowed over to the church on the lake on these
Bit of keep fit required but all managed it fine. Note bride-to-be leading a charge.
Lake, mountains, castles. Job jobbed!
Rowed over to the church on the lake on these
Bit of keep fit required but all managed it fine. Note bride-to-be leading a charge.
Hammerhead said:
Slovenia, especially on/overlooking Lake Bled. My brother got married there and apart from obvious family bias, it was the best wedding/location combination I've been to, by far.
Wowsers. Any specific details you could share? Exact location, where did you and all the guests stay, cost of everything?Edited by EViS on Wednesday 8th March 17:04
I went to one last year near Lannamezan in the south of France. Big house was iirc £2k for the week, slept 12 (again iirc). Pyrenees at the foot of the garden. Ceremony in amongst the trees. An outside bar stocked high with drink. The family had another house there so food was done there and shipped round.
Don't remember a cake. Or much else tbh. Except the €90 taxi to get supplies on the Sunday.
I hope I never have to do it but if I did I'd probably do something very similar.
Don't remember a cake. Or much else tbh. Except the €90 taxi to get supplies on the Sunday.
I hope I never have to do it but if I did I'd probably do something very similar.
EViS said:
Wowsers. Any specific details you could share? Exact location, where did you and all the guests stay, cost of everything?
This was back in '07 so I don't remember everything but it didn't cost the earth compared to most UK wedding venues they were offered. Most of us stayed at the Park Hotel Bled which is lakeside. Definitely worth getting the lake side superior rooms as we had, you just can't beat the view. Reception was held at a private restaurant, just for all the wedding guests so no 'strangers' about. Flights there & back weren't too expensive either (think it was Gatwick for the UK guests at the time).Plenty to see/do/visit prior to, and after the event. Think we might be going back this year for a 10th anniversary visit
I went to one last year near Lannamezan in the south of France. Big house was iirc £2k for the week, slept 12 (again iirc). Pyrenees at the foot of the garden. Ceremony in amongst the trees. An outside bar stocked high with drink. The family had another house there so food was done there and shipped round.
Don't remember a cake. Or much else tbh. Except the €90 taxi to get supplies on the Sunday.
I hope I never have to do it but if I did I'd probably do something very similar.
Don't remember a cake. Or much else tbh. Except the €90 taxi to get supplies on the Sunday.
I hope I never have to do it but if I did I'd probably do something very similar.
I have been to this place twice now for different weddings. We came back after the first one and raved about it so much that our friends decided to fly out and take a look. They loved the place and decided to get married there as well - both times it was amazing.
http://www.villapianciani.it/index.php?m1=0
Location wise it's just over an hour from Rome or even closer from Perugia (direct flights from Stansted I believe) We flew to Rome, hired a Fiat 500 and drove there. It's an amazing villa with the best staff - it's a bit 'rough' in places but this just goes to make it all the more charming. The nice thing as well is that it also has 2 other separate houses that are on the property and you can rent these along with the villa if you need more space. There is also a farm next door that has rooms if you have lots of guests. It's about 10 minutes to the town of Spoleto which is also a very nice place to spend a day sightseeing...
There is a chapel on site or you can just get married in the grounds underneath the trees..
http://www.villapianciani.it/index.php?m1=0
Location wise it's just over an hour from Rome or even closer from Perugia (direct flights from Stansted I believe) We flew to Rome, hired a Fiat 500 and drove there. It's an amazing villa with the best staff - it's a bit 'rough' in places but this just goes to make it all the more charming. The nice thing as well is that it also has 2 other separate houses that are on the property and you can rent these along with the villa if you need more space. There is also a farm next door that has rooms if you have lots of guests. It's about 10 minutes to the town of Spoleto which is also a very nice place to spend a day sightseeing...
There is a chapel on site or you can just get married in the grounds underneath the trees..
There are some stunning chateaux here http://www.au-chateau.com
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