Last Updated on October 15, 2024 by SampleBoard
An overseas wedding is always a challenge because you don’t quite have the same accessibility to potential sites and vendors as you would if planning it in your own country.
However, overseas wedding venues and weddings themselves are proving to be a popular choice for any bride and groom to be in 2023.
According to one wedding statistic, 80% of couples prefer to spend on destination weddings as opposed to getting married in the country they reside in.
Whether you’re brainstorming the idea of an overseas wedding or you have always wanted to get married abroad, here’s everything you’ll need to know when planning an overseas wedding in Sydney and the ten steps you’ll need to achieve the success of a dream wedding.
Firstly, make sure that you’ve got a realistic budget in place. When it comes to Sydney as a wedding destination, the price might be substantially higher depending on the conversion of your own currency to the Australian Dollar.
For example, here are a few conversions from one currency to the AUD.
This, of course, can fluctuate over the year, so it’s always good to look at the average and make a budget off the back of these conversions.
It seems that for the most part, and at the time of writing, you get more for your money when getting married in Australia. Your money certainly goes that little bit further.
However, the cost of living in Australia is a lot more expensive and therefore you might find some vendors and venues are more expensive than compared to your own country or other countries.
Setting a realistic budget is important because despite it being one of the most important days of your life, it shouldn’t be something that spirals you into debt.
Consider using a business credit card for your expenses. With the right business credit card, you can easily earn points or miles on every purchase you make while organizing your destination wedding.
Whether it's booking flights for guests, reserving luxurious accommodations, or arranging transport services, the best business credit cards for travel offer ultimate convenience and flexibility for all your planning needs.
Plus, many of them come with additional perks like concierge services to assist with reservations at top-rated restaurants and exclusive access to airport lounges—perfect for unwinding before tying the knot!
There are lots of wedding venues available, regardless of which country you decide to hold your wedding in.
It’s therefore useful to scout out wedding venues whether that’s doing the research online or actively going out to the country to see them in person. Of course, a flight to Sydney and a stay in this area can be expensive.
It might be worth scouting out all of the desired locations and visiting them all in one go, rather than jetting off to them on separate occasions.
While seeing venues online might be somewhat enlightening, it’s not as good as seeing it in the flesh.
Even if it does eat into your budget, seeing the venue in person is recommended before you end up saying yes and putting down a deposit.
If you’re looking to save money and keep the budget fairly limited, it’s a wise move to keep your wedding to just one venue.
Some people prefer to get married in one location, especially if it’s for religious purposes, and then celebrate their wedding reception elsewhere.
While this might be a must-have for many, it can be a preference for others. The cost of which can be expensive, not just for the hire and costs of two venues but also the transport between the venues.
For some guests, you’ll want to offer transport for those who might not be driving or where taxis might be limited to get from one venue to another.
With that in mind, consider the advantages of just having one wedding venue and if possible, stick to that decision to help save money and hassle.
Having a wedding overseas will limit your numbers somewhat, simply because some of your guests may not be able to afford travel to this destination in particular.
The cost of flights and accommodation might be too much for some guests, which is important to acknowledge and expect when you’re asking guests to come abroad for the wedding.
With that in mind, you might also want to assess the numbers and make cuts where necessary. Perhaps this is a destination wedding that is for your immediate family only?
Or limited to a certain number in order to keep the costs low but to ensure all of the people you need and want there, will be there.
There’s nothing stopping you from having a celebration in your own country as a way of getting everyone else together for the big day.
Wedding decor is an important part of throwing an overseas wedding or a wedding in general.
For some, they’ll follow a certain style or trend that they feel best represents themselves or more importantly, matches the wedding venue or destination vibes.
To help with the prep and planning of your wedding decor, Pinterest is a go-to tool that many use to inspire and brainstorm the visuals of your wedding day.
The platform is easy enough to use for anyone and is a great way to bring together all of your favorite images or inspiration in one place.
That way, you know exactly what you want and that helps when liaising with vendors who will likely throw in their own input.
It helps ensure that your visualization and dream of your ideal wedding, come to as close or if not better than imagined.
Depending on where you get married will determine how easy or difficult it might be for your wedding guests to get to and from the destination.
If you’re picking somewhere in the middle of nowhere, you want to ensure there’s enough accommodation around the immediate area to accommodate all of your guests.
The last thing you want is to book a venue that guests struggle to get to, especially as many will be unlikely to check what this is like until closer to the time.
Make sure you do your due diligence when researching venues.
Talking of accommodation and travel, it’s worth giving suggestions to your wedding party on where to stay and how to get to the destination.
Even luggage storage in Sydney can be a helpful option for those who might be coming in for the day and flying back out for a fleeting visit. It might also be handy for those who can’t check into the hotel until a later time.
Try to be over-accommodating when it comes to recommendations on travel and accommodation for your guests.
When it comes to flights, consider booking business class for a truly indulgent journey. Imagine your guests arriving at your destination wedding stress-free. A priority when attending such a joyous occasion.
Business class flights provide an ideal way to start off this special trip on the right foot - or rather, in ultimate relaxation mode!
It’ll help everyone book ahead of time, while also causing less stress closer to the wedding day. That means fewer messages, which is important to have.
Weather is a key player when it comes to your bridal and groom party outfits.
Depending on the time of year and the typical weather conditions expected in Sydney for that time of year, it’s good to shop with the intention of it all matching the weather you’re expecting.
For Sydney, most of the year has sunny weather which varies between 65.5 - 78.4°F. Of course, they do have milder months but these are often a stark contrast for those who might have very cold fall and winter months.
Be cautious of the weather when it comes to making any decisions regarding the venue or wedding attire.
With an overseas wedding, it’s important to be careful of what you’re planning to make yourself and to fly over with for the wedding.
Anything you make and DIY yourself might be prone to damage in transit, which is why it might be far less stressful to save on shipping and damage by outsourcing your wedding decor to vendors in Sydney.
While there are some wedding decor options you can carry on your person and not need to worry about damage, anything that’s bulky or fragile might be worth handing over to vendors overseas instead.
There’s nothing worse than creating something for your wedding day, only to realize that it’s broken once you’re over there. That also leaves very little time to do much to rectify the problem.
Finally, talking of vendors, it’s good to shop around for reputable suppliers. When you can’t necessarily head over to Sydney for a quick weekend break, make sure you do plenty of research online.
Be sure to read the reviews, vet the companies in detail, and only go ahead with the ones you trust in your gut to be reliable.
When you’re getting married overseas, suppliers and vendors in general can be tricky to secure but it’s easy enough once you've done the research.
Planning an overseas wedding is difficult but with these tips, you’ll hopefully be able to achieve success when it comes to your wedding day.