20% of Irish grooms and brides marrying abroad

One fifth of Irish brides and grooms will marry abroad in 2007, mainly due to the rising costs of weddings in Ireland.


Travel Company ‘Tour America Weddings and Honeymoons’ has released this figure and announced the number of punters marrying abroad could keep rising in coming years. According to Tour America, 16% of Irish couples chose a foreign destination for their big day in 2006 and 20% will go for this option in 2007.


Couples marrying in Ireland face prices of Ã¢â€š ¬25,000 to Ã¢â€š ¬30,000 for an average wedding. This amount may be reduced when marrying in other countries.


Wedding planner Rosemarie Meleady who specializes in weddings abroad says, “Weddings abroad are not always a cheaper option per head, Italy is a popular option but this can be more expensive per person. However usually the number of guests decreases hugely when marrying abroad and this is where the main savings are. If it is just the two of you then it does work out a lot cheaper. Some places like Mauritius offer wedding packages for as little as 300 euro when you book a 10 day stay at their resort,” she explains.


Cyprus has also recently been pointed out as the most popular destination for foreign weddings. Italy, Malta and the Canaries are the ‘runner ups’.


-If you need some advice planning your wedding, in Ireland or abroad, you can contact Rosemarie Meleady on [email protected]

, or visit www.theweddingplanner.ie