Will you have a Legal or a Symbolic Wedding Service?

Before you decide to have a Destination Wedding you must understand the legal requirements. Every Country has its own legal requirements for visitors marrying in their country. For example, in some countries a visitor planning to marry must arrive in the country several days before the wedding. Other countries require your documentation to be translated into their official language.

Before you pick a destination, research the legal requirements, or ask your travel agent to help you decide.

Many couples ask if a marriage in a foreign country is legal in Canada? The answer is Yes, check out the Government of Canada website for more information.https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/marriage-overseas

Many couples chose to get married here in Canada and then perform a symbolic ceremony in Destination. The documentation is less complicated, but it can be emotionally stressful. That moment that you say, “I Do” and you become a Married Couple is the moment that everyone wants to see. If you have already been legally married before everyone gathers on the beach, you may upset a lot of guests who paid a great deal of money to come to your Destination Wedding.

I once had a Bride-to-be who was planning to get married at home and then pretend to get married in destination. She asked me to keep it a secret and especially, “Don’t tell my Mother”. I was not too pleased to be asked to lie to the wedding guests, but I especially did not want to be party to a deception of this magnitude to the Bride’s mother. So, I asked her one question. “Can you honestly say that, for the rest of your life, you can keep this secret from your mother? Every year for every anniversary?”

She changed her mind, and they had a small party the night before departure, got married and then had everyone celebrate with them a symbolic ceremony and a great honeymoon.