Almost half of people want to get married abroad to avoid distant relatives and unwanted acquaintances, according to new research conducted by Sandals Resorts, the Luxury Included® Caribbean hotel company. 47 per cent of those surveyed said they would like to or are planning to marry abroad to avoid inviting distant relations and acquaintances that they don’t really want to be there.

The survey conducted with 2000 respondents shows that weddings abroad are now just as popular as those at home, with an equal number of people saying they would like to get married overseas (40 per cent) as at home in the UK (40 per cent).  Just among those planning to marry within the next 12 months, 54 per cent said they’ll marry at home and 46 per cent are actually planning a ceremony abroad.

Amanda Lucas, weddings supervisor, Sandals UK said “We have seen a year-on-year increase in the number of weddings we’ve organised abroad this year for obvious reasons such as better weather; however, alleviating stress and avoiding family issues seem to be a common reason for our guests marrying abroad”. She adds “Sandals Weddingmoons® make the whole wedding experience as seamless as possible from beginning to end, which is clearly attractive to couples today, and they’re also a better value option than the soaring costs of UK weddings”.

The research also highlighted that 28 per cent of those marrying in the UK were planning to spend over £10,000 on their wedding and honeymoon compared with 23 per cent of those marrying abroad**, highlighting the fact that weddings abroad are more cost effective than those in the UK.

As expected, better weather (69 per cent) proves to be people’s main reason for marrying abroad, followed by the romance (47 per cent) of tying the knot in an exotic location. Lower cost (23 per cent) is also another driver for people getting hitched abroad and 39 per cent of those surveyed said being able to combine their wedding with a honeymoon is a huge factor. The Caribbean proved to be a popular destination of choice for the majority (23 per cent), followed by Italy (14 per cent) and The Maldives (12 per cent).

Sandals Luxury Included® resorts are located in Jamaica, Antigua, St Lucia and The Bahamas.  Sandals recently partnered with Martha Stewart Weddings® to offer Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart™ – six exclusively designed wedding packages, each with a different theme ranging from Island Paradise to Chic and Natural. A Beautiful Beginnings Sandals Wedding by Martha Stewart package comes free with a Concierge room booking.  A  seven night Sandals Weddingmoon® costs from £1333 per person, staying in a Concierge room on a Luxury Included® basis at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Golf Resort in Jamaica. Return airfares, resort transfers and a Beautiful Beginnings wedding package are all included in the price. (For travel in September.)

For further information about Sandals Weddingmoons® call 08000 22 33 31, email weddings[email protected] or visit www.sandals.co.uk.