How it all began..a helicopter ride, the Rugby World Cup and a wedding in France!
Hi,
My name’s Natalie Wingrove, I’m an Australian who has called the UK my home since 1999.
In November 2003 my boyfriend and I set off to Australia to visit family and friends and to watch the Rugby World Cup. Not only did things change that November for England but while taking a helicopter ride over Australia’s beautiful Whitehaven Beach, there laid out on the sand below me were the words “Will You Marry Me?“. Of course my ecstatic response was “yes” and my new fiancé commented shortly afterwards that he just had the best week of his life, I prefer to think that it was due to our engagement rather than the fact that England had just beaten Australia in the final!
Little did I know at the time but that helicopter ride would prove the genesis of Weddings Abroad Guide.
With me being Australian and living in England we knew no matter where we chose to get married some of our guests would have to travel. Therefore we thought long and hard about our wedding destination and came up with a solution, “let’s pick a country in between the two” and “voila” France it was. So our geography was a little out..
Sharing a love of the French countryside, wine, food and culture, we chose a beautiful Chateau in the tiny village of Marquein, South West France as the backdrop for our big day. After countless very early morning flights between Stansted and Carcassonne we managed to successfully plan our dream wedding abroad.
I believe getting married abroad added an extra touch of magic to our wedding celebrations, however planning our wedding in France didn’t come without its challenges. We were fortunate to be able to spend a lengthy amount of time in France meeting prospective suppliers whilst staying with friends who provided invaluable help and advice. Without this luxury of time and guidance planning our wedding abroad would have proved so much more difficult and the prospect of a “dream wedding” all the more elusive.
When not in France I spent countless hours on the internet trying to find information on getting married abroad but to my dismay all I came across were companies trying to sell me wedding packages or services. What I was really looking for was independent information, advice and recommendations from other couples who had been married abroad. I was certain other couples would also be searching the internet for the same type of information we were when planning our wedding abroad.
Hence the idea for Weddings Abroad Guide was born and in August 2005 this site was launched with a simple philosophy –
To provide trusted, independent, information and advice to couples planning their wedding abroad.
This site has not been developed to sell wedding packages or services. It is a wedding planning portal dedicated to getting married abroad. With 1 in 4 British couples now choosing to have their weddings abroad I believe this type of website was much needed and long overdue. In 2005, it was the first British website of its type.
Much of the information contained on weddings abroad guide comes from the personal experiences of couples who have been married abroad. They very kindly share their inspirational wedding stories, provide valuable hints and tips and recommend fantastic destinations, venues and suppliers abroad. For this I would sincerely like to thank them.
Through weddings abroad guide I am committed to providing the very best quality information and ensuring only the very best suppliers of wedding products and services are represented on the site to help couples turn their dream of a wedding abroad into a reality.
I cannot recommend getting married abroad strongly enough and I hope the information contained in weddings abroad guide helps you plan your perfect wedding abroad.
