Go the extra mile – have your wedding in Australia!
If you do not live on this beautiful sunny island, then it is most likely a long plane journey from home. But if you do decide to travel the extra mile and have your wedding in Australia then you are bound to have a unique wedding set in a spectacular location.
Wedding at the Hilton Blue Horizon Chapel, Cairns by South Pacific Bridal
A country of extreme diversity and rugged beauty, Australia is the perfect destination to combine two of the most memorable occasions in your life, your wedding and honeymoon.
There is something to cater for every type and style of wedding in Australia and you will be spoilt for choice with the vast array of different venues and settings available.
For the glamour and sophistication of a chic city wedding, cities such as beautiful Sydney, cosmopolitan Melbourne, tropical Brisbane or stunning Perth are great wedding destinations in themselves. If you desire magnificent islands, just off the central Queensland coast are the Whitsunday Islands. Encompassing some 200 islands, they offer a breathtaking backdrop for romantic, tropical island weddings. For the more adventurous, an outback wedding in Central Australia is a must, but remember, summer is hot in the outback.
Another popular location for destination weddings in Australia is the sensational tropical city of Cairns. Cairns is a beautiful and vibrant city, uniquely surrounded by world heritage listed wonders. To the East, is the Great Barrier Reef, and to the North, South and West, are the oldest rainforests in the world, located in the magnificent mountains that surround this tropical paradise.
Many Australian couples are now also choosing to get married away from their home town and are having destination weddings within their own country. Tropical island and beach weddings in Northern Australia are extremely popular as are country vineyard weddings.
The legal requirements to get married in Australia are relatively straightforward, wedding ceremonies can be highly personalised and civil ceremonies and some religious ceremonies can take place in any location of your choice. Value for money is excellent and the quality of food and the standard of catering are exceptional. And with so many beautiful locations and venues to choose from, there definitely are countless reasons to have your wedding in Australia!
Tips & Advice for Getting Married in Australia
The following information has been designed to provide guidance on all aspects of planning a wedding in Australia.
Top Tips from couples who had their wedding abroad in Australia
The best tip I have is to hire a wedding coordinator. From arranging flowers, location, photography, to handling all the legal documents, these are things I would have not known where to start. Our coordinator was amazing.
Scott & Tina, USA
I’d definitely recommend anyore getting married far a field to instruct a wedding planner – not only does it take the initial stress out of the organisation – but it makes life so much easier if you are getting married in a country where there is a time difference and liaising with suppliers would be near impossible! The best thing we did was instruct a wedding planner.
Zoe & Nick, United Kingdom
We had needlessly put ourselves through a lot of anguish, pondering whether having a destination wedding was the right decision, and about the reactions we would receive. Everyone however, said it was a fantastic idea, and gave us their full support, so we worried needlessly about pleasing everyone all along.
Initially I was quite overwhelmed at the thought of trying to organise a wedding that was being held a million miles from home. Not being able to actually see venues, and having picked a non-traditional location, I was worried that services and commodities would be very hard to source. The trick is finding a website that has great links, and has already done all the hard work for you.
Sharon & Simon, Melbourne
Special thanks to Hayden Phoenix for the above images.
Real Experiences – Why did you choose Australia?
We briefly entertained the idea of getting married at home and even started making plans; but as we had settled on the month of June (being winter in Melbourne, Australia), we quickly shelved that plan. After much thought we felt a destination wedding was perfect for us and would allow us to keep traditional formalities to a minimum. We chose to get married in Queensland’s beautiful tropical Daintree rainforest and had an amazing, memorable wedding, and holiday all rolled into one.
Sharon & Simon, Melbourne
We chose Sydney for our wedding destination because we wanted something different and very special. We were married at the base of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and across the water from the Opera House. Our wedding was perfect. Sydney is an amazing city and Australia is a beautiful country.
Scott & Tina, USA
We chose Australia because it’s such an amazing country and we wanted to do something a bit different – something spectacular. Neither of us fancied a church wedding and in England, it is pretty limited as to where you can have a nice civil ceremony. We were married in the Royal botanical Gardens in Sydney overlooking the water and the Opera House. Our actual ceremony took place under an old tree with a harpist and a rose petal aisle. All very beautiful, intimate and romantic. The setting provided some lovely photos too! It really was a day to remember for all of the right reasons and we wouldn’t change a thing.
Zoe & Nick, United Kingdom
Wedding Destinations in Australasia
