Have your wedding in Turkey – where East meets West.
Turkey is a truly fascinating country and if you’re looking for a wedding destination with a difference I couldn’t recommend Turkey strongly enough.
Why a Wedding in Turkey
Straddling two continents, Turkey is a unique blend of European and Asian influences with a diverse landscape of unparalleled beauty.
It offers an exotic, vibrant and truly stunning backdrop for an unforgettable wedding abroad….from the bustling city of Istanbul, to the stunning beach of Olu Deniz, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia and the truly amazing natural wonder that is Pammukale.
For the adventurous at heart, if you get married in Turkey you need not limit your celebrations to land. You can take to the air in a hot air balloon or sail the azures waters of the Aegean or Mediterranean in a Gulet (a traditional sailing boat). Provided your chosen location is not a place of cultural heritage or a religious site, you can get married just about anywhere in Turkey, making this an ideal wedding destination for those who wish to break with tradition.
Good to Know
- There is no minimum residency period, providing that you obtain a Certificate of No Impediment.
- A civil ceremony is the only legally binding type of ceremony possible in Turkey.
- Women may have to wait 300 days following divorce, annulment or widowhood before being allowed to remarry.
- A translator must be present if either of the couple does not speak Turkish.
- You may only have a religious ceremony after a civil ceremony has taken place, either in Turkey or in your own country.
Top Tips from Turkey wedding Experts
When choosing your ceremony time, please remember that early afternoon can be very hot which may make your guests uncomfortable, not to mention the negative effects that the bright sunshine and excessive heat may have on your wedding photos! After 6pm is an ideal time to get married, but if you have your heart set on an earlier ceremony, make sure you pick a weekend date as your wedding date as most registrars in Turkey are only allowed to performed ceremonies at the registry office during their office hours. – My Wedding in Turkey by EGG Ltd
If you are two foreigners and looking for official civil marriage with legal paperwork than Turkey will be the best choice for you because weddings in Turkey are valid world wide and marriage certificates set in multilingual include English, German, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, French and Croatian , in total 10 languages. For other languages we can make additional translations from our partner sworn translator company.- Anta Organization
Use a professional wedding planner. They will have experience of the local area, suppliers, speak the language and know the customs of the country. You can’t beat a local well established company with its local contacts who can coordinate all the components to ensure you have a stress free experience. – Let’s Group Ltd
There is no minimum term of residency requirement for getting married in Turkey so booking a suitable date for the wedding is usually pretty easy, however, where possible, make sure you arrange a date for the wedding before booking your flights as availability may be limited in the high season. Also, make sure you take into account that government offices do not work on weekends and public holidays, some of which can be up to 5 days long. – My Wedding in Turkey by EGG Ltd
Our Hot Tips for a Wedding in Turkey
- Plan ahead, some of the more popular wedding venues can be booked up 12 to 18 months in advance.
- As soon as you know your wedding date, book your photographer and videographer.
- For those planning a DIY wedding, use our Digital Destination Wedding Planning Tool Kit to help you stay on track which comes free when you book a 90 Minute Personalised Planning Consultation.
- Provide guests with as much information as possible. Read our Guest Information Guide, and download our Guest Information Checklist which covers everything from guests expenses, to creating a personal wedding website.
- When getting married abroad, the Grooms attire for a beach wedding or hot weather can actually be quite tricky. We take a look at the options here.
- Don’t expect things to work the same way as they do in your home country. Ask as many questions as many times as you need to in order to make sure you get the answers you need.
Real Experiences – Why did you choose Turkey?
We both love Turkey and knew that this would be our wedding destination. We wanted warmth and sunshine, a relaxed atmosphere, good food and drink and value for money. A beach wedding in Turkey ticked all of our boxes as well as being one of our favourite holiday destinations and places to be!
We wanted a wedding destination that would cater for our wide range of guests, we had 18 year olds right up to 70 year olds. Turkey is a fantastic county with so much to see and do for all age groups. The Turkish people are among the friendliest people in the world. Our wedding was magical, and I would recommend turkey as a wedding destination in a heartbeat.
Edelle, Ireland
We visited Turkey last year and there was no doubt that the bright blue sea and stunning mountains would make an amazing backdrop for our wedding. We wanted pure 5 star luxury without the UK price tag…Turkey was our perfect choice!
Claire, United Kingdom
My mother has a villa in Turkey and we have been going there for a few years now. It’s just a beautiful country, great people, nice weather and we have fallen in love with it so couldn’t think of a better place to get married. The cost of weddings here in the UK are way too high plus we would like a small wedding so going away seems the best option.
Joanne, United Kingdom
Turkey Wedding Suppliers, Legalities, Advice & Tips
