Long before Callum Turner and Dua Lipa’s heavily documented Italian big day, destination weddings have been big news in both movies and real life for at least a couple of decades. On screen there was Mamma Mia! and Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s disastrous jaunt to an Indian wedding in Murder Mystery 2, while George and Amal Clooney’s Venetian ceremony put a spotlight on their love for Italy.
Despite our love of romantic nuptials overseas, only 4% of British couples married abroad last year, according to Bridebook. That’s a shame because jetting off to say “I do” has never been easier, with plenty of hotels and resorts more able to create the perfect ceremony than ever before.
© PIERRE TEYSSOT/AFP via Getty ImagesHere are ten of the best locations on offer for couples planning their big day – from escaping to the Caribbean to hiring out an entire Spanish resort for friends and family.
Go on safari in Africa
Victoria Falls Safari Club, Zimbabwe
Magical at night thanks to star-spangled skies and lantern-lit tents, safari camp weddings come with game drives and bush dinners to up the excitement. Head to Zimbabwe for good value, as well as the dramatic Victoria Falls; Victoria Falls Safari Club overlooks a watering hole, where elephants gather at dusk.
How to book it: A three-night package costs from £900pp full-board for the bride and groom (victoria-falls-safari-collection.com). The ceremony is extra, with venue hire and set-up from £2,250 and reception dinners from £45pp.
Say 'I do' for free in the Indian Ocean
Sugar Beach, Mauritius
© Jean-Bernard ADOUEStay five nights or more and your wedding is free at this much-loved five-star resort on a palm-strewn beach in buzzy Flic en Flac. The Your Wedding, Our Gift package includes a ceremony, beach dinner, bouquet and more – as well as a separate room for the groom the night before the nuptials.
How to book it: Five nights costs from £1,790, B&B (yoursunlife.com). British Airways flies direct to Mauritius.
Marry on a Bounty-ad beach
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, the Maldives
© JOE CHUA AGDEPPASettings don’t get more romantic than this private island in North Malé Atoll – and saying “I do” under a flowered canopy with a neon sea as a backdrop tops it all off nicely. That’s part of the Oceanside Serenity package, which also includes a cake, a bouquet and dinner on the beach, as well as a wedding planner to ensure things go smoothly.
How to book it: Ceremonies start from £675 per couple (banyantree.com). Virgin Holidays has two weeks at the resort, half-board including flights (Gatwick), from £4,375 per person (virginatlantic.com).
Take over an Andalusian resort
Finca Cortesin, Spain
With a healthy budget, you can hire entire estates on the Continent for big celebrations (think Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s shindig at Las Sirenas in Sotogrande, Spain). An added bonus? Destination weddings in southern Spain work better slightly out of season, when temperatures – and prices – are lower. Hire Finca Cortesin, a sea-view estate rich in bougainvillea and shady terraces, and you’ll feel like an A-lister.
How to book: Buyout rates at Finca Cortesin start from around £29,955; wedding celebrations are extra (fincacortesin.com).
Step off the gravy train in Saint Lucia
Cap Maison, Saint Lucia
At bigger resorts, weddings can sometimes feel slightly like a conveyor belt. Not so at this lovely Spanish-style boutique hotel overlooking the sea and St Lucia’s famous pitons: it only allows one celebration every three weeks so they can be carefully curated. Choose its Premier You and Me package and you’ll wed on Rock Maison, a platform set on a tiny island with waves crashing below and a champagne zip line to deliver the drinks.
How to book it: Seven nights at Cap Maison, including a premier wedding package, costs from £4,499pp, half-board, including flights with Kenwood Travel (kenwoodtravel.co.uk).
Get everyone onboard in Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal
© Filipe Pombo/AFFPEurope’s most lovable city comes with riverside restaurants, cool boutiques, plenty of culture, and affordable accommodation for wedding guests. It means they’ll be queuing up to RSVP. There are myriad places to marry here but, for something completely different, how about casting off on a catamaran? Up to 120 guests can board for a civil ceremony on deck in the harbour surrounded by white flowers, followed by dinner and dancing as you cruise along the river Tagus.
How to book it: From £4,280 for three hours: ceremony is extra (lisbonbywaterx.com).
Go adults-only in the Caribbean
Sandals South Coast, Jamaica
Sandals has been hosting weddings since 1981, when Leonard and Barbara Barnes got hitched at the brand’s first resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. These days, it has pretty over-water chapels with glass aisles at a number of its properties, including the newly revamped Sandals South Coast, which reopens this November.
If you need help with planning (or just want someone else to do it for you), these resorts are a safe bet, especially if you’d rather not have kids along for the ride. Weddings for up to ten people are free if you stay in a Club or Butler suite for a week or more.
How to book: A week at Sandals South Coast (sandals.co.uk) costs from £2,289 per person, all-inclusive, including flights, with Destination2 (destination2.co.uk).
Elope by sea to Raja Ampat
Vela, Indonesia
© Tommaso RivaKeen to keep it just the two of you? Cast away aboard Vela, a handmade phinisi boat that ploughs its way through the empty waters of the remote Raja Ampat archipelago. For true romance, couples can moor up for a ceremony on an uninhabited island and spend their honeymoon paddleboarding and kayaking in pristine waters, and dining on the deck under skies blissfully free of light pollution.
How to book it: Six days aboard costs from £80,000 with an additional £30,000 for a chase boat with wedding team and decorations. It doesn’t have to be just for two either; up to 12 guests can sail into the sunset (sailvela.com).
Ace the photos in Marrakech
Jnane Rumi, Morocco
© David DumonA newcomer to the wedding scene, having hosted its first one in 2026, this exquisite B&B in Marrakech’s Palmeraie comes with gardens dotted with pistachio, fig and olive trees, soundtracked by birdsong and the occasional plunge into the pool (itself a wonder, with boho umbrellas and striped loungers).
How to book it: Exclusive hire costs around £21,250 for two nights for up to 28 guests. Celebrations for up to 100 are extra (jnanerumi.com).
Do a Dua near London
Hatfield Park, UK
© Rafe AbrookWhy not have the best of both worlds and tie the knot at home before having a second ceremony overseas in the style of Dua Lipa and Callum Turner? Hatfield Park, the childhood home of Elizabeth I, is just 30 minutes from London by train but feels like a holiday thanks to its glistening lake, perfectly manicured gardens and deer. Marry in the Old Palace or less formal (but no less lovely) Riding School – with the added bonus that guests can return to their own beds after a brilliant day.
How to book it: Packages start from £6,000, rising to £25,000 for weddings for up to 100 guests (hatfieldpark.co.uk).
