Your wedding is supposed to be the most magical and special day of your life so why not do it in style and tie the knot overseas. Of course there are several things you’ll need to consider, namely costs and legalities, but as the world seems to become ever smaller through international travel and the relaxation of border rules and residency permits, getting married overseas is becoming easier. The world really is your oyster.

Practicalities

Although it may be your dream to get married on a tropical island it’s not exactly the cheapest way to do it. Help yourself out by cutting costs elsewhere. Don’t go for a designer wedding dress and wedding shoes. Instead look for off the peg dresses and wedding shoes from the high street. Next has a range of wedding shoes that are glamorous and affordable such as Ivory Lace Peep Toe Court Shoes (pictured) for just £30.

Arrange for food, flowers and all the trimmings to be dealt with locally at your destination, as this will save you money in the long run.

Keep the wedding small, but get everyone booked in at the same hotel to make the most of group booking discounts.

Make your own wedding invitations to keep costs down and to help your guests out, don’t ask for wedding gifts. Their presence should be enough of a present, especially if you choose a long-haul destination.

Legalities

Most countries require you to be a resident to get married, however, there are countries that offer temporary residency permits for the sake of weddings for just a few days. These countries include Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bali, Thailand, the Caribbean, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Fiji. Other countries may allow you to get married but you will need special permission. You can find more information on 101honeymoons.co.uk.

Locations

Bearing the above legalities in mind and the fact that the world economy is still moving in slow motion so your savings might not be too large, where are the best locations to get married that offer the wow factor but without hefty costs?

Short haul destinations will obviously be cheaper as you don’t have to spend a thousand pounds just getting from A to B. However, in terms of value for money Asia is a better bet. The costs associated with hiring a venue, arranging food and hotel accommodation are cheapest in Thailand, Bali and Sri Lanka and all three locations really have the wow factor.

I’m not talking about refusing to wash for months and growing dreadlocks – I want to discuss some effort free ways to make more of an eco-impact on your chosen destination.

People travelling today don’t want to have to lower their standard of living to be environmentally friendly – there are of course many people who are happy to live out of a rucksack and wear the same clothes for days on end!

However, if you don’t want to lower your standards to help save water and become more eco-friendly – then take a look at some of the following tips  – and they don’t include the well-repeated ones like ‘turn off the tap while brushing your teeth’!!!

1) Try to source biodegradable toiletries.  This way you can still have your luxury thickening, gloss-inducing shampoos and your extra invigorating shower gels – but you know that they won’t wash off you and into a sensitive water course affecting wildlife and landscapes.

2)  Make sure you locate yourself some biodegradable suncream too- as this is likely to wash off of you and straight into the sea and rivers – now there’s a nasty thought.  There are many adventure parks and natural waterways (like the cenotes in Mexico) that will check your sun cream before entering – making sure they are biodegradable!

3)  Find yourself a brand of leave-in hair conditioner that you like.  This will save plenty of water as you won’t need to use water for the rinse part.  Many people leave the shower head running while rubbing their normal conditioners in before rinsing – wasting even more water!  Why not leave the product protecting your hair for longer as well as making a difference.

4)  And why not leave all other toiletries at home that aren’t essential.  Do you really need to be moisturising your fingernail cuticles while trekking through jungles?  Or changing the color of your toenails midway across a desert (after using nail polish remover!!!)?  No you don’t.  Take essentials only or buy multipurpose products to do the same jobs.

5)  It’s a great idea to save small bottles during your everyday life especially to travel with.  These smaller bottles are perfect for travel toiletries without taking up too much room in your luggage – and you will use them again and again rather than dispose of them abroad.

Many people take half empty larger bottles from home, planning to dump them on vacation and make room for souvenirs on the way home!  This may well put too much pressure on your destination and could rule out a return visit in the future….

6)  As a man, why take all your shaving paraphernalia if you are travelling about?  Why not grow yourself a beard while you are away and keep a photographic record of it’s journey with you!  Maybe get on a social networking site and have your friends see you like never before – I mean could you keep your job at the bank with a great big bushy beard?

No such fun possible for the ladies – but why not let your hair go natural if you normally tame it down at home.  Ne need for straighteners and anti-frizz potions – just get yourself some great head scarves or bandanna’s and change your look for the vacation.

7)  Another one for the ladies would be personal hygiene.  Make sure if using towels or tampons (non-applicator of course) that you use the lowest possible protection to reduce the amount of waste created.  By using products designed for ‘extreme conditions’ when there is really only a need for ‘standard protection’ requires a larger product and more resources – it also means more ‘rubbish’ to be disposed of by your hosts.

Never flush anything like this down the toilets (even back home) as most developing countries ‘sewers’ barely work with just toilet tissue in the first place.  Make sure you dispose of them carefully and hygienically and warn you hosts if close contact may be encountered!  Don’t dispose of them outside either as they will attract vermin and dogs.

8)  Another thing never to throw away or flush down the toilet are medications or any sort.  They could poison not only wildlife – but people as well.  Always take unwanted medicines, treatments and contraceptives to a chemist who will dispose of them safely.  Try not to take too many with you in the first place – generic named products are available almost everywhere you go – and are probably cheaper anyway!

9)  And finally – try to find an alternative to every-day disposable contact lenses!  The waste involved in this is not good for any environment – but especially not in developing countries – unless you bring them all home with you.  Decide on an alternative that suits you, either monthly lenses or your old-fashioned eye-glasses!!

Now get packing……

By Catherine at www.ecoholidaysandadventures.com

I get to ask  a lot of women travellers what their number one travel tip would be and the top tip that comes up more times than any “my biggest tip is to always wear a pashmina when flying so it can double up as a blanket on the plane!” and personally I am a raving fan from light weight pashminas for hotter climes and summer evenings to toasty warm thick cashmere for snuggling into when the weather is freezing.

With so many gorgeous colours, I have over the years collected lots of pashminas from the palest cream to vibrant green , purple and shocking pink to glam up a plain outfit.

Pashminas are gorgeous, versatile and a joy to wear. They have become part of a modern women’s wardrobe and can be worn anywhere at anytime with just about anything and here are just a few of my favourite uses.

One Pashmina – 8 great uses

1. As a scarf, probably the most obvious use of all.

2. To keep you snugly warm on the plane when the air conditioning kicks in, there is nothing worse than hours sitting on a freezing cold plane, why do they do that?

3. To keep you covered when the setting requires. You really don’t want to have to miss out or cover up using something handed out that has maybe never been cleaned!

4. To glam up a simple outfit, a lighter colour like taupe, off white, cream or white will create that movie star “I haven’t bothered” look.

5. Or to simply add colour to a pair of jeans. A pashmina is a great accessory and if like me you are consious of your bingo wings it helps cover them too.

6. To keep the evening chill off, when the sun sets and the sea breeze means you need a little cover but a jacket is too much.

7. To use as a blanket to sit on for an impromptu picnic or to sit on the beach and watch the sun go down.

8. Or as the wrapping for a present it makes for an unusual cover and an extra gift.

If you don’t yet own one, myadvice; go buy one you won’t ever regret it. Check out our great value range.

To sum it up – Cover up

Dressing respectfully means no short tops, short skirts, tight or body revealing clothes and be sure that shoulders and legs are covered at all times.

This is so much easier for men as they can wear what they would wear to a western wedding; trousers, shirt, tie and jacket or a formal suit for a more elaborate occasion.

For women dressing is far more fun…. And a challenge.

Our advice would be to avoid both black and white. In different areas these are traditionally associated with funerals and it’s easier to avoid them altogether.Bright colours are popular at Muslim weddings so yellows, red, orange, bright green, pink ….. the choice is yours.

If you are attending a ceremony in a mosque you will be required to remove your shoes, so think about taking some socks or knee high stocking socks.

Generally it won’t be necessary to cover your head however if the ceremony is taking place in a mosque we would suggest popping a scarf or pashmina in your bag just in case.

Dressing suggestions:

• Trouser suit with long sleeved blouse (ensure that the neckline isn’t too revealing)

• Maxi dress with sleeves – again ensure that the neck is not too revealing. Jacket or cardigan (but be prepared to keep it on throughout the day if you opt for a sleeveless dress)

• Trousers under a long sleeved dress

Add in a long coat for cooler weather, small handbag, jewellery and the very versatile must … a Pashmina and you’re ready to go.