Brides flee Britain to escape credit crunch

The flowers cost more, there’s more duty on champagne. Even the breadrolls have got dearer. Little wonder more and more couples are looking to get married abroad to save money but still have the wedding of their dreams.

The strength of the pound has made it even cheaper than before to get married in certain countries, especially the USA where a US dollar rate of nearly $2 to a pound means you get a lot for your money.

Carol Campanella of New York wedding firm Fab NYC Wedding says that she’s seen an increase in business from the UK lately, and they’re all saying it’s because of the cost.

“Business has doubled in the past year and all my couples are from the UK and all come to NYC because it’s a fantastic city but also because they get excellent value for money. Since our dollar hit rock bottom it’s so much cheaper for them. They get married here and even hold large receptions to celebrate after and it’s still much cheaper then if they married at home. ”

Likewise Amy Claassen from Green Route Weddings in Cape Town, South Africa, is finding the same.

“70% of our foreign weddings are from the UK. With the Rand / Pound exchange rate this is becoming an ever-increasing popular and affordable destination. Direct flights and no jet-lag also help. “

With house prices tumbling and the cost of everyday produce soaring, couples don’t want to feel the pinch on their wedding day. According to US-based website The Wedding Report, 84% of US brides use the internet to plan their wedding and 100% research a wedding planner online – the UK can’t be far behind.

The wealth of wedding websites available make it easier than ever to know what the market is offering, and couples are making the most of the growth in broadband to gain plenty of advice and information before deciding where to marry.

Stephanie Bishop from www.marryabroad.co.uk has seen an increase in wedding enquiries over the past year, especially for countries which allow couples to benefit from the fluctuating exchange rates.

“As we are a global website we are used to receiving emails from all over the world, however there has been an increase lately in enquiries for countries outside of the Eurozone and US dollar destinations, which could easily be as a result of the credit crunch.”

So, as far as the international wedding industry is concerned, the credit crunch may be a blessing in disguise, with the world economy inadvertently causing a boom in low cost, high quality overseas weddings.