Here we chat to ANNA MCEVOY, winner of Love Island Australia Season 2, who is an ambassador of the new service and is planning her wedding next month. We also talk to DARCY ALLEN, Senior Wedding Planner at Easy Weddings, about the trend in overseas weddings.
Q: Anna, you’re getting married in Corfu next month. Why did you decide on an overseas wedding to your fiancé Michael?
A: If you’ve ever been to Greece, you’ll know how incredible it is! Beautiful beaches, delicious food and amazing people.
We travelled to Greece together a few years ago and fell in love with it. I’d always wanted a destination wedding so as soon as we started thinking about where we wanted to have our wedding, we both knew it had to be Greece. Michael is also half Greek so it was a no-brainer.
Europe was the perfect choice because we have so much family in the UK. It makes it easier for them to get to the wedding and I feel like Aussies love to travel.
Q: How easy has the wedding process been?
A: We locked in the venue without visiting it in person, which was terrifying because we didn’t know if the pictures were accurate. Going through the Destination Weddings process and having a professional provide insight is so important when you’re spending so much money.
We’re so excited now that everything is all booked in and we know it will be the best week of our lives.
Koro Sun, Fiji. Image courtesy Allan Zepeda
Q: So you’d recommend the service to other couples?
A: Wherever the wedding is, using helpful resources is key!
The Easy Weddings Destination Weddings concierge service is fantastic. It’s specifically dedicated to helping couples arrange everything from the comfort of their own homes.
They’ve designed the service so you can add and remove various aspects to your liking and you also get to work with a dedicated professional planner. It’s a go-to for anyone considering an overseas wedding.
Q: What are some of the hurdles that the service can help couples overcome?
A: The most challenging part was the research process. I remember sitting on my laptop with millions of tabs open, scrolling endlessly through Instagram, reading through reviews, looking through photo galleries and just feeling like it was an endless hole.
Communicating with overseas venues and suppliers can be tricky, especially when you consider different time zones, languages, currencies, foreign taxes and hidden fees.
The Easy Weddings team simplifies the process because they do all the work and then invoice you in Australian dollars.
Q: What would you say to couples considering an overseas wedding?
A: Do it! The Destination Wedding experts take care of all the planning, so you can enjoy the trip of a lifetime with friends and family while marrying the one you love!
It may seem daunting at first because you’re not there to see the venue or meet your suppliers in person. But when you have a team of experts to bring your vision to life, you can let that stress go and focus on showing your guests the best time ever and enjoying the moment.
And pre-plan how to get your dress over safely so you’re not risking luggage going missing! If possible, travel a few days before the wedding for last-minute arrangements, menu tastings, makeup trials and to overcome jet lag.
The morning after the wedding, gather your guests for a recovery breakfast and mimosas to share all the stories and moments from the day and check out all the amazing pics.
Rimba by Ayana, Jimbaran, Bali
Q: Darcy, why do you think more and more Aussies are getting married overseas?
A: There’s been an increasing appetite for destination weddings in recent years, more so post-COVID. Interest in overseas weddings has doubled since 2022 when travel bans were lifted, our annual wedding industry report data shows.
Those who didn’t get the chance to travel for a few years are now seeking the adventure of a lifetime – with an overseas wedding and honeymoon in one.
Many couples are now seeking multi-day experiences including pre- and post-events like welcome drinks and recovery brunches. Others might have family overseas and want to get married where their family is, or somewhere between there and Australia. Or perhaps they want a more intimate wedding and so the idea that guests have to travel might reduce numbers.
Q: Is it more cost effective to have an overseas wedding?
A: The average price of a wedding in Australia is $33,810 according to our 2024 Wedding Industry Report, but they can easily cost upwards of $60,000 to $80,000.
Overseas weddings can be great value for money because it’s a holiday and a wedding in one and the guest list will generally be smaller. Plus, you can squeeze in more quality time with friends and family.
On the downside, not being able to visit the venue makes planning an overseas wedding tricky because you have to rely on what the internet tells you. That’s why we’ve launched Australia’s first-ever overseas wedding concierge service called Destination Weddings.
Q: Tell us about this new service and what it offers?
A: We’ve launched Destination Weddings to service Bali, Thailand and Fiji weddings because they are some of the most popular hot spots for overseas weddings for our Australian audience.
Other popular locations for Aussies marrying overseas include New Zealand, Hawaii and Mediterranean countries like Italy and Greece.
We will soon be branching out to include Europe, which is so exciting! And if couples have another destination in mind, we’ll soon be able to facilitate that too.
Our Destination Weddings concierge team supports couples by bundling the perfect overseas venue and suppliers into one all-inclusive package.
We have multiple touch points in the lead-up to the wedding to talk through vendors and logistics and introduce the couple to the wedding coordinator at their venue for a full virtual handover.
We’ll also work extensively behind the scenes to field all communications with the vendors leading up to the day, ensuring the wedding is seamless.
Our team can even help organise accommodation, welcome events and entertainment for guests. Once the couple is on the ground, the venue’s event manager will greet them and be the local point of contact.
