It's the ultimate way of avoiding Aunty Maureen on your wedding day. Getting married abroad is easier and more popular than ever. As long as you get married according to local laws, a marriage ceremony overseas will be valid in Blighty. It's easy to do too, just follow the 3 easy steps.

Step one: Pick up travel brochure
Step two: Decide which hotel would look best with you sipping champagne in it
Step three: Sign a cheque amounting to the fraction of the cost of a British wedding and book a few sessions at Tans'R'us.

The beauty of the package wedding/honeymoon is that virtually everything is arranged from documentation and legalities to a minister and the ceremony itself. Legal requirements vary, but you will probably need to stay a few days in the resort previous to the wedding day (oh what a hardship).

Weddings abroad are ideal if you prefer something a little simpler and intimate. Do think about it though, you might actually miss sharing your day with family and friends and of course the chance to show evil cousin Rachel that you could indeed get into that size 12 wedding dress.

SORT IT!

Arrange your wedding through a reputable tour operator. Your brothers mate Darren, who works at Heathrow's lost property, will NOT make adequate arrangements for a wedding in Grenada!

ASK AND IT SHALL BE YOURS

Ask how many weddings take place at the resort in one day, nobody wants an aisle in the form of a conveyer belt. Find out the location/s of the Ceremony such as on the beach or in the tropical grounds. Some hotels have private areas specifically designated for weddings. Avoid ceremonies taking place next to the volley ball party of bikini wax virgins from Stuttgart. Check to see if your resort has a wedding co-ordinator, it is not essential that yours does, but they can make arrangements flow even more freely, from sorting a cameraman, video, or bands playing local style music, which gives the wedding an interesting vibe.

AVOID

Abandon the idea of a wedding in the Maldives as they like many Muslim countries won't marry you unless both you and your intended are Muslims. Avoid some European countries as they are full of Europeans.... and besides that, they can insist you stay for a month before the ceremony so that they can trot about being beaurocratic and eating straight bananas (you know who you re) Your travel agent will advise you superbly no doubt.

PS. If anyone from Kuoni reads this, I love you, and please send me money off vouchers for my next holiday. thank you