Why not combine your wedding and honeymoon? Take away the stress of writing guest lists and booking venues and organise your dream holiday and your wedding at the same time.

Many tour operators now specialise in organising weddings abroad and have staff who are specialised in this area to arrange all the details and answer your queries.

Lots of people want to get married in the sun, but perhaps you have always dreamed about marrying in a cultural or romantic destination rather than having a beach wedding.

You need to decide how far you want to travel and what your budget is before you start making any arrangements.

It is possible to organise your own wedding abroad but this will involve researching legal requirements and sorting out all the details. If you do want to organise things yourself you will need to contact the consulate or embassay of the country where you plan to marry for advice.

It is wise to take out an insurance policy to cover every eventuality from losing your dress to a monsoon preventing your wedding from taking place.

Try to book your trip a minimum of 12 weeks before departure to allow enough time for arrangements to be made and necessary documentation completed. There will be more administration to be completed once you arrive at your destination, which can take up to three days.

As you will have to comply with residency requirements of between two to five days it is best to stay for at least a fortnight. This will allow you enough time to make the final arrangements and to have plenty of time after the ceremony to relax and enjoy your honeymoon.

If you are using a tour operator the legalities of your wedding will be dealt with by them, however, if you are arranging everything yourself you will need to get accurate advice from the consulate or embassy of the country concerned.

As long as your marriage is legally recognised (validly contracted) in the country that it takes place, it is deemed to be valid in England and Wales. However, in the light of the Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall marriage in Bali, which was found to be unlawful in the UK, the Law Society advises that anyone getting married abroad should contact the local British embassy or consulate for up-to-date advice. Do not rely on travel agents or any third party to ensure that the ceremony is valid, check it for yourself and be sure of what you are doing. If you are not completely satisfied that your marriage will be recognised in this country then visit a Register Office in Britain to be doubly sure. On your return home you do not need to register your marriage with the Register Office. You can use your foreign marriage certificate to change your name on your documents and with your bank. as you would if you married in the UK.

If you are booking a wedding package with a travel agent always find out what is included. You may decide that you would like to organise a different florist or photographer or arrange your own wedding cake.

Last year over 50,000 couples got married abroad, simply because it can take away some of the headaches of wedding planning and organisation such as invitation lists, booking venues, flowers and transport. You can escape the traditions and plan your wedding on a much smaller scale.