You already have great stories: how you first met, your first date, your wedding proposal, and many more. Now is the time to put together an epic party to celebrate your love and your union with those that matter to you the most: your friends and family. It’s time to put together your wedding and what better place to host it than Cyprus!
Image by Pablo Heimplatz
Many couples choose Cyprus for their nuptials, and with good reason. Here are just a few for you to consider:
You can have an island wedding!
Need we say more? Ok, here are some more reasons:
Image by www.visitfamagusta.com.cy
Good weather is almost guaranteed between the months of May and October. Cyprus is famous for its 300 days or so of sunshine per year.
Romantic beach locations
Awe-inspiring sunset views
Exceptional location for your guests to meet! Cyprus is situated on the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa.
A great place for your guests to combine some vacation time before and after the wedding
Fantastic food
Outdoors lifestyle
Safety
‘Where to start?” is one of the most daunting questions for a couple that has just started planning their wedding day. It can be especially challenging for those looking into having a dreamy destination wedding, at a place that they may have visited just the once, or maybe even never before in the past. For all of you with burning questions, here are the 3 basic steps that you need to do to book your destination wedding in Cyprus:
1. Pick a Venue
Wedding venues tend to be booked a long time ahead of the wedding date. If you’re looking for a venue just months ahead, then you run the risk of not finding availability of those wedding venues that are most wanted. If you start planning way ahead and you are flexible with your wedding date, then you have much better chances of booking your first-choice venue.
There are many venues to choose from (there are more than 300 venues in Bandster’s database) and those who have the luxury to visit the island and scout out venues are in the best position. Unfortunately, not everyone is in this position, and, even though choosing a venue without being able to visit it, may seem a bit of a gamble, it can be done, and done well. If you hire a wedding planner, the planner can give you insights on the venues that best match what you are looking for. That can be very useful and can help you mitigate the risk of ending up hosting your wedding at a venue that doesn’t offer what you want.. Your wedding planner can also help with insider information such as, does the venue offer accommodation, a beachfront ceremony, or good food? Will you be able to party until late? Does it offer an open bar? Is there a plan B just in case it rains on the wedding day? What's the capacity? Is it close to the airport? Is it secluded from prying eyes? Etc. Etc. Etc.
Image by Bandster Events
If you are going at it alone, without a planner, you can try some good old-faithful Googling. You might not be able to reach a whole lot of variety of venues this way as only a few make it to the first couple of pages of Google and there hidden gems spread all over the island. No matter, you can still do a lot on your own. Just make sure you read tons of reviews for each wedding venue. No venue ‘has it all’ and it would be good to read other peoples’ experiences. You will then be able to better gauge what’s most important for you and make your choice based on that.
2. Book Your Wedding Day
Once you have your eye on a venue and you know that it’s available, you then need to securely book your wedding day, before someone else snaps it up (remember that Saturdays are the most in-demand day!). You should simultaneously book your ceremony (whether religious, civil or symbolic), as well as your wedding planner, if you choose to have one. This phase may require some back and forth emailing. If you are planning your wedding without a planner, then make sure that both the venue and ceremony officiator/celebrant/priest are available on your date of choice and at the time that you want them.
Image by Andrea Piacquadio
Whether you choose to have a civil, religious or symbolic ceremony, they all have different paperwork requirements for you to fulfill. In order to book them you will need to start making some deposit payments in order to secure your bookings.
Take a look at the venue’s packages and choose menus. Will you offer some welcome drinks to your guests? Will you host a cocktail reception after the ceremony? What kind of a drinks package will you offer during dinner? Will the drinks package offered cover for the party after dinner? These are all questions that need to be asked and decided upon, so that you can make sure that what you get is what you want. Final decisions on these can be made at a later stage too, as you may not yet have a confirmed guest list. The confirmed number of guests will of course dictate the catering cost.
Image by Bandster Events
If the above sounds a bit daunting, well, it is. If you prefer a low-stress wedding-planning experience, perhaps it’s best you look into a wedding planning package that suits your needs. Bandster offers a variety of packages and you can find them on our Weddings Page. Indeed, when we help our clients plan their wedding, we find that many times they repeat a similar mantra: ‘our wedding wouldn’t be the same without your help’. The choice is always yours, as you know best how busy your lifestyle is and how many hours you can devote in planning your wedding in the coming months.
3. Pick Wedding Services and Entertainment
Alas, the search is not over! Admittedly, though, this phase is more fun.
Once you have securely booked your venue, the officiator, celebrant or registrar as well as your wedding planner, it is time to find all the rest wedding services that you need, like a florist, a photographer, a videographer, the right hair and makeup stylist, a wedding cake, transportation for you, transportation for your guests, an awesome DJ, entertainment and much more.
Image by Bandster Events
If you are having a full-on wedding with a dinner reception, no wedding is complete without some good entertainment options. A good DJ is very important, but that can be just the start. Some couples like an instrumentalist to play over the ceremony and/or the cocktail reception, like a harpist, a violinist, or a saxophone player. Some others prefer a string quartet or a jazz band. Some even like a wedding parade option, with drummers opening the way for the bride and groom. An all-rounded wedding planner will be able to give you insights and guidelines of good entertainment options that match your needs best.
If you allow us the brag, Bandster is the largest database, not only of wedding venues and services, but also of entertainment options. We love it when we are able to give couples that extra fun and pizzaz to their wedding reception. Many other options are available to you, like: meet and greet shows, hosts, acrobats, dance shows, and party bands to glue your guests to the dance floor.
Image by Bandster Events
Image by Bandster Events
Moreover, this is also the time to plan and book any external parties or experiences for you and your guests. If you are gathering your friends and family together for a break on the island, this is a unique opportunity to squeeze in some extra partying! Everyone is in vacation mode, in the mood for having fun and no one is worried about getting up and going to work the next day. Your guests are making a tremendous effort to travel abroad in honour of your wedding. One of the best ways that many of our couples choose to say a big, fat, loud ‘thank you’ to their guests is by offering them a fun after-party as well as other experiences that they will remember fondly when they go back home.
Whether before the wedding or after, options include:
Special excursions,
Boat or catamaran parties
Private beach parties with group games
Specialty cocktails, shisha and cigar bars
Theme-decorated parties
And much more for you to choose from
Your Bandster contact point will securely book your wedding date with the services and entertainment of your choice. So what are you waiting for? Tell us about your amazing event now and we will happily help you make it a reality.
Image by Alfonso Lorenzetto
Image from www.bandster.me Start your enquiry now and a Bandster contact will be happy to give you more information on wedding planning and coordination options and packages.
Natalia is the co-founder of Bandster, a premium event management company in Cyprus. She's a master event planner, an entrepreneur and an avid tango dancer.
