About Cyprus weddings
I will not wax lyrical about the Islands of Love and Aphrodite, you all know all about that. Instead, I am going to tell you that Cyprus is a fantastic, warm, friendly place that welcomes families, and overall is a terrific place to get married. If you want a relaxed wedding, in a lovely climate, with great food and lovely scenery, with beaches and sunsets–Cyprus is for you.
Culturally, the Cypriots have a can-do attitude. This extends to weddings & civil ceremonies, and whilst there is paperwork to be done, there is no awkwardness about it. Where they can, officials & venues accommodate the needs of people getting married on this lovely Island.
Religious Ceremonies
Just like back at home; expect to jump through a few more hoops with a traditional church wedding–yes, there are Anglican churches in Cyprus. For a Greek Orthodox wedding, you can not do things like choosing the music to walk down the Aisle to–the ceremony is relatively fixed.
A little fact to know is that traditionally, the bridesmaids cover the small cost of a Greek Orthodox Ceremony. With both Anglican and Greek Orthodox ceremonies, you will need to build in time beforehand to meet the priest and attend a service.
While Cyprus is a small Island, there are also Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Baptist, Roman Catholic places of worship, all of which can perform weddings.
A lovely experience
Whichever type of wedding you choose–a Civil ceremony or religious–be assured that in Cyprus, your wedding will be a beautiful, memorable lovely experience.
Inexpensive
On the whole getting married is cheaper than getting married back home, The venues are not quite as “commercial” as they are in the UK, and pricing is a lot fairer. Don’t expect a price hike because the word wedding is attached to it.
Yes you all need to fly in and book a hotel, but we see this as a good way for friends and families to really relax and get to know each other, which is a huge part of what weddings are really about.
Organising weddings
Some couples go it alone, or just have minimal help from a planner or venue. Finding suppliers and dealing with them is pretty straightforward, as in the main everyone speaks English.
If you feel this is a step too far, but want a unique, memorable wedding, invest in an independent wedding planner. Wedding planners “know everyone” and know who to use and who not to use.
There are 3 main types of Cyprus wedding planners–the truly independent ones–they start from scratch and everything is bespoke for you. There are the package wedding planners–who have pre-bundled services together that you choose from, and then there are the hotel based planners, who really just coordinate suppliers within their own venue.
When you choose which route to go down, remember that it really depends on how unique you want your wedding to be, and how much input you want in the organisation. Remember, packaged weddings are often not the best deal.
Your last option is to book a venue with a tour operator. Here you are booked in with a venue, and the venue coordinator or holiday representative deal with all the organising. REMEMBER–you still have choices that are off the list. So if you want a different photographer or makeup artist because you love their work, just book them and let the hotel know.
Legal in the UK
Weddings in Cyprus are officially recognised in the UK and around the world.
How many guests?
Typically most Civil ceremonies and small chapels have a limit of 50 guests for the ceremony, of course, you can have a lot more than that for the reception. Many churches can accommodate larger numbers
Documents
Like in the UK and pretty much everywhere else, you need to get your documents in order, and sorted out on time. The official guidelines are here: https://www.cyprusembassy.net/home/index.php?module=page&cid=1045.
Time and date
In the middle of the wedding season in Cyprus, some venues are doing 6 weddings a day. This means that if you want a specific date and time, you need to book very early, and have your wedding ceremony location and the registrar/ celebrant/priest booked in for the time you want.
Witnesses
You need 2 witnesses at a Cyprus wedding, and yes, we as wedding photographers have been witnesses at a wedding!
Language
They can conduct ceremonies in English.
Gay weddings in Cyprus
Thankfully, In November last year (2015), the Cypriot Government passed a law to allow same-sex marriage. This is fantastic news, we are really looking forward to shooting our first same-sex weddings in Cyprus.