Put your feet up and let your wedding planner organise the wedding of your dreams, says Maggie Stansfield.

Don’t let the stress of organising your big day overshadow your wedding – especially if you want to marry in an exotic location and are unsure about the procedures. Why put yourself under unnecessary pressure when you can ease the burden by handing all the hard work over to a professional wedding planner.Wedding planning is big business these days, but it’s nothing new. The ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians employed this kind of expertise to arrange big ceremonies. In fact, many of our traditions, including the exchange of rings and the bride wearing white, date from those times.Today’s wedding planners work on a global landscape that includes not only virtually every country in the world but also any kind of wedding in locations that include beaches, castles, cliffs and desert islands.

Linekers’ Italian vows

It was London-based Love and Lord which arranged the wedding of football star Gary Lineker and his wife-to-be, Danielle Bux last summer. The two-day event took place on Italy’s famed Amalfi Coast, with the bride in a £9,000 tailored gown by Suzanne Neville.

The next day, a cliff-top ceremony preceded the lavish reception for 80 guests at the exclusive Hotel Curuso, where executive suites cost £3,000 a night. To protect their privacy, the couple hired the entire hotel through Love and Lord’s Ultimate Take-Over package. “They were an absolute pleasure to deal with,” says company owner, James Lord. “They were not at all difficult or demanding and were happy to take guidance. We understand that they are thrilled with the results.”

He says success is down to the fact that no two weddings are the same: “Every wedding we organise is uniquely based on the couple’s individual requirements. We are not travel agents and we don’t arrange packaged holidays with a wedding attached. We believe there is no substitute for meeting face to face so that we can get to know one another and understand exactly what is required.”

Caribbean dream

The Sandals resorts in the Caribbean are well established, and situated in some of the most romantic settings imaginable. The company has its own in-house team of planners to help look after all the details.

“We have a highly experienced team here. As soon as you arrive, you will meet with our wedding coordinator at the resort,” says spokesperson, Chloe Handy. “We can look after all the paperwork and legal requirements for you, work out the precise details for the actual ceremony, and scale what we do to match just what you want.

She adds: “We take all the legwork out of your arrangements so that when you arrive, all you need to do is verify your documents, meet the residency requirements and choose exactly where to have your ceremony. You can study the photographs of your wedding location in advance and look forward to a really comprehensive service that covers not only the ceremony itself but the celebrations afterwards.”

“Sandals wants its couples to have a fabulous time they can remember forever. We work hard to make sure it happens for them. Whether there’s just the two of you or you want to bring a group of guests along, we can cater to whatever you require.”

Weddings on the Rock

Jeanette Obytz runs Mediterranean Weddings, based in Gibraltar. She concentrates on planning weddings on the Rock, often followed up with receptions in easily accessible Spain.

Nothing is too much trouble for Jeanette: “We can organise the whole package, from meet-and-greet, through accommodation, legal requirements, assistance on the day and picking up the marriage certificate for our guests. We keep in touch with our clients by email and phone so that there’s no possibility of any misunderstandings.”

She explains: “In Gibraltar, you can get married at the Jewish Synagogue, Anglican Cathedral, Catholic Cathedral, the Church of Scotland, a Mosque, even a Hindu Temple, or have a civil ceremony at the Registry Office. You can bring the Registrar to the Alamada Gardens or get married on top of the Rock where we nowhave a fabulous, newly refurbished,glass-enclosed venue.

“You can see right across to Morocco and the views are stunning, or of course we have hotels with fantastic views across the Mediterranean. One even offers a fulleight-floor suite surrounded by glass.”

Jeanette says it’s easy to follow up a dream wedding in Gibraltar with a fantastic reception in Spain, where the choice is even wider: “Spanish land houses, monasteries, beautiful venues overlooking the sea, even a barbecue if you like. Seville and Granada offer fantastic opportunities for couples and their guests.”

Do your homework

The companies we have spoken to are highly reputable, but it’s important to remember that the wedding planning business is unregulated. You should make sure you’re happy with the firm you book – you might want to ask for customer testimonials and references, and check them.

Ron Cropper is MD of a planning agency called Weddings and Honeymoons Abroad. He says: “We’ve been established for 17 years now and we know the places and the people. But not everyone does. I would emphasise how important it is to know who you’re dealing with before you sign up.”

Ron is horrified by the popular American concept of what he calls ‘the beach queue-up’ style of weddings: “We never book until the date is confirmed and we make sure that there is only one wedding per day at our locations.”

The cost of using a planner, he adds, is well worthwhile. “Over the years, we have seen how people, particularly in the current recession, have tried to make the wedding arrangements themselves and then come unstuck when they find they don’t have the right legal paperwork in place or the hotel isn’t delivering the service they expected.

Mauritius marriages

“Our clients come from the United States, Hong Kong, Austria, Cyprus and Australia as well as Europe, so one of their favourite destinations is Mauritius because it’s an ideal mid-point. We add the wow-factor to the day. We have that close knowledge of all the destinations we offer so we help couples to have confidence about what they will get.”

Fine detail, he says, is important. “We take the wedding outfits when couples arrive so that they can be pressed and prepared and our coordinator will show them around the gardens, or other options, so that they can chose exactly where they want to havethe ceremony.“

In Mauritius, the legal process is not too complex and we can take care of most of it. Couples will just need to verify their documentation when they arrive. The cost of the actual Mauritius wedding is £380. We also have weddings in the African Bush, Austria and many other locations from Arizona to Africa, Greece to Malaysia, and Las Vegas to the Seychelles.”

Relax and enjoy!

When it comes to costing it all out, planners operate different systems. Most create various level packages that you will be free to customise according to your requirements. You will have the choice of whether you ask your planner to arrange flights and accommodation or whether you do it yourselves. You can even ask the planner to deal with invitations and RSVPs, or just ask them to arrange the ceremony and reception.

Just one word of caution: some less reputable companies will try to add an additional charge of up to 20 per cent to the total cost of your wedding package. None of the companies here do this! You should be able to see precisely what you are paying for in full, transparent detail. Then relax and let the experts do what they do best to create your perfect wedding.