According to a survey by Confused.com some 59 per cent of people would rather attend a wedding in the UK than head abroad, with 13 per cent admitting that they’re loath to use their limited holiday allowance to see the bride and groom for just a few hours. With the average cost of attending a wedding abroad a whopping £564 compared to £247 for a UK wedding, overseas weddings also put the squeeze on guests’ pocketbooks.

One in 10 people don’t feel the need to bring a gift to an overseas if they have paid for their own flights and accommodations, while one in 10 believe the bride and groom should subsidise their travel expenses.

The financial burden may be greater for guests, but perhaps not for the couple: 15 per cent of couples planning to marry abroad want to do so because it will be cheaper. A quarter are doing so to keep the guest list short without insulting family and over a third doing so to guarantee good weather.

Sammy-Lea Samways, head of travel insurance at Confused.com, said: “The idea of getting away from it all to wed seems to be a popular concept, with the lower cost of an overseas wedding being an important factor for many. However, destination weddings can often be difficult for invited guests because of the price and time involved. It can pose the dilemma of a costly trip abroad versus the desire to see the happy couple get married.”

Samways recommends that guests combine the wedding trip with their annual holiday to save money as popular holiday hotspots like the Caribbean, Australia, America, Canada and Cyprus were the most popular overseas wedding destinations.

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