Planning your dream wedding abroad? A new travel report reveals the worlds most instagrammable wedding venues

As searches for ‘weddings abroad’ rise 750%, a new travel report reveals the world’s most Instagrammable wedding venues

• comparethemarket.com reveals Europe’s 10 most Instagrammable wedding venues to travel to

• The Ritz Paris takes the most ‘Insta-worthy’ crown with 77,220 wedding posts

• A third of overseas wedding guests sacrifice between seven and 10 days of holiday to attend

• Wedding guests could be spending as much as £3,331.86 to join the celebrations, this handy tool helps you calculate the costs and plan a holiday around the celebrations

With the re-scheduled wedding nuptials starting to take place following a two-year COVID backlog, 2022 is set to see a wedding boom. Search interest in the UK1 for ‘weddings abroad 2023’ rose over +750%, as happy couples start to plan their dream wedding overseas.

For those wondering where to start when it comes to planning a destination wedding, comparethemarket.com has revealed2 the 10 most Instagrammable wedding venues in Europe, to make the decision easier for couples planning to tie the knot.

 Europe’s 10 most Instagrammable wedding venues

The Ritz Paris takes the most ‘Insta-worthy’ crown with 77,220 wedding posts.

Just missing out on the top spot, perched on a giant cliff overlooking Lake Bled, Bled Castle is the oldest castle in Slovenia with a rich thousand-year-old history. The venue offers truly breath-taking views of Lake Bled, making it the perfect place for unforgettable wedding pictures.

Coming in third is the Shangri-La Hotel Paris, France. Formerly the residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte, this luxury venue truly is fit for royalty.

One of these magical venues might provide the perfect backdrop for a dream destination wedding, but how much could getting hitched abroad set your guests back?

From flights and accommodation, to travel insurance and wedding gifts, research3 from comparethemarket.com finds that the cost of attending a destination wedding will often exceed £3,000. To help guests plan their finances, they can use a tool to forecast costs before they RSVP. comparethemarket.com also spoke with wedding guests to find out what their thoughts are on destination nuptials:

Natalie Coyne, 27, from South Yorkshire said: “I’m supposed to be attending a wedding this August in Greece for a close friend. It’s going to cost me around £1,000-£1,500 once I’ve taken the hotel, travel, and spending money into consideration - that’s without the present and a new outfit.

“Because they’re a close friend, I don’t mind sacrificing my holiday allowance, however, I wouldn’t have been willing to do this if it wasn’t a close friend. Personally, I think UK-based weddings are a lot simpler, especially for guests.”

Tom Pallott, 28, from Portsmouth is attending a wedding in Italy and explained: “I will be spending £800 - £1,000 for two of us to attend a wedding abroad. Cost is definitely a massive consideration, and it does make you think twice”. 

“In this case, the wedding itself looks pretty spectacular. It's also a nice excuse to grab a bit of sun in Italy, especially considering we've not been able to go abroad for the last two years!”

Commenting on the study, Alex Hasty, director at comparethemarket.com says: “No one wants to miss a friend or family member’s big day, but costs can really add up”.

“Our tool helps to calculate how much it could cost to attend any upcoming weddings and help avoid any expensive surprises. When planning for the trip, one of the most important things to remember is to get your travel insurance sorted before you jet off, so you’re covered in case plans suddenly change”.

To try the tool for yourself to help you get prepared to attend a wedding abroad, please visit: https://www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance/content/wedding-guest-budgeting-tool/