Weddings have become more and more elaborate and expensive, and the range of entertainment ideas that now fill up the average wedding itinerary may mean that you will be paying for your special event for the rest of your life. In the States, the rehearsal dinner, held the night before the wedding, is traditionally paid for by the groom's family. Even at the highest echelons of the privileged, costs are shared. After the recent nuptials of Ivanka Trump, the groom's family hosted a party in New York days after the wedding for those who could not attend the ceremony. If you do have the money, the world is your oyster, or you could consider making your wedding the family event of the year, with everyone contributing to the cost and enjoying a joint holiday. Do you really want to invite 100 people, that you either don't know or even like, to eat, drink and make merry at your expense? Forget presents - who needs another toaster? Depending on your budget, the  private island of Ratua in the South Pacific can belong to you and 24 of your nearest and dearest. The Minerva villa, overlooking Jamaica’s Treasure Beach, has everything for a small party, or if you book a group for a few nights, The House in Barbados will throw your wedding for free.
 

Written by :

Leanne de Cerbo