"Destination Weddings
held in New Zealand"

New Zealand Dream Weddings

It is very easy to be married in New Zealand. There is no residency period. It will take you approximately three days to be issued your marriage license (though if you have a Professional Wedding Consultant, this can be made shorter). You must apply to New Zealand's Births, Deaths and Marriages Registrar. Your marriage license is valid for three months and you can have a choice of a registrar, a marriage celebrant or a minister to solemnize your marriage.

Below is a list of the wedding requirements for New Zealand from the New Zealand Births, Deaths and Marriages Office:

1. Decide on the location and the date of your marriage.

2. Decide on who will solemnize your marriage. Either the local Registrar, a marriage celebrant or minister of the church, can marry you.

3. Contact the New Zealand Births, Deaths and Marriages Office for the Notice of Intended Marriage form. (If you have hired a Professional Bridal Consultant they should be able to send you the form.)

4. If a person's previous marriage has been dissolved, you will need evidence of the dissolution or divorce.

5. If you are under 20, you will need your parent's permission.

Where both the bride & groom do not normally live in New Zealand, a Commonwealth representative can witness the declaration. This can be arranged by contacting the nearest New Zealand diplomatic post. Once completed send to the Registry Office in New Zealand along with the payment. Again, if you have hired a Professional Bridal Consultant they can handle the Registry Office in New Zealand and have the form forwarded on to the person whom will solemnize your marriage.

Send the completed form to the Registry Office nearest where you want to be married, and then you can visit that office once you have arrived in New Zealand.

Once the Registry Office accepts the forms, a marriage license will be issued after three days. Contact us if you are interested in a Destination Wedding in New Zealand. We will work with you personally from start to finish.

Frommer's has a great wedding group airfare discount article online. Group travel discounts are available on American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, US Airways, and Northwest/KLM, just to name a few...

Don't forget to read last month's destination wedding articles! The topics included "Disney World weddings" and "wedding budgets". Have a destination wedding article or summary that you'd like to see published? If so -- please submit it here.

How do we let our guests know about our destination wedding early enough to make travel arrangements?

Invitations are traditionally sent out 4-6 weeks before big the event, which hardly leaves your guests with enough time to make hotel and airfare arrangements to fit their budget -- much less put in for vacation time at work. And some locations are booked months ahead of time. If you're concerned about letting your guests know about the wedding well in advance of the actual date, you might want to think about sending a "Save the Date" card, letter, or newsletter. Save the Date notices should be mailed approximately 4-6 months before the wedding, to give your guests time for their plans.

"Save the Dates" can be as plain, or fancy, as your time and budget allow. The basics include a small notice of the "who, when, and where". This allows your guests to mark the date on their calendars and begin to fit your big day into their schedules. If you're far enough along in your plans to offer accomodations, it's nice to include this information for your guests. Several airlines also offer "group wedding" discounts, and this information can be extremely valuable as well. If you're not far along enough in your planning to give your guests travel recommendations, at least promise to contact your guests with that information very soon.

From "The Knot": "The wording doesn't have to be anything exceptionally formal. Something like 'Save the weekend - Jane and John (or We) are getting married on April 24, 1998, in Chicago. Invitations and hotel information will be sent in early March.' This way, your guests know what to expect, and they'll get in touch with you if they have questions. Just make sure that everyone who gets this card is someone who will definitely be on your final guest list -- because once you tell them to save your wedding date, there's no turning back."

Here are two examples of "Save the Date" notices:
http://www.umich.edu/~kzaruba/savdate.html
http://www.getawayweddings.com/savedate.html

I have also seen "Save the Date" magnets enclosed with the newsletters, with a photo of the happy couple and their approaching wedding date. It's a unique reminder to keep on the fridge, and an early favor for your guests, too! And don't forget to include your wedding website address, so your guests can watch your plans online as they unfold.

The above article is copyright 2001 to

Be sure to check back monthly for more great Destination Wedding and Eloping articles, and visit the March 2001 "destination of the month". Then join the Destination Wedding "Message Board" and Webring -- and read the Destination Wedding FAQ!

Please send Robyn questions that you might have. And don't forget to submit your own article soon!