Getting married in the UK is not everyone’s choice these days so TO Holiday has looked at some alternatives, where you can make your vows and take your honeymoon in one perfect setting.

St Lucia

This Caribbean gem stipulates you need to stay on the island just 4 days before your wedding – just enough time to acclimatise to the palm-fringed beaches, the soft tropical air and the hypnotic steel band music. To tie the knot out of the heat, consider using an elegant old plantation house as a cooler venue.

Best time to go: year-round, but more humid and wetter May to November

Gibraltar

Gibraltar was famously chosen as the wedding place of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Until recently couples could only marry inside the registry office but now changes in the law mean couples can tie the knot in various locations on the Rock, including the romantic Botanical Gardens.

Best time to go: April - October

Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Opera House makes an absolutely stunning location to get hitched, and ties in beautifully with a honeymoon along the Gold Coast or the Great Barrier Reef where numerous stunning hideaways can be found.

Best time to go: November - March

Lake Garda, Italy

This has to be the most sophisticated place for outdoor-types to marry, where champagne flutes are raised in a fairy-tale castle setting high up on a hill, against a stunning backdrop of Lake Garda waters.

Best time to go: March - October

New York, USA

Central Park has provided the backdrop for many films’ romantic interludes, and now couples can say their vows in the park’s private Conservatory Garden where ceremonies are conducted under a wrought iron canopy.

Best time to go: Spring or Autumn – avoid July and August when it can get hot and humid.

Zanzibar, Africa

Off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, this under-visited African destination offers ancient Islamic ruins, age-old Arabic Houses and miles of palm-lined beaches. The Spice Island has a number of fascinating places to get married, including the Sultan’s Palace and the Chumbe Island Coral Park with its underwater coral garden.

Best time to go: Avoid the rainy season, March – June.

Banff, Canada

For couples wanting the most natural environment, look no further than Banff in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. This wonderful destination is superb for continuing into a honeymoon amongst the grizzly bear’s natural habitat and a range of exciting outdoor activities.

Best time to go: May to September

Cyprus

To marry in Cyprus you only have to be resident for 3 days and you can chose from beach and garden venues to hotels and chapels. The climate is fantastic for outdoor weddings and the choice of world class resorts is growing every year.

Best time to go: February - November

Seychelles

A wedding in the Seychelles is a simple civil ceremony that’s recognised under European Laws and requires 11 days’ notice to be given at the local Civil Status Office. However couples should plan the wedding at least 2 months in advance to allow for the processing of the documentation, and bear in mind that church ceremonies require further documentation.

Best time to go: May – September

Maldives

This group of more than 1,000 tiny islands in the Indian Ocean has become one of the most popular wedding and honeymoon destinations of the last decade, but its natural beauty remains utterly breathtaking. Its shallow waters make it one of the top dive locations in the world so a honeymoon here must certainly include tuition in the underwater world.

Best time to go: May to November

Venice

Often referred to as the lovers’ paradise, Venice is perfect for both adventure seekers and true romantics. The waterways make this city totally unique, giving it a relaxed, timeless feel and it’s completely devoid of cards but still manages to bustle with activity.

Best time to go: December to October

Rome

Any visit to Rome is going to be memorable – few places in the world are packed with so many architectural treasures and artistic masterpieces. Rome can be headily romantic with its hidden corners and intimate piazza restaurants, and it’s also a wonderful destination to organise a larger wedding party owing to its excellent flight and hotel logistics.

Best time to go: February to November

Seychelles

Seychelles ticks all the right boxes for a perfect wedding or honeymoon destination: sparkling blue waters, white sands and palm trees. It also has some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world, where you’ll find coral reefs and an abundance of sea life including turtles, whale sharks and manta rays.

Best time to go: May - November

Mauritius

Another wedding favourite, and rightly so. Some of the most exclusive resorts in the world are found here, making it one of the premier wedding and honeymoon destinations as well as a most intriguing mix of Chinese and Creole cultures.

Best time to go: April to June, September to November

Tips for marrying overseas

Consider flight times and weather conditions carefully before you go, especially if you’re planning a wedding party that includes the very young and very old.

Check out the legal requirements well in advance.

Usually couples will need their passports, birth certificates and, where applicable, a decree absolute or death certificate, plus certified documentation showing there is no lawful impediment to the intended marriage.

Even if you aren’t required to be at your destination in advance of the Big Day, it’s usually a good idea to do so. Give yourself at least a couple of days to acclimatise and make the last minute arrangements.

Don’t try to replicate a traditional English-style white wedding: consider the different options your chosen destination or hotel can offer.

Plan the time of the ceremony carefully. Marrying in the heat of the day is not a good idea!