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Although Ireland is a top wedding destination, an increasing number of Irish people are leaving their native shores to finalise their engagement promises to one another. Photographs from these foreign nuptial journeys often show white sand, tanned bodies and exotic, brightly coloured flowers. 

Unfortunately, planning a wedding in a distant "Garden of Eden" is not as easy as it sounds and choosy couples may face the forces of good and evil service providers along the way. 

The good news is that marrying abroad combines the cost of the ceremony, reception and honeymoon. Of course the price will increase for those who require a prior trip to "scout" the wedding location. 

Thankfully, many travel agencies specialise in destination packages that include the reception and honeymoon in the total price. Sometimes the company arranges and provides the wedding ceremony free of charge. Discounts are usually available for the friends and family members accompanying the couple. The Caribbean, southern Europe, Asia and other warm weather locales are regularly offered as destinations. 

If the travel agency does not provide "one-stop-shop" services, some hotels and inns will assist the couple in arranging flowers, transport, a photographer and a person to perform the ceremony. This is a particularly useful service when neither future groom nor bride speaks the language of the country in which they plan to marry. For obvious reasons, the individual performing the ceremony should speak English fluently. 

Spouses-to-be must ensure their vows will be valid in the Republic of Ireland if marrying abroad. A foreign wedding is only recognised if celebrated in accordance with the law of the relevant country and if it follows the Republic's strict laws regarding monogamy. Paperwork and documentation of your freedom to marry are an essential part of this process. Taking along your own priest is one way to ensure the ceremony's legal position but will usually increase airfare and accommodation costs. 

If you decide to tie the knot while already abroad, contact the Irish embassy or consul in the host country to ensure that all steps have been taken to ensure that your marriage is legally binding at home. 

In the 1950s, marriage in Rome was a popular choice for young, economically strapped Irish couples. Many people still marry in the Irish College Church in Rome for the same reason and because it is both beautiful and convenient. 

If interested in this option, ask your local parish priest for a contact name in Rome or write to the Rector, Pontificio Collegio Irlandese, Via Santi Quattro 1, 00184 Roma, Italy. One cost-conscious priest at a parish near Lucan arranges for a group of couples to marry in Rome each year. Your parish may offer similar services or assistance. 

Travel insurance should definitely be considered by those getting hitched abroad. Imagine the distress if your wedding attire goes missing en route to your destination. Although insurance cannot make the dress, shoes and veil magically reappear, it will cover the loss and some policies may even provide emergency cash to buy a new dress. As always, read the fine print to know what the policy will and will not cover before signing it. 

Weddings abroad tend to include just immediate family and the closest friends. Restricting it to parents, siblings and best friends is usually the best, most cost effective option. Some couples just bring along their parents to act as witnesses and have a dinner party for siblings and friends when they return home - whatever you do, it's up to you but most certainly, it will be different.