FAQ

Weddings in Paphos – Frequently Asked Questions

Thousands of couples have weddings in Paphos every year and we are proud to have arranged hundreds of weddings for happy couples!

Why use a wedding planner?

Weddings in Paphos take a lot of time and local knowledge to arrange properly! The average bride can spend up to 300 hours organising her wedding, this equates to 8 full time working weeks! Do you have enough time to spare to arrange your wedding and are you confident that you can make all these arrangements in a foreign country? Many brides spend a lot of time on various Facebook groups looking for help in arranging their own wedding, and taking notice of supplier recommendations from other brides. Please bear in mind that most of these brides  have either not had their wedding yet so they haven’t actually used the supplier they are recommending, or if they have had their wedding they will have only used one florist, one photographer etc so can’t really compare them effectively against other suppliers!

We have arranged hundreds of successful weddings in Paphos, we work directly for you, not a multinational tour operator, hotel, or venue. We will save you time, we know all of the best suppliers and venues, and of course the suppliers and venues to be avoided! We are available to all couples whether their wedding is large or small, so we can arrange weddings for those on a restricted budget. We will assist you in arranging a value for money wedding, usually at a lower price that you could arrange yourself and definitely cheaper than a wedding through a large tour operator as we receive significant discounts from many of our suppliers due to the volume of goods that we order. Unlike the tour operators we do not add 20-30% commission to items supplied by external suppliers. We have detailed information on a very wide range of different ceremony and wedding venues, and do not have a vested interest in promoting specific venues so can give you impartial advice in each venue.

Many brides book with a large tour operator as they feel it offers more finanical protection, however the recent demise of Thomas Cook has sadly demostrated this this is not the case. Unfortunately some brides have discovered the hard way that some aspects of their wedding were not protected by the money back guarantee and they did not receive all their money back.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself – if you answer no to one or more of these, then maybe you should consider using a wedding planner.

Do I have the time to plan the wedding?

Am I familiar with a range of wedding and reception venues?

Do I know who to obtain flowers, cake, favours, photographs, cars etc from?

Can I negotiate contracts with these suppliers?

Can I assure myself that these suppliers are reliable and will deliver on the day?

Am I able to visit suppliers before the wedding?

Do I understand the legal requirements for the wedding ceremony?

Do I know who to call to make the ceremony bookings?

Am I confident that I can handle any problems that occur on my wedding day?

Do I want to spend part of my wedding day organising guests, receiving deliveries, paying suppliers and decorating tables?

Unless you can answer yes  with total confidence to all the above questions, then you should seriously consider using a professional wedding planner for your own peace of mind.

How do we know we can trust you?

We are a properly registered Cypriot limited company, we are also VAT registered which is a legal requirement here, and we pay Social Insurance (Cypriot National Insurance equivalent) contributions for our staff. Our staff are all British and live in Cyprus. We have been successfully trading since 2005. Unfortunately not all wedding planners in Cyprus operate legally so for your own protection please check this before paying anyone any money. All client money is held in our company bank account with Alpha Bank. We are always happy to provide testimonials from couples who have previously used our services when planning their wedding.

Is our wedding legal in the UK?

Please be assured that your wedding is fully recognised by UK law, and all ceremonies are conducted in English.

What documents do we need to get married?

Please go the Legal page of this website to see a full list of required documents. Legal Issues Page

Do we have to get married in a church?

Weddings in Paphos can be either civil or church ceremonies depending upon your preference. Civil weddings takes place in a wide range of venues and you can have an Anglican Church wedding either in a church or a number of church approved non-church venues. Catholic weddings must take place in a church and must be preceded by the civil ceremony in order to be fully legal.

Is the ceremony in English?

Weddings in Paphos are conducted in English which is one of the official languages in Cyprus.

Can we choose the date and time of our wedding?

Unlike in England weddings in Paphos normally take place on a weekday. Civil and church ceremonies are conducted on every week day except public holidays. It is possible to arrange a Saturday church or civil wedding by arrangement. Anglican Church services are held at Ayia Kyriaki on Monday to Wednesday, and at St Georges Chapel on Thursday and Friday. Catholic services are held on Monday and Tuesday at St Georges Chapel and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Ayia Kyriaki (St Pauls Pillar). Please note that you will always receive confirmation of the date and time of your wedding when we confirm the booking in writing to you.

We advise you to book as early as possible as dates are booked very quickly particularly for the church ceremonies.

It is possible to have a gay wedding?

Cyprus has recently legalised single sex partnerships so it is now possible to have a legal single sex partnership ceremony here, please contact us for further details.

Do you have to have witnesses at a wedding?

As in the UK, two witnesses must sign your marriage certificate, they must be over 18. If you are not having guests at your wedding we can arrange witnesses for you.

Can we make our own vows?

The civil ceremony vows are standard and can’t be changed, however you can make your own personal vows to each other after the legal vows have been completed.
The church ceremonies are traditional ones. If you have a Symbolic Ceremony, you can make your own vows.

What happens if one of us has been previously divorced ?

You will be required to supply the original Decree Absolute document. This document will be kept by the registrar when your wedding license is issued.

Can we select the music for our wedding?

This may depend upon the venue. The Church at St Paul’s Pillar has an organ and a choice of music and music can be played on CD in St George’s Chapel. For most civil ceremonies it is possible for your choice of music to be played on CD, or we can arrange a live musician for you.

Do I have to wear a traditional wedding dress for my wedding?

It is entirely your choice what you wear to your wedding, although if you are getting married in church then you must wear suitable attire. Just remember that you will have many photographs to remind you of your wedding, so wear something that looks good. Please remember that it can be very hot in Cyprus during the summer months, so try to choose an outfit that will suit the weather otherwise you will not enjoy your day if you are too hot!

What will the weather be like?

Cyprus has a typical Mediterranean climate with long hot summers and short mild winters, it has the highest hours of sunshine in the whole of Europe. Most rainfall occurs from December to February, with about 320 days of sunshine. Temperatures are high during the summer months, up to 38c in July and August, and nights during the summer are also hot. During the winter months temperatures range between 14-20c during the daytime, with about 5-6 hours of sunshine on average per day. Winter nights can be cool, the temperature can drop to 6-10c. Please take our advice regarding the best time of day to be married, a 2pm beach wedding during August is really not a good idea!

What about the wedding reception?

There is a huge choice of reception venues, from a simple beach side Tavernas right through to a formal hotel reception in a 5 star hotel, and many variations in between. One of the beauties of getting married in Cyprus is the huge choice as many restaurants and Tavernas and virtually all the hotels can host wedding receptions.

How do we pay for everything?

Once you have decided to confirm a booking with us, we request an initial deposit – usually 500 Euros. This may be higher for some venues where we have had to pay a deposit to secure the venue. The outstanding balance should be paid at least 2 weeks before your wedding date. Our prices are in Euros, and you can pay by bank transfer, PayPal (initial deposit only) or TransferWse. TransfrWise are a specialist foreign exchange company and payments can be made online by debit card. There are no international bank transfer fees and they offer a much better sterling to Euro exchange rate than the high street banks, thus saving you money.

I am nervous about arranging a wedding in another country, how can I be sure everything will be ok?

We understand how stressful arranging a wedding can be, but we are here to do all the running around and the organisation for you. Although we will routinely contact you by email for most things, please be assured that you can call us at any time during office hours to discuss any aspect of your wedding, even down to the colour of the table decorations at your reception. We have used our external suppliers for many years and know they are trustworthy and will do an excellent job.

I am worried about bringing my wedding dress on a plane.

This is understandable as luggage does sometimes go astray. Our advice is to discuss this with your airline before you fly. Some carriers will allow you to take your dress as hand luggage as long as the box is not too big. Most carriers will allow you to carry your dress directly through security to the gate, and if there is no room in the cabin, they will load it directly into the hold of the plane so you can be sure it is on the plane with you. This should be part of your wedding planning – always discuss this with the carrier before you fly, and confirm the arrangements again when you check in. If your luggage does go missing, do not panic, as you are arriving several days before your wedding, there is still time for it to be located and sent to you. If the worst happens we can arrange for you to hire a dress locally. If your dress arrives creased, we can arrange for our professional steam presser to come to your accommodation to press your dress for you.

Can I have my stag or hen night in Paphos?

There are many places you can have an enjoyable hen or stag night, but please don’t have it the night before the wedding as you want to enjoy your wedding day! Remember drink measures are larger than in the UK. We will be pleased to assist with arrangements for hen or stag nights as part of our wedding planning service.

How do I arrange accommodation for my guests?

We are happy to give opinions on hotels and their location, and may be able to suggest villas or apartments to rent if you would like self catering accommodation. In some cases, the hotels allow us to offer special tour operator rates to our wedding couples if the wedding is being held in the hotel. We are not bonded travel agents so do not arrange flights.

Will I need to hire a car?

If you a staying in a villa away from the town you may want to hire a car so that you can see more of the area. Remember to bring your driving license with you, and you must be over 25. We drive on the left in Cyprus which makes it very easy for British people, and all road signs are in English. Please take care when driving, as red lights are not always obeyed, and a lot of local drivers do not routinely use their indicators when turning. There is a good cheap bus service running along the coastal road from Coral Bay to Paphos, so if you are staying along the coast in this area, you can manage without a car.

 

 

 

 

 

Can we have entertainment at the wedding reception?

This will depend on the venue, we can arrange either a DJ or live musician, a photobooth or maybe you would like a display of traditional Cypriot dancers and an entertainer or bouncy castle to keep the children happy?

What about my hair and makeup?

We can arrange for you to have hair, makeup and manicure, with or without a trial. We Philosophy of Hair for all our wedding hairstyles, unlike many hairdressers she has a lot of experience of putting up hair for weddings. Gina & Eva our makeup artists are very experienced and knows how to apply makeup that will look good in the photos and not come off in the heat! Hair and makeup trials take place in the salons, on the day of the wedding the stylists come to your accommodation. If you would also like the bridesmaids and mums hair and makeup done this can also be arranged.  If you prefer to arrange your own hair and makeup you are of course free to do so.

Will we meet the photographer?

We will arrange for you to meet James or Lee our company photographers before the wedding to discuss the procedure and your requirements for your wedding day. Both are professionally trained and have many years of experience. They will normally take a series of pictures before the ceremony, at the church/town hall/hotel and also at the reception after your wedding. We also offer bridal preparation and sunset photos. After the wedding we can also offer a trash the dress or rural photoshoot. Due to lack of demand we no longer supply wedding albums unless you specifically ask for them. As standard we offer a memory stick containing full size JPG images of all photos taken during the day, generally over 300 images. You can then print, copy and email these photos as often as you wish. We also arrange a professional wedding video for you.

Is the language a problem?

Greek is the national language of Cyprus, but English is almost universally spoken particularly in the Paphos area. Staff in restaurants, hotels, banks and all government departments speak English, road signs are in English, so if you don’t speak any Greek this is not a problem.