Kevin Davidson and Jill McLauchlin enjoyed their first exotic holiday together on the beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados. Having fallen in love with its soft sand beaches and romantic atmosphere, when the couple got engaged last July in Warsaw, they instantly decided they would return to Barbados just eight months later to tie the knot in their dream location.

Now with only weeks to go before their big day, the Aberdeen Entrepreneur and his Nursery director fiancée explain why they have chosen the non-traditional approach to getting married and why thanks to the internet, planning a wedding abroad is easier than you might think.

Kevin: “Jill and I really fell in love with Barbados while on holiday there. In particular we liked the idea of getting married abroad because we wanted to have an intimate wedding, with only our closest friends and family.”

Jill: “Neither of us wanted to have a particularly long engagement so we decided on February, which is when we first visited the island. More importantly February is outwith Hurricane season in the Caribbean.
We originally thought about trying to find a wedding planner but it turned out that most of what we needed, we could find online and book via email.”

Kevin: “Through the internet we booked flights, accommodation, the Church, the reception, a photographer, flowers and cars. I was slightly hesitant about doing it this way because it can be a bit of a gamble, but we used only suppliers that came recommended to us and got our bank to make the necessary checks for those that we had to send a deposit.”

Jill: “The only real problem we encountered was the time difference; this coupled with the laid-back mood of the Caribbean suppliers meant that we sometimes had to wait for a response and confirmation of our bookings. We definitely had to learn how to be patient.
The really great thing about planning our wedding abroad is that everything we have chosen is for us, and we really are getting the day that we want. In total, ten of us will travel to Barbados for the wedding, including my four year-old son, Cooper, who will be the ring-bearer. Both of our families have been very supportive of our decision to get married overseas and are delighted that we have organised a big party for when we get back to Aberdeen.”