Cardeia - FAQs

Questions

How do I secure Cardeia's service as my destination wedding planner?

We try save you from unnecessary stress and hassle from the very beginning, so no laborious lifestyle/request forms to fill out. So simply get in touch via phone or email if you‘re interested in working with us. We will then chat through your expectations of your wedding personally. We'll ask you a few questions to get to know your taste better and get a feel for you as a couple. After all, our job is to ensure your wedding reflects you as a couple.

We‘ll agree how much of the design, planning, execution and co-ordination you‘ll like us to take care of, and then we‘ll ask you to sign a service agreement and agree on a deposit (we accept payment through PayPal or by direct bank tranfer). We will also happily send you a taster sample of ideas and concepts, if you need a little convincing that we’re the right destination wedding planning service for you. And if you prefer face to face meetings, we can do all this via video conferencing too.

How does Cardeia charge for their services?

We don’t believe in selling wedding ‘packages’ and specialise in planning your wedding so it’s original and unique to you. We also feel that charging a percentage of your wedding budget, as many wedding planners do, is unethical. Our service to you is one of expert knowledge, planning, coordination & event management, so we agree with you a fee based on the number and complexity of tasks we take off your hands, reflecting the time we spend on your wedding. Here is a summary of how we’ll deal with the money matters of your wedding:

Our Fee

From €150
Get in touch for a brochure outlining our wedding planning alternatives and associated costs.

Vendors

We negotiate the best rate possible with all our suppliers, and will do our best with suppliers you have chosen too.
We gaurentee costs to be lower than the going market standard in that specific destination.
We will inform you of these cost, which you will have control to sign off on if you wish, as we go through the planning of your wedding.
We will do all the running around after your trip to ensure all vendors are paid, and will supply you with all the receipts and paperwork to.
This also includes any tours, or other wedding events we have organised for you.
We commit to closely manage your budget, and together with your Cardeia Wedding plan we will update you at agreed regular intervals.

Payment Terms

On signing of the service agreement, the deposit which we will agree on based on the service you will require from us.
On departure, our fee and supplier cost, less the deposit already paid.
These can be settled in cash, by cheque or paid directly into our bank account or via PayPal.
Hint: If you’re paying with a non € currency, keep an eye on the exchange rate during the planning time of your wedding. Many couples have spent much less than they thought by making payment when the exchange rate is favourable.

Accommodation

We’ll ask that you pay your bridal or guests accommodation directly to the hotel on departure.
Of course, if a deposit is required to secure your booking, we can take care of this on your behalf .

How will the process of planning my wedding using Cardeia's services work?

The process of planning the details of your Cardeia Destination Wedding depends on whether you’ve already decided on a destination, or need our help finding a destination and venue that’s just right for you. Here we’ll give you an idea of how we can take care of everything, working with you to make your magic day a reality. But remember, we’ll tailor this exactly to suite the service you need from us by adding in any additions you need, or cutting out the bits you don’t. And if you have some specific ideas already, we’ll simply incorporate them instead of trying to change your mind to do it ‘our way’. Most importantly, know that we will guide you through every step and work with you all the way through.

Service Agreement
We’ll agree how much of the design, planning, execution and co-ordination you’ll like us to take care of, and then we’ll ask you to sign a service agreement. We'll also request a deposit in order to secure our service. For your convenience, we accept payment through PayPal.

Welcome Pack & Cardeia Wedding Plan
Once the ‘official bits’ have been taken care of, we will send you your personal Cardeia Welcome Pack, which will include your Cardeia Wedding Plan. This plan outlines all the activities that will be taking place to realise your destination wedding, including key deadlines. It will also include your budget manager and handy tools like a guest list manager. We will be updating your Planner continuously through our time working together, so you always know what’s happening to make your big day happen. Everything you receive from us will be in an online format (quicker and also a little greener).

Deciding on a Destination & Venue
The next step is to decide on your destination & venue, unless you already have somewhere specific in mind. After understanding your expectations, we will send you a choice of destinations to choose from that best meet your taste & style. This includes information and images on the destination, venues available, types of religious and non religious ceremonies, how to get there, tourism info, accommodation choice and any restrictions. If there is something specific you’d like to know, i.e. restaurants, nightlife & beaches simply let us know and we’ll include this in the online pack. If at this stage, you had something else in mind that you did not find in our choices, we will launch a scouting exercise to find the destination & venue that brings your vision to life.

Pre Arrival Legalities & Ceremony Booking
Now that you’ve chosen your destination, the next priority is to ensure your nuptials are legal and recognised in your home country. The requirement for each destination is different, and also changes depending on your country of origin. At this stage we will update your Cardeia Wedding Plan to include the details of the legalities required for your marriage abroad. We will also be clear from the start how much of the legalities we can take care of on your behalf, what documentation we’ll need from you, and what you’ll need to take care of yourself.

Booking the Ceremony
We will now secure your requested date for your ceremony, and confirm this so you can get on with sharing the news with your loved ones and guests. For certain religious ceremonies, you may need to book the ceremony through your local diocese. We will let you know if this is the case.

Wedding Stationary
Now that we have the most important details confirmed, we can get started with the invitations. We’re a complete wedding planning service and can help design and source your invitations. So your wedding will be original, unique and with a beautiful flow from beginning to end. If you prefer to skip paper invitations all together, you may wish to use your dedicated couple’s page on our website to invite your guest and share the necessary information.

Dedicated Cardeia Wedding Webpage
At this stage we usually have enough information to get your personal webpage up and running. We’ll ask you to write a personal message to your guest and friends and we’ll manage the rest. Once the page is ready, you can send your unique link to all you friends, family and loved ones. Or if time is precious to you, simply supply us with the contact details, and we can take care of this too. From here on we will keep your personal page up to date, so that your guests and friends are always in the know.

Bridal Accommodation
Your living ‘quarters’ can make or break your wedding experience abroad. It should be as special as the day itself, and offer everything you need as a couple. Something more relaxed, or opulent luxury. While we are not travel agents, we can help you find the perfect nest for this time, and book it on your behalf. We have relationships with all types of accommodations and will negotiate the very best rate for you. We will also negotiate a rate for your guest at the same hotel, if you want them close, and at a variety of other accommodations to suite all pockets.

Securing Event Vendors
By this stage we would already have given a heads up to the suppliers that will help us with your wedding. We ensure that we have confirmations from them for your wedding date and service contracts with them. We have incredibly high standards, and expect the suppliers we work with to exceed our expectations. We will also liaise with them about all the details and your needs, so you’re dealing with us only, one easy point of contact.

Picking out the Details
Deciding on the details for a wedding abroad, especially since you may never have been to the destination or seen the venue yourself, could be very daunting. We try making this as fun, easy and hassle free for you as possible. So how does it work? We’ll present you with ideas and choices in an online pack. This will include everything from decor, flowers, catering and cakes to any original ideas we’ve come up with, such as local or personalised wedding favours. This pack will contain pictures of what can be done. You can simply pick the ones you like. Or if these ideas inspired you, let us know what changes you want us to build on, and we’ll send back a refined pack of choices or just go ahead and make it happen.

Destination Arrival Welcome
When you arrive, we will be there to personally meet you and take you to your hotel. After leaving you to rest and settle in, we’ll take you to see you wedding venue. We’ll go through the final details over a coffee or cocktails to put your mind at ease so you can thoroughly enjoy some free time in the run up to your wedding.

Post Arrival Legalities
In some cases you may need to personally take care of some wedding documentation, or meet with a minister. If so, we will escort you to the relevant offices

Bridal Concierge Service
Now that you’re here after so much anticipation, we want to make sure your trip is as special and romantic as you dreamed it to be. So if there’s anything you need - a special bottle of champagne, a taxi, reserved deck chairs at the beach or a special table at a restaurant, just give is a call and we’ll take care of it for you. (Our focus is on you, so guest will need to take care of these matters themselves, unless they’re tagging along with you.) We’re available 24/7 for more serious things too, such as medical emergencies or, dare I say, a broken nail?.

Guest Services
If you have guest attending your wedding, we take care that their welcome packs will be in their rooms when they arrive - be it information on the wedding celebrations and tourism info, or something a bit more lavish or quirky.

Wedding Day Coordination
The only thing we want you to concern yourself on your wedding day is feeling ridiculously spoilt and enjoying every minute of this beautiful experience. We will be guiding you through the entire day so everything simply falls into place without any stress. We will have taken care of a place for the bride and groom to get dressed separately (if you wish) and will escort you there. Make up & hair will be done, with snacks and a glass of champagne in hand. Your flowers will magically appear in perfect condition and your wedding garment will be waiting for you in flawless condition. Behind the scenes your guests will be taken to your venue and a co-ordinator will be there to ensure everyone is happy and comfortable. When you’re ready, your wedding carriages will take you to your ceremony. We’ll co-ordinate the taking of photo’s after the ceremony and ensure the right people stay behind for them, while the rest of your guests are taken to the celebration venue where once again a co-ordinator will be present. Your wedding carriages will then take you and the remaining guest to your reception, where everything will continue to smoothly fall into place. Cutting of cakes, first dances and fireworks; or for the untraditional, whatever zany entertainment we’ve arranged for you. And when you can celebrate no more, we’ll ensure you and your guest get home safely.

Additional Wedding Events
We will handle the additional wedding events, such as welcome drinks parties and post wedding brunches with the same subtle professionalism as your wedding so you’re able to enjoy it all without a care.

Post Wedding Legalities
After your wedding, you may be required to take care of certain legalities in person. If so, we will escort you to the relevant offices. If you cannot receive your marriage license straight away, we will personally collect it and send it to you within a guaranteed time.

Tying Up Post Wedding Loose Ends
We’ll take you through the final wedding budget, which should hold no surprises due to our regular updates, and we’ll request final settlement of your account. Some couples prefer to take care of this before their wedding day, so that the rest of their trip is not interrupted. Now all that’s left is for you to continue to enjoy and celebrate each other, while we take care of settling bills with suppliers behind the scenes. If you would like us to, we can continue to offer you our concierge service for the rest of your stay until your departure.

How will we communicate?

We’re available to you on phone and email 24/7, so that our updates are at a convenient time for you. However, phone and email can be very impersonal when planning such a special occasion in your life. So, we can also have our meetings via video chat. All you need is a fast broadband connection, webcam and a service such as Skype or similar. We’ve even ‘shown’ some couples around a venue or hotel, and shown some live examples of favours and flowers in this way.

We will also suggest some key points on your Cardeia Wedding Plan to have full updates on how your celebration trip and day is progressing. In between these updates, we will be in touch to guide you through any decisions we need from you and available to you at all time for any questions.

Do Cardeia personally take care of their weddings & celebrations booked?

We're not a referal service or destination wedding agents. We’re passionate about destination weddings and pride ourselves in our personal service, so we aim to plan and coordinate every wedding and event ourselves. In very few instances, we may call on the support of an associate to handle your wedding on our behalf. This will happen only with your full knowledge and consent. And you will still have us as a contact point at all times. This may happen where:

We're fully booked for a period, as we only take on a manageable number of wedding every year to ensure the best possible exclusive service to you.
An associate has an ‘inside track’ in a new destination, until we’ve build our vendor relationships to a level that will ensure excellence. (We value honesty!) This ensures that you receive exactly what you want at the best price.

What are the legal requirements for getting married abroad?

The requirement for each destination is different, and also changes depending on your country of origin. Once you’ve chosen your wedding destination, we will update your Cardeia Wedding Plan to include the details of the legalities required for your marriage abroad. We will also be clear from the start how much of the legalities we can take care of on your behalf, what documentation we’ll need from you, and what you’ll need to take care of yourself.

In some cases you may need to personally take care of some wedding documentation, or meet with a minister on arrival at the destination. And after your wedding, you may be required to take care of certain legalities in person. If so, we will escort you to the relevant offices in both cases. If you cannot receive your marriage license straight away, we will personally collect it and send it to you within a guaranteed time. For an initial indication on the legalities required in the destination we offer, see Legalities.

Will my marriage certificate be legally recognised everywhere?

Yes, we only offer destinations where your nuptials will be legally recognised. If you’ve already had a legal ceremony in your home country, and would like a blessing (religious or by a friend) for your destination wedding, we will arrange this and it may even broaden your destination choices.

Who takes care of the legalities?

A combination of us and you. We will take care of as much as legally possible. You will be required to send us some original or certified and translated copies of relevant documents, and in some religious ceremonies you’ll need to book the ceremony yourself through your local diocese for it to be recognised. If there is anything that you need to personally take care of at the destination before and after your wedding, we will escort you to the relevant offices.

How much does a destination wedding cost?

We don’t believe in selling wedding ‘packages’ and specialize in planning your wedding so it’s original and unique to you. This means that the cost of a Cardeia Destination Wedding varies depending on the size and complexity of your wedding, and your budget. Some of our destination weddings have been as economical as €1500, where others have moved into the hundreds of thousands! We’ll soon be adding some sample budgets to our site to give you an idea, but in the meantime contact us for a quote or let us know your budget for a proposal.

What religious ceremonies can Cardeia accommodate?

This depends largely on the destination.Collectively, the ceremonies we arrange can be:

Greek Orthodox
Catholic
Anglican
Muslim
Hindu
and a variety of less traditional worships

Can Cardeia arrange a civil ceremony?

We can arrange civil ceremonies in all our destination choices and this would widen your destination options too.

What about same sex marriages?

We welcome same sex marriages and would be thrilled to help you plan yours. As you probably know already, finding a destination where same sex marriages are legal is tricky. Be that as it may, if you choose us to work with you, we will put all our efforts into ensuring your wedding experience is as exceptional and unique as you imagine it.

We've already have a wedding ceremony, can I still have a destination wedding?

Absolutely. We’ll arrange a religious blessing or we can support a friend or family member who is saying a few words, sometimes a far more intimate and personal acknowledgement of your commitment. If you prefer, you can have just a celebration reception with all the trimmings of our service.

Can you help with transport and accommodation?

Our service includes taking care of transportation once you arrive in the destination country. We can advise on and arrange internal transfers when you get to your wedding destination, and our concierge service ensures a taxi or driver is only a phone call away. We can also advise on and book your accommodation for your stay at the destination. This service is available to you as the bridal couple. While we will advise guests on transport and accommodation via your dedicated webpage, they’ll need to take care of their bookings at our basic service level, or we can take care of all their needs to with in our higher service tiers.

Can you organise the bachelor/bachelorette party?

Along with any other wedding event you have in mind, that isn’t the ceremony and reception itself, we’ll take care of your bachelor and bachelorette party – themed or not, classy or crazy. Simply let us know what you have in mind, or allow us to make a few suggestions.

I am very traditional, but want an unusual setting, can you help?

Some of our most exquisite weddings were traditional in style and flow, with the class of the occasion heightened by a breathtaking and unusual venue. So yes, we can help to realise this dream. Let us know if you have anything specific in mind, or allow us to make some suggestions.

I want a contemporary, completely unusual wedding, can you help?

The part of planning a wedding we thoroughly enjoy the most is coming up with crazy off the wall wedding concepts, if this is what you’re after. Our niche is the ability to make the impossible into a reality, so simply leave it to us.
If untraditional to you does not mean eccentric, but something more relaxed, intimate or just a little different, we have a host of wedding concepts that would suite your style too.

Can Cardeia help take care of our guests too?

While we aren’t able to manage any travel arrangement to the destination country for your guest, our service is based on sparing you from any stresses and hassles. And in this case you being bombarded with calls and questions when your guests arrive at your wedding destination. Your guests will have access to your personal webpage on our site, where they’ll find all the information about your wedding, travel, accommodation and tourism information, and all contact numbers they’ll need during their stay. One of the numbers included will be ours, so if there’s any information or help they need, they can simply call us instead. If you wish, your guests will also receive a welcome pack in their hotel on arrival, be it a simple info pack or something more lavish if you prefer. We can also arrange tours and excursions for you and your guest, or send them off on their own so you have a relaxing spa day before your wedding.

Welcome to Cardeia

FAQs

FAQs