Maldives

It’s impossible to take a bad photograph in the Maldives, it’s Instagram heaven! Everywhere you look there are endless azure skies, crystal lagoons, swaying palms and white powder beaches. It’s almost too good to be true, but thankfully it isn’t! And there’s a beautiful Maldive resort just waiting to be discovered by couples to suit their individual budget and style!

The Maldives is a nation of around 1,190 tiny islands, many still uninhabited, grouped into 26 natural atolls in the Indian Ocean, beginning around 250 miles south west of India and stretching down towards the equator. These islands offer a wide range of hotel resorts, first class facilities and picture-perfect scenery. Luxury hotels are built on private islands using natural materials indigenous to the islands and everywhere, the lush vegetation has been carefully preserved, marine life protected and beaches groomed and extended to create what can only be described as paradise.

The tropical island resorts are reached by speedboat or via spectacular seaplane journeys, depending on their distance from the capital, Male and its International Airport. From the windows of the seaplane the lush Maldives islands appear as emerald gems in the ocean, surrounded by their turquoise coral reefs.

The hotels offer incredible fresh cuisine, world-class spas and luxury accommodation in beach villas or water villas extending out on stilts over the lagoon. However, if your style is to live like a native, some of the local islands offer unique and rustic accommodation in anything from small hotels and guesthouses to Airbnb.

At the luxury resorts, lovers snuggle in rope hammocks under coco palms down on the beach or snorkel together over the coral reefs to view the amazingly colourful marine life. As the sun sets, beaches are transformed into candle-lit restaurants as couples dine beneath the stars.

 Wedding ceremonies

Although you can’t legally marry in The Maldives, the breathtaking scenery and sheer luxury of the resorts make this a wonderful place for beach blessings and Vow Renewal Ceremonies, which can be arranged through your hotel. These ceremonies can take place in a choice of exotic locations – from unspoiled beaches and sandbanks to catamarans and even during diving excursions on the coral reefs. If you are planning a wedding in The Maldives, simply marry legally at your local registry office before leaving the UK, then, to all intents and purposes, your destination wedding in The Maldives will be your Big Day in paradise.

 Legals

You won’t need any paperwork or documents, as weddings in the Maldives are currently not legally recognized around the world. Couples wishing to marry will need a civil wedding in the UK first (we recommend your local registry office). And remember to bring your wedding rings as you will exchange these during the ceremony!

Five things to do

1. Go Snorkeling – Discover amazing colourful reef fish, you may even see turtles relaxing on the coral reefs
2. Leave your Shoes Behind – Embrace barefoot chic and dine without shoes on the pure sand floors of the beach restaurants!
3. Instagram the Sunsets – The Maldives boasts some of the best sunsets on the planet, so capture the moment the sun melts into the Indian Ocean on camera then share with the world on social media!
4. Have a Couples Spa Ritual – As if you are not relaxed enough already, sink deeper into sublime pampering with an indulgent spa treatment with your other half!
5. Picnic on a Sandbank – Many resorts in the Maldives offer boat excursions to sandbanks, so take a picnic and be a castaway for the day, alone together on a desert island!