Getting married in Thailand,

[Ladycopper]

I am thinking of getting married in a Traditional Thai Buddhist cerimony in Chiang Mai.
Has anyone ever done it?
Are elephants safe?

[yuko]

I am also planning to get married in thailand.

You HAVE to get actually married in Bangkok because the paperwork. (Kuoni charge £500 for this if you book your holiday through them !)

then you can have a ceremony somewhere else. All the ceremonies I have checked out so far have been expensive, nearly as much as the holiday itself.

Chaing Mai is lovely, I have been there before, but I don,t know how safe they are ! I remember a girl was killed by one a couple of years ago.

Another suggestion is Sri Lanka; you can actually get married ON the elephant!

[Bexter]

I got married in Koi Samui, gorgeous island. On the beach at sunset - with a white tiger as my escort! Was quite weird, but the handler was very professional.

Also had lots of exotic birds involved, and everything was well planned and controlled. The hotel arranged it all for us - we paid around £600 for everything, including an hour cruise afterwards to see the bay at sunset nwith free champagne and oysters!

[ClaireUK]

You can get married in Chiang Mai! We did and it was more than we ever dreamed it could be!

The story you need to get married in Bangkok seems to be spread by tour companies wanting to get you to purchase their paperwork service in Bangkok.

For American, Japanese, Canadian, and us British there is no need to even stop in Bangkok at all. Their consulates will provide the affidavits in Chiang Mai
ThailandWeddings.com will do the paperwork for you. Cheaper too. It was included in our wedding, as a gift!

We highly recommend her service to very one we meet! Jit the owner was wonderful, she personally looks after us unbelievable well, can't recommend her weddings enough.


javascript:emoticon(':lol:')

[yuko]

where did you get married in Koh Samui ?
Which hotel/resort did you use and did you book it yurselves or thru a travel agent over here?

[Elly Barrett]

Hi, further to your enquiries regarding weddings in Thailand, I've just returned from Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi where I was sourcing ideal hotel properties and locations for weddings and honeymoons.

Having lived in Thailand for four years and worked in the travel industry I have arranged numerous weddings for all different nationalities and know the legal proceedings backward and can also recommend some beautiful places to hold a wedding ceremony and properties to stay at etc.

The registration does actually need to be done in Bangkok officially as couples are required to lodge the stamped affidavit in person at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok. I'm not saying that your marriage wasn't official Claire but I imagine that the company you went through has a special arrangement with foreign affairs in order for them to be able to bypass this legal requirement.

As Chiang Mai is the only other city in Thailand with foreign consulates, anyone wanting to get married on one of the islands or elsewhere in the south will have to do the registration in Bangkok. It can be done in three days (guaranteed) and can potentially be completed in two days depending on your flight arrival times, day of arrival etc.

My personal recommendations for couples wanting to get married on Samui would be The Tongsai Bay (www.tongsaibay.co.th), the Santaburi Dusit Resort (www.dusit.com), Le Meridien Baan Taling Ngam (www.meridien.kosamui.com) or on the main beach, Poppies, Chaweng Regent or Amari .

All the best,

Elly

[Somchit]

Dear Khun Elly

The registration does actually need to be done in Bangkok officially as couples are required to lodge the stamped affidavit in person at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.

It is no longer true that you must appear in person at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok! Has not been required legally since May 2003. Please check with the Foreign Affairs Ministry if you wish to get updated info. Or check our web site for up to date wedding info and marriage requirements - thailandweddings.com

It has also never been require to register the wedding in Bangkok only. Any willing registrar in Thailand can do the filing. Please note: It is easier to do in reasonable size centers.

British and several other counties citizens need not go to Bangkok at all, for any of their marriage paper work. If you have never been to Bangkok, it is worth a visit.

I am sure Elly, you did not mean to cause undue stress on Claire (and others,) with your statements. You can rest assure her marriage is totally legal and was done in full compliance with Thai laws. I know, as I personally did the paperwork and arranged the wedding.

I have talked with and emailed Claire all about this, and she is fine with it. In fact she was not really too worried, as she knows us and was sure we did it all properly.

I just don't want other couples to worry their weddings may not be totally legal, if they read your statements and they where not taken by a tour company to the Foriegn Affairs Ministry for a stamp. (Believe me it isn't worth seeing as a tourist attraction) It is also not required to go to in person.

I hope this clears up everything.

Somchit Srimoon
[url]

[Heather]

Hi to the helpful nation out there,

My partner and i have decided to get married in Thailand and we are in need of some advice.

Recommendations on places in the south to do the deed and reliable people/companies to go through?

Please help, i really don't want to go through a big travel company and get ripped off.

All suggestions welcomed

Heather Longhurst, uk.

[jetski]

Dear Heather,

Koh Samui is an ideal destination in the south of Thailand to be married and there are many options available to you.

I have just commenced work here as a wedding coordinator for Faraway Co. Ltd an accommodation and information service provider who have decided to branch into this area of events.

We are a small company with many local contacts in the weddings arena. We are also one of very few providing a legal marriage service. I also have extensive experience managing weddings and events. Combined, I feel the company is able to provide all you require.

Kind regards,

Jessica

Hi to the helpful nation out there,

My partner and i have decided to get married in Thailand and we are in need of some advice.

Recommendations on places in the south to do the deed and reliable people/companies to go through?

Please help, i really don't want to go through a big travel company and get ripped off.

All suggestions welcomed

Heather Longhurst, uk.

[helicarvell]

I am looking to get married in early 2006 and thought Thailand would be ideal for a quiet wedding with just a few close friends and family. Can anyone can give me ideas on how much this will cost (roughly) and when/where is the best place to go? How much does it cost to get there, etc?

[Wicha]

My English husband and I have a small resort in the a beautiful, peaceful mountainous area of Northern Thailand, just over an hour North of Chiang Mai.

We can accommodate around 22 people but there is additional accommodation nearby if needed.

We have already arranged and hosted a wedding for an Australian couple in January, and that was very successful, and an American couple will be tieing the knot here in December.

While we have not specifically set out to do weddings, both ourselves and our staff love the excitement of hosting and arranging these occasions. We would be happy to have one or two every year.

[Guest]

I am thinking of getting married in a Traditional Thai Buddhist cerimony in Chiang Mai.
Has anyone ever done it?
Are elephants safe?

yes.. if they use condom

[sea dawg]

like all men, elephants are safe to marry if you can keep them from getting drunk, watching sports and hanging out with their buds

[sibayla]

Hi Jessica,
My partner Brian, myself and our 5 month old daughter are on our way to Thailand on Jan 28. I have been to Thailand many times but this time we would like to organise a beautiful Samui beach-style wedding. I will be in Bangkok for at least a week (for this is also a buying trip) before we head down to Samui. Our budget is not huge nor are our requests. I would love a buddist ceremony of sorts and some sort of celebration on the beach. We don't really have guests coming. Any input you have would be appreciated!
Jamie

[Guest]

Hi Jessica,
My partner Brian, myself and our 5 month old daughter are on our way to Thailand on Jan 28. I have been to Thailand many times but this time we would like to organise a beautiful Samui beach-style wedding. I will be in Bangkok for at least a week (for this is also a buying trip) before we head down to Samui. Our budget is not huge nor are our requests. I would love a buddist ceremony of sorts and some sort of celebration on the beach. We don't really have guests coming. Any input you have would be appreciated!
Jamie

Have you net seen the news in the past few days? I would seriously consider finding a new location! Koh Samui is a mess from the tsunami! I don't think it will be all back on track in a couple weeks time, and with the aftermath and disease that this sort of natuaral disaster breeds by default certinally not the place to be taking a 5 mnth baby!