Planning a destination wedding in Cyprus
6 min read
Cyprus gives a wedding three things at once: reliable sun for half the year, a sea within an hour of almost anywhere, and villages that have looked the same for centuries. It is also small and close to most of Europe, which matters more than it sounds when you are asking a hundred people to come.
When to marry
The season runs from April to October. Late May, June and late September into October are the sweet spot: warm evenings, a sea you can swim in, and light that stays golden late. July and August are hot well into the night, which suits a reception by the water better than a ceremony in the afternoon sun.
Winter weddings are rarer and cheaper. The weather is mild rather than warm and some venues close, but the villages in the Troodos foothills are at their greenest.
Coast, village or mountain
Paphos and the coast around it suit sea views and sunset ceremonies. Limassol and Larnaca have the hotels and the evenings out your younger guests will look for. Villages such as Lefkara, known for its lace and silver, and the stone villages of the Troodos give you courtyards, chapels and long tables under vines.
Many Cypriot municipalities marry couples from abroad, and the documents they ask for depend on where you both come from. Ask the municipality you choose and your own embassy before you book anything else.
Getting your guests there
Two airports, Larnaca and Paphos, take direct flights from much of Europe and the Middle East. Tell guests which is nearer the venue: the drive between the two is well over an hour.
Most guests will need a car or a seat on a shuttle. If you are laying on transport, ask about it on the RSVP, so you know how many seats you need before you book the coach.
When to send what
A destination wedding runs on a longer clock. Send the save the date eight to twelve months ahead, so people can book leave and flights while fares are low. The invitation follows about three months before, and the RSVP should close six to eight weeks before the day: earlier than at home, because venues abroad often want final numbers sooner.
Put the practical things where guests will look for them: the nearest airport, where to stay, how they get from the hotel to the ceremony. A page for each in the invitation saves you answering the same message forty times. If your guests come from more than one country, an invitation they can read in their own language helps too.
Dressing for the heat
Say what the day asks for. "Garden formal, light fabrics, shoes that can walk on stone" tells guests more than "formal". If the ceremony is outdoors in summer, say whether there is shade.
Invitations drawn for Cyprus
Collect the answers while you are at it
MyEventOS turns the invitation, the RSVP and the guest list into one link, and counts the replies as they land. Free to design, free to send, and the first ten replies are included.
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