Cyprus based wedding planner Maria of AllBridesOnBoard shares her tips and advice on getting married in one of the top destination wedding choices amongst UK couples.

Guide to Getting Married in Cyprus

We look at the legalities and tips for getting married in Cyprus.

When to get Married in Cyprus

Cyprus offers an incredibly long summer from the beginning of April until the end of October. Any of those months would be lovely for a wedding. However, my personal favorite months are May, June and September.

This is purely because the months are not in the heart of the summer, so its less warm compared to the other months.

Cyprus can get very hot, especially in August, so we tend to advice couples with sensitive guests (such as young children and elderly) to avoid having their wedding then.

All in all, Cyprus has beautiful warm weather, long days, breathtaking sunsets and sandy beaches you can enjoy any of the above summer months!

Bank holidays to avoid: 1st of April & 15th of August.

What are the legal requirements for Cyprus?

  • Valid Passports with at least 3 months left to run after date of travel.
  • Long Birth Certificates
  • Sworn Affidavit or Certificate of No Impediment (one for bride one for groom) signed by a solicitor or notary public confirming your marital status, i.e. divorced, widowed or single, and that you are free to marry. This document must be dated, signed and stamped by the issuing solicitor or notary public.
  • Such documents are only valid for 3 maximum prior to the date of the wedding. When the solicitor signs it, it is important that you have their business card attached stating their full name, address, telephone and email just in case the Cyprus town hall need to contact them.
  • For residents of Scotland, a Certificate of No Impediment is acceptable (one for bride one for groom). Your local registrar provides this. Important –
  • Ensure that the document has the words ‘Solicitor’ or ‘Notary Public’ or if it is on letter-headed paper the heading must state ‘Solicitor’ or ‘Notary Public’. The company stamp must also state ‘Solicitor’ or ‘Notary Public’.
  • Copies of two witnesses’ passports (copy of photo page) – be sure that your witnesses’ passports are NOT expiring in the next 6 months after your wedding.
  • Decree Absolute (in case of divorce)
  • Death Certificate (in case of widow or widower)
  • Adoption Certificate (in case of adoption)
  • Deed Poll Certificate (in case of a change of name) – must be stamped by a solicitor
  • Written Consent to be submitted to the Marriage Officer on application, if either party of the intended marriage is less than 18 years of age. This must be signed by the father of such party or by the mother if the father is deceased or incapable of consenting, and failing that, by the legal guardian of such party.

Would the couple need to visit prior to the wedding?

No this is not necessary. Some couples choose to visit prior to the wedding which is wonderful as we meet them in person and give them a small “wedding tour” to see the wedding venues in person, to meet their photographer, videographer as well as their beauticians.

This is a lovely touch as then on the wedding day, there are many familiar faces and there is just an extra level of comfort.

However, when this isn’t always possible, we make sure that we arrange online meetings with our couples to show them videos of the venues as well as introduce them to their suppliers.

In this way, we ensure there is comfort and relaxation even if the couple can not visit the country prior to the wedding:) But, to be completely clear, there is no legal need for visiting the island prior to the wedding.

How long before and after the ceremony do they need to be in the country?

There is not really a rule on this. We had cases where the couples due to unexpected flight delays arrived on the island on the morning of their wedding day and we still made sure the couple had an amazing wedding without any problems at all. However, we always advice the couples to arrive in Cyprus at least three days in advance.

This gives enough time to the couple to relax from the traveling and settle in Cyprus. Also, it allows us time to meet the couple in person, go through the details of the wedding, visit the venues, meet the suppliers, check the flowers and all the details of the wedding in general. So its good to be in the island in advance, but not a legal requirement.

Cyprus Wedding Planner

My name is Maria and I lived for seven years in Scotland (Edinburgh). Being from Cyprus I always wanted to bring people to the island to enjoy the amazing summers, sunshines, beaches and sunsets.

So six years ago and together with my family (half British, half Cypriot), we started a small luxury wedding planning and coordination company based in Cyprus aiming to share the beauties of our island with the world. For our couples, we design personalized wedding packages complete, with everything wedding related.

Our packages include services and items such as full wedding planning and coordination, full legal and church legal arrangements, photographer, videographer, hair, makeup, bespoke decoration, entertainment and so much more. We design the packages after we have a short consultation with our potential couples over the phone or over email/Facebook communication.

We cover the entire island. Once couples arrive in Cyprus, we are always welcoming them and making sure we help them settle in the island and have a wonderful and fun experience! We truly love being part of our wedding couples big days, its so special and magical!

You can find out more and follow them on social media via Facebook and Instagram.

What are your favourite venues in Cyprus?

It is very difficult for me to say that I have a favourite venue. I love so many of the different venues in Cyprus for their own unique reasons. In fact, after discussing with potential couples, I understand their character and the vibe and then, I know what venue will be “the one” for them.

My favorite is the shine I see in my couples eyes, when they see the venues I recommend them. A smile of happiness! One of the most loved venues, is the beach. I personally love hosting wedding ceremonies and dinners on the actual sandy beach.

I believe it is a romantic and so summery wedding to celebrate love and it is in the total spirit of abroad weddings. At the same time, I love hosting weddings in traditional Cypriot courtyards, as the flowers, and especially bougainvilleas in Cyprus, are blossoming creating a feeling of a secret garden hidden in a beautiful island.

Everything is so beautiful for its own unique and special reasons. That is why, before we advise brides which venues to choose, we always have a small consultation where we analyse their needs and wedding dreams, so we can then find the best match for them.