There are several main reasons for the growing popularity of this type of tourism. First, an increasing number of young people who decide to get married perceive the wedding as a personal, rather than a social, matter. Therefore, the traditional wedding format, which involves inviting numerous friends, relatives, and acquaintances of the bride and groom, seems to them too burdensome both financially and psychologically. In this situation, a wedding abroad is a way to politely escape from those who would have to be invited to the ceremony out of politeness. And such an escape can sometimes be significantly cheaper than a traditional wedding. Second, the choice in favor of a wedding abroad often stems from a thirst for romance, that is, the desire to hold the ceremony in some unusual place.
In Russia, a wedding consists of two stages – registration of marriage at the civil registry office (ZAGS) and the wedding ceremony in an Orthodox church. As for the registry office, marriage can be registered only in the homeland. No documents about a symbolic or official marriage are recognized by domestic registry offices if you are not a citizen of the country where the marriage was contracted. Therefore, such certificates can only serve as commemorative diplomas for the newlyweds.
However, a wedding ceremony in an Orthodox church abroad is possible, and travel agencies offer such services. In this regard, one can mention, for example, the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Jerusalem. And the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Rome is an attractive option for those interested in the latest collection of wedding dresses from famous Italian fashion houses. Russian travel agencies also have similar offers for representatives of other traditional Russian religious denominations.
Another type of wedding ceremony available to tourists, which has already been mentioned, is symbolic weddings. As a rule, they are held in exotic countries and regions such as the island of Bali (Indonesia) and the Maldives. Such weddings are colorful and elaborate ceremonies with local flavor, which are not cheap, but the certificates for them have neither legal nor religious force.
Symbolic weddings are usually chosen either as a kind of preparation for the actual ceremony, or as a pleasant addition to the honeymoon for the newlyweds. Wedding dresses are not included in the symbolic ceremony program – they need to be brought along. Another direction of symbolic weddings can be called extreme, because it is difficult to call otherwise the conclusion of a marriage underwater, on a mountain peak, or in a hot air balloon floating in the sky.
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