Getting married abroad

When it comes to financing my daughter's future, it's not the teenage years with all the extra-curricular activities and 'must-have' fashions which worries me the most.

Nor am I overly concerned about the cost of the university education she will no doubt embark upon, whether it be to read philosophy at Oxford or reality TV studies in Oldham.

That after all will be spread out over several years.

However, it is the prospect of her wanting a big, white wedding which keeps me awake at night and makes my wallet clamp itself shut in fear.

I reckon I am probably not alone in feeling this, after all, the average cost of a wedding in this country is almost £20,000.

While people these days are all too happy to go their own way and innovate, like getting hitched underwater or walking down the aisle in fancy dress, one tradition remains; the father of the bride is inevitably lumped with the bill.

Given this, I am increasingly coming round to the idea of an overseas wedding, as it would seem are quite a few people in my place.

Of course, there are dozens of advantages of holding the ceremony abroad, not least the sun can be almost guaranteed to shine, the food and the wine will be good and, for the betrothed, there is no need to jet off for the honeymoon.

In addition, funny as it may seem, it can be significantly less stressful to organise the event in another country than it can be in your local church.

That tiny whitewashed church you became enamoured with while touring the Greek islands probably won't be booked up years in advance and neither will they ask you to prove your devotion to their particular religion.

However, again somewhat surprisingly, it is also cheaper to get wed overseas and experts have pointed to the financial benefits as the major driving force behind the increasing numbers of couple and their families and friends skipping these shores to tie the knot.

The comments of Kate Thornton Brown, managing director of WeddingsAbroad.com, were enough to convince me.

"If you mention wedding to a supplier in the UK and the cost of anything and everything soars!" she said.

"A wedding abroad can be done for as little as £700. The average cost of a UK wedding back in 2007 was almost £20,000."

Indeed, such is the impact that these figures have on people that one in ten couples are now choosing to marry outside of the UK.

Still not convinced?

How about this then: "It's also an ideal excuse to limit your guest list."

Perfect. Not only does that mean my wife won't spend weeks and weeks fussing with family politics and I won't have to forcibly eject her strange uncle from the reception after he's had one too many glasses of Bucks Fizz, but more importantly, I will have fewer people to buy dinner for.