20% of Irish weddings to be held abroad, says travel firm

The rising cost of the traditional Irish wedding will mean that 20% of Irish weddings in 2007 will be held abroad, a specialist travel agent claimed today.

This is up from 16% in 2006, claim Tour America Weddings & Honeymoons, who also predicted that the figure could rise further.

The company claims that a typical wedding in Ireland costs between €25–30,000, compared to significantly less in many other countries.

“A wedding in the USA usually costs about €12,000 for a wedding party of 40-50 people,” said Graham McDonnell of Tour America Weddings & Honeymoons.

“This incredible value is being improved due to the ongoing strength of the euro versus the dollar.”

Mr McDonnell also pointed out a potential added advantage of having a wedding abroad in Las Vegas, Florida or The Caribbean.

“You are on your honeymoon as soon as the wedding is over,” he said.