I'm amazed by the level of knowledge here, so I'm betting someone can point me and my fiance toward an amazing destination wedding in Thailand. We want seclusion, gorgeous landscapes, luxury, and beaches. I've traveled Europe extensively, but never Asia, so this is all new to me. A basic question: what is the language barrier like in Thailand? I've had few difficulties traveling Europe but was anxious about Thailand. OK, for the real questions ... our goal is to marry at the Rayavadee Hotel in Krabi (haven't confirmed a wedding is possible here yet). If we can't marry there, then we're still spending a few nights there. I'm a Starwood member and have more than a few points to blow on that amazing-seeming hotel (is it as amazing as it looks??). However, we want to spend more time in Thailand than just 4-5 nights in Krabi, so we're looking for another beautiful destination. I remember hearing years ago that Phuket was nice - is it still a great place? Or is it too touristy now? Are there other location recommendations? Has anyone married in Thailand and can offer any tips? It's just the two of us, no guests, but I do want good pictures (in beautiful scenery!) and I worry about finding a good photographer! JamesA I would definitely appreciate any of your advice - you are very well traveled!

I read the first few lines and thought 'Ah, the Rayavadee' would be perfect! So you have chosen well! You can travel on from krabi to Koh Lanta ( the Pimalai is very good ) or if you want some nightlife then Phuket.
A point on the wedding....you know it is very sensible overall to do the actual 'legal' wedding in your home country, after all it's a license/legal issue. To do the 'legal' side of the wedding in Thailand, although it can be done, is pretty pointless and serves no actual purpose at all, you have to take papers here there and everywhere, copies of this and that, for no real reason. So I would quietly do the 'paperwork' side back home ( unless of course you might have emotional issues with that which are understandable, if it is of deep meaning to have the real wedding then fine, it can be done ). Otherwise the hotel will arrange a 'blessing ceremony' with all the flowers, Blessing by Thai monks and everything else. I am certain the Rayavadee can handle everything for you.
Don't worry about language, the people you would mostly come into contact with will speak reasonable English.
I would contact the Rayavadee and ask what they can do.

A local photographer would be cheaper than the photographer the hotel would arrange but I would honestly leave it to the hotel to arrange, they will take care of it and you just a get the bill! Easy.

Just a note: We do not know your religion but on Phuket island near Phuket Town is a Christian Church, St. Nicholas, so you can have a church wedding and then have the Thai ceromoney also. There was an article about wedding on Phuket, it's a long address so you will have to copy and paste it.

http://phuketmagazine.com/html/PM%20...n_Paradise.htm

JamesA, thanks! Excellent advice and the article you linked me to was great also. It might be easiest to marry on Phuket (probably a Western-style wedding with some Thai influences) and then "honeymoon" at the Rayavadee. I think we'll deal with the hassle and actually get married there though your advice about overseas marriages is definitely good. I was reading through a few of the posts, and noticed someone talking about street hustlers (for lack of a better term) - pushy people trying to sell you things. Is this something we should expect to find everywhere we go? I'm used to the beggars in Europe but it sounds as if these Thai folks are a little more aggressive.

You picked the only place that I would consider that meets all of your special needs, especially the over-the-top scenery. The only remaining question would would be which beach to choose- there are three, but the one overlooking happy island would be my choice. I'm sure you've seen their website and slideshow, but until you finally get there, you have no idea how amazing the place is .
We stayed there this summer and had a fantastic time. Despite your plans, you may even have some uninvited guests crash the ceremony-gibbons-as we did several times at breakfast, at the pool and by the beach. As we learned, they love virgin strawberry drinks and will stay put long enough to pose for photos. They also know how to riffle thru unattended baskets in search of food, but are generally harmless.
No doubt, you will have a memorable time.

P.S. I forgot to ask about Phuket hotel recommendations, if we decide to marry there. Any nice, secluded hotels that won't cost an absolute fortune?

I have never been to Thailand, but am also planning a wedding there (just the two of us).

My first choice was the Marriott in Phuket. For one thing, I am partial to Marriotts and have tons of points for free stays. But, I was even more satisfied with it after talking with Wanwisa, the event coordinator there. She was a little hard to track down at first, but was absolutely wonderful once we got to planning. We did everything by e-mail and she sent me many photos of possible set-ups for the event. The packages were reasonably priced and she had no problem customizing one and adding some special things that we wanted. I would highly recommend her and the hotel.

It turned out, though, that circumstances changed and so did our plans, so we're going to be married in Bangkok instead. But, Phuket was definately my first choice!

Koh Ngai

Since you'll be in the area and have stated that seclusion is one of your requirements, I can also suggest the Fantasy Resort on the island of Koh Ngai (Hai). I have seen no more beautiful setting for a resort in 4 trips to Thailand. There's no pool, but the beachfront is immaculate, the sea is calm and the sand is white. The water is crystal clear, the offshore views of the karsts spectacular. You get there by boat from Koh Lanta or from the mainland at Trang which is south of Krabi.

I agree with JamesA about the Pimalai Resort, it's one of the most unique resorts I've seen. I didn't go inside but from the road it looked wonderful.

fyi---if you did not know it---jamesA is our resident expert on thailand and has the best info....others are good too but he is best and most accurate....

good point about the legal stuff...

when in bkk make sure you have a few days at the peninsula, the oriental or some other lux place....i would start out there and end up there....wind down and wind up ....

Kansaskate - which time of year are you thinking of? Aw weather v location could be a factor.

I too through that Phuket site about weddings gives a lot of simple answers and is quite handy.
I would venture that in order to get the paperwork done correct you would need to base yourslef either Phuket or Krabi, as in those locations you would not have a problem with getting the paperwork done easily. If you venture further out to Koh lanta etc you will not have access to such.
The Rayavadee seems to get everyone's approval.
For Phuket the Chedi would be nice and reasonable price, or perhaps the Boathouse, smaller, more intimate, especially if it is just yourselves, actually the Boathouse might be a nice choice as opposed to a big place, it's got the location and everything.
Take a look at Chedi and Bothouse and it will give you ideas.
Trty these local Krabi and Phuket area sites, they have lots of pics and details of all those places.

http://www.freewebs.com/phuket_patong_hotels/

http://www.freewebs.com/koh_samui_hotels/krabi.htm

I agree with the above posters that you are best off getting your marriage license in Phuket rather than outlying areas, as you will need sworn translations in Thai of English documents. Take a look at the following websites:

http://usa.or.th/services/visa/acs/marry.htm ? US Embassy in Bangkok
http://www.samuizazen.com/wedding.php ? commercial wedding service in Thailand

I have also topped a thread on this subject from a few months ago. See "Wedding in Thailand". I believe that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok has to issue a document in connection with the marriage license, so you may need to get the license in Bangkok itself. You might start the process now. I am a lawyer and have done lots of work in Thailand and the translation and official document process can be laborious, so start planning now. You might even consider getting the license in Bangkok as there is a US consulate there which can help, I also assuming that a license issued in Bangkok can be used in Phuket Province, I am not sure about this. I am also not sure if Krabi is in the same province as Phuket, if not, then you would need to confirm that a license issued in Phuket or Bangkok is acceptable in Krabi.

I am also a fan of the JW Marriott in Phuket, esp if you have points. It has been on priceline for under $50, so you may also get a deal there. If you do choose it for your wedding, I would ask if you could have the ceremony around the "north" pool, which is near to the timeshare units on one side. It is a black pool with lovely slate tiling, and a view of the beach. Another option would be on the dune leading to the beach itself, it is flat. There are rules about what can be done on the dune, as it is protected, but I think a temporary set up of chairs, etc for a ceremony would be OK. A third option is their ornamental lake, which has a small pavilion. A drawback here is that there is no beach view and it is a bit close to the entrance driveway. The entire hotel is very beautifully landscaped, so anywhere they suggest would probably be nice. There are several restaurants with terraces overlooking the pool and beach which would also be nice. Note that while a sunset wedding is nice, on a clear day the sun can be really strong as it sets over the beach, and can even be blinding. Dusk is very brief in the tropics (about 20-30 minutes at most), so you would have to time things right and move quickly, take a look at sunrisesunset.com for sunset and twilight times.

I would strongly suggest that once you return from Thailand, you have a civil ceremony at your local courthouse and get a US marriage license. Should you ever need a duplicate copy, or in the event that you need your marriage license for legal reasons, it'll be significantly easier to have a US document. Have the ceremony there, view that as your wedding, but get a legal document from here. (BTW, I'm not an attorney. But my friends were advised by their lawyer to do this as their wedding was in Portugal.)

In terms of the language barrier, I'm usually pretty good at picking up a few local words and became quite adept at bargaining in rudimentary Swahili. However, I found Thai to be a real challenge. Probably because it was never a European colony and the western alphabet was never used.

Cicerone, you (and JamesA and others) are correct! Upon more research the legal requirements for marriage are quite a hassle - the biggest one being the translation of the documents. We'd have to spend several days in Bangkok just to ensure the documents were all settled, and I'd prefer not to do that. So ..... the plans are adjusting slowly. Fiji, I've learned, has much easier requirements for marriage, and the hotels are very willing to assist in the process (btw, both the Rayavadee and Sheraton in Phuket said they would not assist in getting the documents together - they know it's not easy!). We are thinking we'll marry in Fiji and then possibly travel to the Rayavadee afterwards. But we're conflicted ... we're also interested in seeing Moorea in French Polynesia and know we can't see all three due to money constraints (most of this 'once in a lifetime' trip is courtesy of hotel and airline points I've spent years traveling to accumulate so we're trying to minimize additional expenses). So ... what's the vote here? The Rayavadee in Thailand or an over-the-water bungalow in Moorea? Both look incredible!!!

I forgot to answer JamesA's question ... we're planning a mid-January 2004 trip. I've learned that the 'high season' (for tourism) seems to end about mid-January in this region, so we thought we'd take advantage of that. Fortunately we're flexible (no guests will be attending), so we can play around with the dates. As for my previous message, if anyone does have hotel advice for Fiji or Moorea, it would be much appreciated.

Kansas Kate,

The over-the-water bungalows in Moorea and neighboring islands are going to be a LOT more expensive than similar quality housing in Thailand, as is everything else.

I've been to the Club Med in Moorea and Bora Bora. Unless you make a point of getting up early in the morning to stand in line for reservations that day at the private-seating restaurant, you'll be forced into very informal group seating (about 8 to a table) in Moorea. I found the staff to be unaccomodating, borderline rude, the facilities to be run down and the sight to be so-so. On the other hand, the Bora Bora sight is drop-dead beautiful, the facility is much newer and more upscale, the staff is very professional and helpful, and you can have private seating in the dining room with no special request.

My frame of reference: I'm not a Club Med kind of guy. I like eating when and where I want and have never booked an all-inclusive stay anywhere other than at the two Club Med facilities. That was because they were the only ones available at less than $800/day when we made our last-minute plans to go to French Polynesia. But I wouldn't hesitate to go to the Club Med Bora Bora again if I was in the area.