Wedding hotels

Gorah Elephant Camp

Addo, South Africa

Wow factor   The sweeping panoramas and surrounding wildlife will add a mind-blowing backdrop to your wedding snaps.

Need to know   Gorah's a smallish safari lodge so wedding parties need to book all 11 of the camp's luxury tents, which will accommodate 22 adults (plus a number of children under 15). Summer is the low season and the best time to arrange a wedding — it can book up quite quickly otherwise — and, during the busy Christmas period, you may as well forget it.

Inspiration   The lodge can provide an intimate bush wedding as the sun sets on the savannah, with silver-service catering in a glamorous colonial setting. After the ceremony, guests can enjoy swimming under the stars and an authentic African barbecue. The following day, a game drive to see the elephants could be the perfect way to digest the wedding breakfast.

Casa Angelina

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Wow factor   Exchange your wows on a windswept terrace with the breath-taking backdrop of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the rugged majesty of the Amalfi Coast.

Need to know   Book your wedding for the summer months so you can arrange a dinner on the terrace or beside the pool. Casa Angelina’s ever-obliging staff can take care of all arrangements, such as photography, food, and entertainment – even bridal beauty treatments.

Inspiration   Rent the hotel’s fleet of ‘Sea Gem’ boats and take your guests beach-hopping along the beautiful coast.

The Dylan

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Wow factor   Anouska Hempel's opulent oriental interiors are breathtaking; the new Ariana salon has beautiful wall reliefs, double fireplaces and a glass roof.

Need to know   The Dylan hasn't hosted 'official' marriages before, but its wedding dinners, parties and cocktail parties have been a great success. The Regent's room can accommodate 32 people for private dining, while the spectacular glass-roofed Ariana room is big enough for 80. The Long Gallery overlooks the Zen garden and has a maximum capacity of 100 guests for dinner.

Inspiration   A classic salon motor launch can be used to transport the bride and groom (or guests) to the hotel along the beautiful canals of Amsterdam; the Dylan has its own pier at Keizersgracht.

Life Gallery

Athens, Greece

Wow factor   Celebrate your wedding with a pool party at Athens’ sexiest hotel-cum-art gallery.

Need to know   The Wine Gallery restaurant can sit 170 guests for dinner, and the garden can fit 220. For a standing reception, with drinks and a buffet, you can get up to 150 guests celebrating poolside or 250 in the, elegant Pisco Sour cocktail bar. If you’re after a grand dame of a reception, with 350 guests, you can take over the pool and garden area in the summertime. The hotel’s team of wedding planners can help prepare the perfect bespoke event, with tailor-made menus, décor, photography and entertainment.

Inspiration   The hotel’s subterranean spa offers Ayurvedic treatments guaranteed to soothe away any prenuptial jitters, and a petal-strewn, aromatherapy infused ‘vitality’ pool for two is the perfect way to start your matrimony as you mean to go on.

Amankila

Bali, Indonesia

Wow factor   Walk down a candlelit natural aisle to a coconut grove just footsteps away from the beach.

Need to know   Up to 78 people can be accommodated in the resort, although the reception could extend to 100. Wedding couples are required to stay a minimum of two nights at Amankila. Try to book between April and October to get the best weather, but also bear in mind that July to September is the busiest time for the hotel.

Inspiration   Amankila can arrange traditional Balinese dancers to perform at the reception, to the music of a gamelan orchestra.

Alila Ubud

Bali, Indonesia

Wow factor   A sweeping backdrop of valley and volcanoes will ensure you have the most envy-arousing weddings snaps imaginable.

Need to know   Alila Ubud has a wide range of possible ceremony venues, each one combining indoor and outdoor space and staff will tailor-make your wedding to suit individual tastes. Although it’s warm all year, Bali is driest in September, so that’s the month to book.

Inspiration   The Alila spa’s range of massage and beauty treatments is great both for treating bridesmaids and soothing any nervy pre-wedding jangles.

Amanusa

Bali, Indonesia

Wow factor   Amanusa’s white-powder beach provides an idyllic ‘desert island’ setting.

Need to know   Couples getting married at Amanusa have to stay a minimum of two nights. The hotel can provide a Balinese or Western-style ceremony but the legal brouhaha has to be dealt with through the Government registry. Larger wedding parties should aim to book the entire resort in June –September.

Inspiration   The golf course next door is the ideal stag event diversion, while hens may prefer leaving themselves in the hands of Amanusa’s expert masseuses.

The Balé

Bali, Indonesia

Wow factor   Friendly and efficient staff will arrange everything from bands and DJs to cabaret shows and limousine transfers for your guests. In short, a wedding here will run as smooth as engine oil, and you’re guaranteed a beautiful, laid-back environment for your nuptials.

Need to know   Though the resort can only have 58 people staying at one time, The Balé can organise a reception for up to 100. Leave the children at home, though, the resort won’t admit under-16s.