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.

Tiamo Resort

Bahamas, Caribbean

Wow factor   Tie the knot under a coconut palm in an eco-friendly tropical idyll, with an intimate ceremony on the beach.

Need to know   Couples must be resident in the Bahamas for 24 hours before getting married and must undergo a short interview with the island’s legal administrator. Tiamo’s $800 wedding package includes flowers, champagne and all costs of the beach ceremony itself, for a simple and elegant wedding.

Inspiration   Not only is South Andros the Bahamas’ least commercial, most undeveloped island paradise, but Tiamo Resort is the country’s most environmentally friendly wedding venue.

Kayumanis Jimbaran

Bali, Indonesia

Wow factor   Exchange your vows in an appropriately dramatic setting: beneath towering coconut palms in an intimate atmosphere of absolute peace.

Need to know   Kayumanis Jimbaran coordinates with a licensed wedding organiser to arrange the logistics and the resort staff can tailor photography, cake, flowers, etc. to suit your nuptial needs. The Tapis restaurant can accommodate 20 people for a sit-down meal.

Inspiration   Treat your guests to a fishing trip, a cooking lesson, or a soothing spa treatment.

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.

Uma Ubud

Bali, Indonesia

Wow factor   Guests will gawp at the plunging valley views as you exchange vows in a stunning tropical forest setting.

Need to know   You’ll have to book all Uma Ubud’s 29 rooms to hold a wedding here. 80 people can fit into Kemiri for a sit-down dinner, but if you need to accommodate more, a marquee for up to 150 can be erected on the lawn. The hotel can arrange all aspects of the ceremony, including flowers, photography and cake. Try to book between March and September to avoid the rainy season.

Inspiration   The daily guided walk through the rice paddy fields is perfect for setting you and your guests up for a wedding brunch, and the Como Shambhala spa can provide pre-wedding treatments/nerve soothers as necessary.