We were so delighted when Mark Wilcox, the founder of  WeddingIntro.com got in touch to ask if he could write an article on A Stylish Event blog. Mark is a huge lover of London and wanted to share why he loves it so much and why it’s such a great choice for a destination wedding.

Over to you Mark…

Two right turns. A couple of left turns. A really long plane ride. Followed by a short train ride. That’s my simple directions to get from my house in Dallas, Texas USA to Paddington Station. This drives my wife nuts. Because I can tell her how to get from our house to some location in London but I’m lost at home without her or my GPS.

Dallas and London Skylines (images courtesy of http://www.doubletree3.com and http://www.norwyn.wordpress.com)

I have a long love affair with London and in this article, I will share some of the reasons why I would recommend choosing London for a destination wedding.

One of the reasons to travel to London is the history. There are the basics such as Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, Big Ben and, of course, the Tower of London. I remember when I first visited Buckingham Palace. I was struck by just how brilliant the gold is along the gates. It’s something the photographs and video have never captured perfectly.

From top left – Big Ben, The British Museum, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London (images courtesy of http://www.traveltourismblog.com, http://www.krswallpaper.com, http://www.pepydiary.com, londontravelbuddy.com

There are also other history spots that you might want to visit as well. For example, there is the famous Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. There is also the more recent large Ferris wheel the London Eye. This provides wonderful views of the London skyline. And it is also something famous to be destroyed in every action movie over the past decade. If you are a zombie movie fan then you probably have seen the movie 28 Days Later. This is an older movie but famous for the fact that its main character comes out of the hospital after the zombie outbreak. If this sounds like the opening to The Walking Dead that’s because it is. They have a very similar opening a complete accident. Anyway in the movie the character wanders the bridge right next to Parliament. Every time I go to London I whisper myself “Hello”, just like the main character. I can’t help myself.

Views from the London Eye (images courtesy of http://www.thelondonagent.com, http://www.en.wikipedia.org, http://www.londoneye.com)

Besides the history, there are other reasons to choose London as your destination wedding spot. First is the language. As you can guess they speak English. They will think you have a funny accent and weird slang but you will get around okay. Just remember they drive on the other side of the road!

London is also easy to get to for your destination wedding. There are many direct flights from various American cities. There’s even a direct round-trip flight from Dallas to London Heathrow. Or it’s a short hop from New York to London.

Another benefit of choosing London is there are plenty of hotels and some of the most amazing wedding venues in the world in London or just a short journey outside of London. I should point out, however, London is expensive. And they use the Pounds Sterling, so make sure you check the exchange rate before you go.

Stylish Events Wedding at The Connaught Hotel, London (images courtesy of www.thestudiowithoutwalls.co.uk)

Stylish Events Wedding at The Olde Bell, Herfordshire (images courtesy of www.annkathrinkoch.com 

Stylish Events Wedding at Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire (images courtesy of www.annkathrinkoch.com) 

In terms of practical matters about your wedding, you should check with the US State Department and the United Kingdom’s embassy. Talk to the team at Stylish Events and they’ll help you walk through the necessary details.

I always mention to friends who are thinking about getting married outside of America to consider getting legally married first. You can just go to your local courthouse and they will sign your wedding certificate. That way you can have a “symbolic” ceremony in London and not have to worry about all the legal bits.

Stylish Events Weddings at Trinity College, Cambridge and Kensington Palace (images courtesy of www.katenielen.com)

And after you get married you have all of Great Britain, Ireland and, of course, the rest of Europe to choose for your honeymoon. It’s always a shock to us Americans about how close everything is in Europe as compared to the US. Heck in the time it takes me to go see my parents in central Texas I think I can go across three countries in Europe.

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. I’ve only been able to touch on a couple of my stories. For example, I didn’t even touch on my love of Indian food or the best fish and chips I ever had as a late night snack!

I really encourage you to think of London as a potential destination wedding spot. I hope this article has helped encourage you to put it on your list of potential wedding locations.

This is a guest post by Mark Wilcox. He’s the founder of WeddingInto.com,  which helps brides reduce their stress by providing simple and clear wedding planning information.