For A Match Made in Heaven

Magical golden city of Prague

If matches are made in heaven, it's only fair that the wedding setting, looks heavenly. That could be why Prague is emerging as the world most preferred wedding destination. It's reputation of being Europe’s most romantic city work to its advantage, and statistics show that there is a steady increase in the number of people who are getting married in this magical golden city.

The wedding rush

I was there last year and had to flight the bride, groom, their photographers, assistants, bridesmaids and family members, to get that one photograph in front of  the astronomical clock taken. In the half hour that I waited for my turn I was outsmarted by at least five separate wedding parties, and their highly efficient team of wedding planners.

Ian, my guide, told me that weddings brought in much of the city’s revenue and the Kempinski Hotel Hybernska hosted as many as 35 weddings during the season that year. Back in India, I did a quick googled and figured that Prague has a lot to offer to a couple looking to marry there.

The ‘Marrying Abroad’ concept has it's benefits. You can avoid inviting the whole world and his uncle to your wedding. Even if they are invited, chances of them loosening their purse strings and traveling that extra mile is not very high. This means your wedding can be as private as you want it to be, without offending too many people. 

For a church wedding

When it comes to locations, Prague has them all. A white church wedding, a non-conventional one in a wine cellar, a Walt Disney inspired fairy tale before a Neo-Gothic castle or an outdoor setting in the vineyard - what you ask is what you will get, and for a fee that is easily affordable. One wedding websites quoted € 250 for a cellar wedding, all inclusive! And if you want to mix in some local flavours, then rest assured because Czech cuisine is as mind blowing as its Bohemian countryside.

The wedding industry is thriving alongside in Prague with stores catering to customer demands for designer wedding wear, jewellery and gifts. The same can be said about specialty bake stores and florists, not to mention photographers and beauty experts. But what is interesting is that most Prague weddings are of people who chose to marry there, with the maximum number of couples flying in from USA and UK.

Czech livings in the country believe in taking it slow. Post the 1980s' there has been a drop in the number of people wanting to get married. The government has therefore started organising regular Marriage Week since 1998 to encourage couples to marry and to stay in their marriages. Co-organised by churches, family centers and NGOs the Marriage Week has seminars, debates, concerts and movie screenings all aimed at getting this idea across.

But meanwhile if you want to put ring on it, consider Praha. Photography, in most cases at least, comes complimentary.

A wedding in Praha