Expats weddings in Prague

WHY IS WEDDING IN PRAGUE / CZECH REPUBLIC SO POPULAR FOR EXPATS

Weddings in Prague and the Czech Republic in general have gotten very popular in the last few years for multiple reasons. As I’ve organized many destination and expat weddings in the past, I understand the reason why. Guests are always super excited to spend a few days in Prague and actually get to know the city where you’ve been living for some time. Additionally, the city of Prague is super romantic due to its chateaus, cathedrals, winding cobblestone streets, and plenty of wedding venues with beautiful views.

If you want to see all reasons I came up with “why to organize a wedding in Prague,” check them out here.

It is up to you as a couple to decide to plan your wedding on your own or to hire the services of an experienced wedding agency. Furthermore, you also need to think of your expectations from the agency. Do you want help with only the legal legwork and the day-of coordination or would you like to have full wedding planning services?

Don’t hesitate to contact me for assistance in wedding planning services:

Prague wedding planner Lucie Holá, www.luciehola.cz/en, contact HERE

Expats wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

DIY WEDDING OR HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER?

If you are an expat living in Prague, you might be able to organize the wedding yourself. However, you have to have enough time and patience to do so. Some suppliers or venue managers don’t speak English well enough or they don’t speak at all, so it might be a bit difficult. Also, it is very stressful to coordinate a larger wedding where most of the guests are coming from abroad.

Many couples decide to forgo the self-planning journey and hire a professional wedding planner to help them with all of the paperwork, assistance with Czech translations, and other wedding planning duties such as finding the right suppliers.

I always prefer to plan every wedding individually as I feel like each couple is unique and has different expectations, taste, and budget. I like to suggest specific suppliers that I think would suite the style and type of personalities of the couple best. Additionally, I recommend multiple venues options that would best fit the couples wedding vision. Then, we also discuss options of the pre-wedding dinner or after-wedding brunch. I strive to make the whole experience for the couple and guests unique and exciting.

Additionally, I plan other details such as wedding design, wedding prints (save the dates, invitations etc.), web pages in multiple languages, and book options for accommodations for the guests. In depth, the couple and I discuss the flowers, decor, cake, sweets and decoration details. Then of course details such as food, drinks, photographer, videographer, transportation for bride & groom and guests, etc.

If you wish for your wedding to be stress-free and relaxing, I highly recommend hiring a wedding planner. This will allow you to spend as much time with your guests visiting from abroad and simply enjoy the moment.

Expats wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

WHEN SHOULD YOU BOOK THE WEDDING AGENCY

It is best to book the agency/planner at least 6 months prior to wedding. The wedding venues are usually booked in advance same as the good quality suppliers.

Then of course you need enough time to manage the paperwork, especially if one or both of the couple are foreign to the Czech Republic.

WEDDING EXPO

There are a few wedding expos happening in Prague other Czech cities during the year. If you are planning to organize the wedding yourself, it might be a place to go to get some contacts.

Personally, I don’t recommend it as I know the best, original or stylish suppliers don’t go to those events. The companies attending are not the ones who will individually plan your wedding; they are “wedding-package” based companies who will not offer you anything unique. I would say the expo is only for the couples who aren’t experienced and aren’t after a stylish wedding. However, it is a good place to go if you are looking for a sale on your weddings rings.

VENUES OPTIONS

There are so many options in terms of the wedding venues in Prague and the Czech countryside. You can look at my favourite venue choices here, but of course there are more. You can choose from palaces, chateaus, restaurants, hotels or gardens. If you are looking for an industrial style venue in Prague, there are some options mostly depending on the amount of guests.

You can choose all-inclusive venue where you hold ceremony, reception and accommodation at the same location. Or you can choose two venues and transport your guests in between by historical tram, historical buses, historical cars, boat or just minibuses.

TIP: in the Czech Republic it is forbidden to play loud music outside after 10:00p.m. so I recommend choosing the location where you can either move inside or the whole is kept inside.

Expats wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

GOOD TIP FOR YOU: Czechs believe that May marriages will bring them bad luck so they don’t want to get married in this month. That means that some venues and suppliers might be available compared to other months during the wedding season.

The Czech Republic and especially Prague, is one of the most amazing places to get married. The river, city center, historical buildings, views, great food and drinks, and everything else combined makes for an unforgettable experience for the guests and the couple. For expat weddings, it is the best choice because they can be enjoying all the preparations, meet the suppliers, venues and be part of the whole planning process.

If you are thinking of planning a wedding in Prague or outside Prague and you are considering hiring a wedding planner, don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be more than happy to meet you for a coffee and discuss your ideas and possibilities.

All photos are from an “expats canadian-scottish wedding” I planned in Prague.  Testimonials you can find here.


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Wedding ceremony in Prague, Czech Republic (Destination wedding)

One of the most important moments of the wedding day is the ceremony. In Prague there are many venue options for the wedding ceremony. There are plenty of palaces, gardens, terraces, churches in Prague or even outside Prague.

There are few different ways of getting married in the Czech Republic.

  • CHURCH – there are mostly catholic churches in Prague. You can arrange the ceremony in a church / chapel or cathedral.
  • ALTERNATIVE RELIGION – there are other religions which have different rules than the catholic religion and can be organized outside a church anywhere you desire. They can make the ceremony very beautiful and they are open to your ideas of a ceremony.
  • NON-RELIGIOUS – “standard” non-religious ceremony with registry office can be happening in town hall or in other certain locations. There must be an interpreter present during the ceremony.
  • SYMBOLIC – you can hire someone to arrange the ceremony very beautifully and exactly according to your wishes. Also you don’t have to struggle with the paperwork.

No matter how you decide, make the ceremony enjoyable for both you and your guests. It will be an important beginning to the rest of the wedding day.

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As for a Jewish rabbi, from the research I’ve done in a past, it is possible to organize a wedding in a Jewish synagogue only in the case where both bride and groom are Jewish.

Protestant wedding or orthodox Christianity wedding is also possible in the Czech Republic in specific Churches.

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I often organize symbolic wedding ceremonies. A symbolic wedding ceremony is my favorite for many reasons:

  • You don’t need to worry about the paper work as it is sometimes struggle (many nationalities, etc.)
  • You know in advance who will be doing the ceremony and you can discuss and adjust every word said at the ceremony.
  • You can basically tailor the wedding ceremony as per your wishes
  • It can be done in English only (if you have the official registry office they always do it in Czech with English translation)
  • You can organize the wedding anywhere anytime.

PAPERWORK

Wedding paperwork is usually the trickiest part of wedding planning. After you get all the necessary documents, you will have to have everything translated to Czech by a legal translator and depending on your home country, you may need to get them apostilled/notarized. All the necessary documents confirm that the marriage can be lawfully recognized by the native country.

These are the documents which are mostly requested:

  • Birth certificate.
  • Passport or ID which proves the nationality and identity
  • Certificate of no impediment – you may be able to make a sworn statement at your country’s embassy. Be careful – this document may not be older than 6 months at the time of your marriage.
  • Divorce or death certificate, notarized copy, translated
  • Religious documents if needed, mostly for the church
  • Certificate from Czech Foreign Police no longer than seven days prior wedding. It states that you may legally stay in the Czech Republic.

Depending on the country the documents sometimes need to be apostilled/notarized. Overall documentation will vary by nationality especially if you have more nationalities, permanent residence in another country etc.

Whatever type of ceremony you choose I’m here to plan it for you. Feel free to contact me.

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What is the budget for wedding in Prague / in the Czech Republic

“What is the wedding budget?” This is the most frequent question I get from my clients and I understand why. However, it is very difficult to say the exact amount at the beginning of the planning as it depends on so many factors.

Budget mostly depends on details such as

  • Do you pay rental fee for the wedding venue?
  • How much and what quality of food & beverage will there be to meet your expectations?
  • How many guests are you expecting?
  • Does the venue provide chairs & tables or they have to be rented externally?
  • What quality of suppliers are you expecting?

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I would say the average price for a very nice wedding would be around 200 EUR per person. But honestly, it is super difficult to say as it all depends on so many aspects. Each wedding is different as every couple has different expectations. Therefore, some weddings are cheaper and some weddings are more expensive.

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I always compare it to decorating your house or a flat. You can buy very nice furniture and accessories for a low amount of money, an average cost, more expensive or super expensive. It is all about your expectations, personal taste, and decision on what you want to invest in.

I’m here to propose you plenty of possibilities to choose from and tell you which is the best way for you. I always recommend what to invest in and what is not necessary. If you have a wonderful dream elegant chateau wedding in mind and you have a reasonable budget for it, that is the best of course. Then you can go for the best suppliers and really make the DREAM wedding come true.

If you are planning a wedding in the Czech Republic and you are looking for the wedding planner for your dream wedding, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

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Wedding in the Czech Republic / Destination wedding in Prague

Prague is located in the center of Europe. That is one of the reasons why couples often think of organizing their wedding in the Czech Republic, but there are plenty other reasons as well:

Outdoor wedding ceremony

Outdoor wedding in the Czech Republic, for more details contact me – Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

REASONS TO ORGANIZE WEDDING IN PRAGUE / CZECH REPUBLIC

  • It is super easy to reach Prague by plane from all around the world
  • The Czech Republic is a country with plenty of castles and historical buildings combined with a wonderful countryside and nature
  • The Czech Republic is famous for its beer, which is one of the best in the world. It is usually cheaper than water!
  • Weddings in Czech cost much less compared to many countries around the world. The cost therefore becomes much more reasonable.
  • There are many beautiful venues for weddings. In historical palaces, gardens or simply a lovely restaurant with a view.
  • It is very popular to spend a few days before rafter the wedding in Prague or travel around Czech and make it a lovely holiday. I sometimes organize more days for all the guests where we are traveling around Czech exploring castles, breweries, local vineyards or historical cities.
  • Prague is a wonderful city for exploring, enjoying great food and drinks for reasonable prices, and has easy transportation and nice people.
  • And of course sometimes couples have a personal reason connected to Prague.
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Wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

IS IT POSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE A WEDDING FROM ABROAD? HOW DOES THE COMMUNICATION WORK?

Do you think it is difficult to organize a wedding abroad? Are you worried about not visiting Prague in advance? I will try to explain how it usually works.

Most of my clients live abroad. Usually either a Czech girl marrying a foreign guy, or they are both foreign. We communicate in English. I provide all the materials in English such as budget, time schedule, all contracts, offers etc. I really like if my clients come for 1 meeting to choose the venue and do the food tasting because it’s great if they can see all the venues in person. However, I’ve had plenty of cases when they didn’t visit as they were from far abroad (e.g. Australia, USA, Canada.) I simply made them plenty of photos and videos so that they could feel like they’ve been there and are able to make the right decision. It works just as well.

Then, all the communication is done through e-mail, Skype and sometimes Whatsapp. I’m available almost 24/7 for my brides to discuss all the little details.

Additionally, I meet all vendors in Prague or outside Prague on behalf of my clients. This includes the suppliers, wedding venue coordinators, and catering, where I discuss all the details and plan the wedding.

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Wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

WHAT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN FOOD?

If you know anything about the Czech Republic, you know that the food is quite heavy and not for everyone. I always work on making the food on the wedding day enjoyable for the concrete nationality. Often I organize a pre-wedding dinner where I propose a barbeque or a typical spread of Czech food and beer so that the guests experience the best from Czech.

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Wedding organized by Lucie Hola, the Prague Wedding Planner, www.luciehola.cz/en

PAPER WORK

I always help my clients deal with the legal paper work as I’m in touch with the registry office and have full power for that. Right before the wedding, the couple needs to go to the registry office and sign the documents. By then we know that all the documents are taken care of.

HIRE PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER IN CZECH

I have plenty of experience organizing weddings so my clients can always rely on my professionalism and the fact that I always find the best suppliers which not only suit their style ideas and budget, but also personalities. I know most of the suppliers on the Czech market in person so I can tell if they are good or not. I give my clients all of my energy and I make an effort to make each wedding perfect and tailored for the couple.

From my experience, all the guests from abroad are always super excited about the wedding in Prague or Czech as it is something they have never thought of or experienced. Most of them have never been to Prague and they are amazed by the historical buildings, views, great food and drinks, and the great service the suppliers provide. Prague provides a wonderful location for the couple and guests alike.

If you are interested in hiring a wedding planner don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be honored. Contact me HERE

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