Wedded bliss on the beach in land of kiss me quick

It is a romantic vision of the perfect wedding in the Maldives, the Seychelles, the Caribbean or, now quite possibly, Cleethorpes.

The council in the Lincolnshire resort is considering applying for a licence to allow weddings and civil partnerships to be held on their popular Blue Flag beaches – and be under no illusions, they’re hoping to give paradise a run for its money.

While the North Sea may not quite be as crystal as the Indian Ocean or the Caribbean Sea, and cloudless blue skies in the background of those precious photographs are certainly not guaranteed, Cleethorpes is confident it can be the perfect setting for not only the wedding, but also the honeymoon.

“Getting married on the beach is a lovely concept and many couples may see England’s beaches as a superb alternative to getting married abroad,” said Coun Mick Burnett of North East Lincolnshire Council.

“Cleethorpes has the whole package, it’s a really attractive destination,” said Melanie Wood, director at Pleasure Island, a theme park just down the coast.

“It’s a very novel and a very quirky idea. We might as well go for it. After all, we have a stretch of beautiful Blue Flag beach, wonderful hotels, wonderful bed and breakfasts and great attractions.”

The resort is responding to the recent trend of the “staycation” – holidaymakers squeezed by the economic crisis opting to take their breaks in the British Isles rather than jetting off to foreign climes – and taking it a stage further.

They are following in the footsteps of Bournemouth, the south coast resort which made history last week by hosting the first legally-binding wedding ceremony on a British beach.

To adhere to the law, Bournemouth Borough Council had to build a 16ft by 8ft white timber beach hut, or “chapel”, on the sands, because all weddings must be held in a “permanent covered building”.

And the investment of time and money – it took eight weeks for the council to gain planning permission for the chapel, longer than it took to secure the marriage licence – has paid off, with more than 50 enquiries about the venue in the first two weeks.

“I’m delighted to see this exciting project come to fruition,” said Councillor Rod Cooper, of Bournemouth Council. “I can’t think of anywhere better to say ‘I do’ than on the sands.”

Cleethorpes is confident it can do the same, and plans to consult officials in the Dorset resort to see how it can be done.

Coun Burnett said: “We will be talking to Bournemouth Council to understand their experience and considering fully the local implications, before deciding whether offering such a service would be appropriate to Cleethorpes.”

It may be some time before the first wedding bells chime in the North Sea breeze, but the people of Cleethorpes are already brainstorming wacky ways of making visitors’ weddings extra special.

“They can get married on the beach, say their vows and then take a ride on a double loop rollercoaster afterwards,” said Ms Wood.

“We already have the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway to get the bride and groom to the beach. Sometimes with weddings, people like quirky and the more the better.”

Some have suggested more daredevil couples can arrive at their ceremony by boat, jet-ski or surfboard as guests look on from a marquee.

Another advantage is the cost. With luxury Caribbean weddings starting at the £5,000 mark, tying the knot on a British beach could prove ideal for those with tightened purse strings. Ceremonies on Bournemouth beach start at £999 by comparison.

And when all the guests are factored in, the wedding licence could prove quite lucrative for a local economy already seeing an upturn in fortunes as more and more people choose to holiday in this country.

“We have seen a few more visitors over the last couple of years and all the hotels have reported good bookings this year and last year,” added Ms Wood, who also works for the North East Lincolnshire tourist board.

“Pleasure Island is a theme park, which families may now see as a luxury, but the numbers have been good.”

Despite the best-laid wedding day plans, there are some things that must be left to chance: “Well, the weather is quite important. We might have to see some British stiff upper lip. Oh, and we’ll need to work round the tides.”

One in four now tie knot abroad

FIGURES released last year showed that one in four Brits now get married abroad.

More than 400,000 brides and bridegrooms travelled abroad to tie the knot in 2008 and 2009, many in tropical destinations.

Each spent on average £4,300, creating a total of £1.7bn on overseas weddings. By comparison, a UK-based wedding costs £17,000 once the reception and honeymoon are included.

South Africa was the most popular destination (six per cent of the total), followed by St Lucia (five per cent).

Better weather, avoiding “annoying” relatives and combining the wedding and honeymoon were the main reasons given for heading abroad.