ORLANDO: America’s betrothed are increasingly wooed by made-to-measure weddings, in which arrangements are handled by professionals and couples often tie the knot in exotic locations.

Fairytale settings and all-inclusive packages are the drivers behind this new trend. Out of some 2.2 million weddings registered in the country annually, 16 per cent are organised outside the regions where the couples live.

The number represents a four-fold increase over the past 10 years, according to Brides Magazine.

“Disney is a very popular place to get married, but other places are also very active: the Caribbean, Hawaii and Las Vegas, of course, are very pro-active with numerous theme resorts,” Millie Martini-Bratten, editor-in-chief of Brides Magazine said.

The Jamaican hotel chain Sandals is now specialising in weddings and honeymoon trips. About 40 per cent of revenues generated by about a dozen hotels in the chain, which usually offer package deals, stem from events related to weddings, said Sandals spokesperson Caitlin Austin.

Las Vegas, a traditional destination for those looking for a quick marriage ceremony that can be performed 24 hours a day, celebrated 33,968 weddings in 2007, according to The Wedding Report.

Disney amusement parks each year attract 2,000 couples who want to say “I do” in a story book setting.

One of these clients was young New Yorker Lauren Cappel, who came to Disney World in Florida to realise her childhood dream.

“Everyone is happy, they are relaxed, they are on holidays,” she said. “We are just having a great time, and there is just a good feeling here.” Her Irish husband, Dermot Murphy, knew nothing of wedding ceremonies of this kind, but acceded to the wishes of his bride.

“Lauren is a huge Disney fan,” he said. “She suggested it. I came down and took a look. They organise everything. It is a very seamless wedding.” According to a study conducted by The Knot, a firm specialising in analysis of the matrimonial market in the United States, Americans on average spend $27,882 on wedding ceremonies — honeymoons not included — and invite 153 people to their reception.

But the average number of guests falls to 47 if the wedding ceremony takes place far away from home.

Since 1991 some 30,000 couples — or five a day on average — have married at Disney parks.

Among them were many foreigners, particularly from Britain and Asia, who were attracted by a weak dollar and guests dressed like Mickey Mouse, said Korri McFann, who has been organising weddings for Disney for 12 years.—AFP