Marriages abroad avoid in-laws

LONDON - Almost a quarter of British couples married in the past two years tied the knot abroad, a report says.

The overseas wedding market is now worth £1.7 billion ($4.6 billion) a year and has seen a 15 per cent increase in marriages in the past decade. Research by Direct Line Home Insurance found the main reason for opting for a foreign wedding was to escape irritating relatives.

More than a quarter said interfering in-laws-to-be had prompted them to flee abroad, while 33 per cent cited better weather as a spur.

Four out of 10 wanted to roll the wedding and honeymoon into one rather than spending their first night of married bliss in an airport lounge.

The top spots for marriages abroad are South Africa, the Caribbean and Las Vegas.

- INDEPENDENT