It’s a real 2012 dilemma for many brides and grooms – marry at home or head off into the sunset for a romantic beach wedding?

An increasing number of British couples are choosing to marry abroad to avoid the cost – and sometimes the hassle – of marrying at home.

Not only can you save money by getting hitched in an exotic and often cheaper location, you can also avoid having to invite all those relatives you haven’t seen since your childhood.

Recent surveys by Travelex and Mintel put the numbers of British couples planning to wed overseas as high as 80,000 – that’s a third of all those due to marry in 2012.

With the cost of the average UK wedding running to around £20,000 it’s certainly a consideration. But the pull of family and friends – the desire to get married in front of those who are near and dear to you – often outweighs the thought of what you might save.

After all, your wedding will hopefully be the biggest day of your life and you want to make it a memorable one.So for many couples it is a case of: hang the expense, let’s have a party.

However for those planning to marry here but hankering after a stroll along a beach with their beloved in that hugely expensive wedding dress, there’s now a canny solution.

Instead of packing your frock away after the vows have been exchanged, you can take it on honeymoon for a very special photo-shoot. Several tour operators and overseas hotels offer this option. The Reef Villa and Spa in Sri Lanka, for example, is offering newly married brides the chance to be photographed in their dresses in the hotel’sbeautiful beachside grounds.

Reef is a luxurious boutique hotel set in three acres of exotic tropical gardens with palm fringed pavilions and reflection pools that encapsulate the romance and grandeur of Sri Lanka.

The hotel is offering each bride and groom booking the special photography package a two hour shoot with a photographer in the lush tropical gardens. The couple can stroll along the palm-fringed beach or ride into the sunset on a colourfully festooned elephant.

Reef has seven unique and palatial private suites, luxuriously designed on Indo-Colonial lines. There’s a vast sandy beachfront, all weather tennis court, large infinity swimming pool, tropical gardens and pavilions, gourmet kitchens and the sanctuary of our Reefresh Spa. A two hour photo shoot costs US$ 270 and includes for a CD with a minimum of 30 photographs.

A ride into the sunset on an elephant can be booked for an hour at an additional cost of US$425.00.

Price per night in a Reef Suite starts from US$ 440. Prices valid until October 31, 2013.

www.reefvilla.com