Volcanic Ash Update

PERFECT WEDDINGS & HONEYMOONS STATEMENT – VOLCANIC ASH

13:00 Monday 19th April 2010

Perfect Weddings & Honeymoons Staff have been all weekend, and are currently working extended hours to deal with the ongoing Volcanic Ash Situation. We would like to reassure all of our customers that we are doing everything we possibly can to help and we will contact you directly should you be affected. We understand the concern and worry that the situation is causing and so we would like to keep all of our customers updated via our Facebook Page with all of the latest news.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Perfect-Gay-Honeymoons/59168053782

Clients Currently in Resort

We have contacted all clients who are currently in resort and should have travelled home, or are due to travel home in the next 48 hours. We recommend that you stay in contact with your tour operators’ in-resort representative for latest updates. We are working with your tour operator to ensure that you have a place to stay, and where possible, without moving hotels and hopefully without the need of incurring any additional costs – many of the tour operators that we work with are offering Free Accommodation on a Bed & Breakfast basis until we can get you home.

For couples who have married overseas and are due to go on honeymoon this week from the UK – we are working flat out to change your flights, where physically possible for you to fly on to your honeymoon destination without the need to fly back to the UK. For couples in Cyprus who are getting married this week, or married last week and are flying on to an onward destination such as Dubai / the Maldives. We are working closely with your tour operator, and Emirates Airlines to reroute your flight in order for you to fly from Larnaca to Dubai, rather than have to fly back to the UK; ensuring that your honeymoon goes ahead as planned.

Clients Booked to Travel from Saturday 24th April 2010 Onwards

If you are booked to travel from Saturday 24th April 2010 onwards through our Travel Agency ‘Perfect Weddings & Honeymoons’ or if you have booked a wedding abroad package through our wedding supplier ‘Perfect Weddings Abroad’ your booking is currently unaffected and remains confirmed as per your confirmation invoices.

Please do not call us for further information as the situation is changing so quickly, we will contact you later in the week with information as to how you are affected.

Clients Booked to Travel from Today up to Saturday 24th April 2010

If you are due to travel before the 24th April 2010 and you have a cancelled flight – most airlines and tour operators are being as flexible as possible and offering for you to amend your booking free of charge to an alternative date. A member of our team will speak to you about the options available.

If you are due to travel before the 24th April 2010 and your flight is still scheduled to go ahead – your travel details currently remain the same. We are monitoring the situation on an hour-by-hour basis and we will contact you should your flight be affected.

If you have booked a Wedding or a Honeymoon through our Travel Agency – ‘Perfect Weddings & Honeymoons’ through a tour operator. We are currently taking a lead from the tour operator your booking has been placed with, and we will liase with them to amend your booking.

If you booked a Wedding directly through our wedding supplier ‘Perfect Weddings Abroad’ – We are trying to be as flexible as possible. We understand that legal documentation restrictions in certain countries may mean that we need to reschedule wedding dates as flight cancellations take place. We are working closely with our wedding coordinators overseas and the local registry offices to ensure that plans go ahead where possible with minimum or no disruption.

Final Note

Our staff are working extremely hard to help all of those affected and we are working around the clock. Our out of hours emergency telephone number is stated on the bottom of your Perfect Weddings Abroad Wedding Voucher. We will be open all weekend next weekend in order to help with any customers who are affected.

We appreciate your patience during this extraordinary situation, and for anyone who is not travelling before the 24th April 2010 please bear with us, and please check our Facebook Page for further updates. If you have called or emailed our office with queries regarding your holiday or wedding in the past 7 days and you are not due to travel until after the 24th April 2010 please bear with us whilst we deal with our customers overseas and imminent departures, we will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible with further information.

Finally, this Wednesday (21st April 2010) Perfect Weddings & Honeymoons Ltd celebrates its 5th Birthday, we would like to thank all of our wedding couples and customers over the past years for their continued support!

Best Wishes
The Perfect Weddings & Honeymoons Team

Cyprus Gay Weddings

Gay Cyprus Weddings – ‘Just Say I-Do!’

Danny Waine, Marketing Director of travel company ‘Perfect Gay Honeymoons, UK’.

“I’m writing in response to the announcement from the Cyprus Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Lazaros Savvides, as reported in the Cyprus Sunday Mail last weekend, that the Cypriot Government is going to examine the issue of making same-sex marriage legal in Cyprus.”

Link: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/features/government-look-legalising-gay-marriage/20100228?page=1

Press Release:

Gay Weddings Abroad

Perfect Gay Honeymoons has been organising Civil Partnerships abroad for British couples across the world since the Civil Partnership Act became law in December 2005. The company supports the move from the Cyprus Interior Ministry to explore legalising gay marriage on the Island. Marketing Director Danny Waine said “From a tourism point of view this could be the most positive regulatory change that the island could make this century. The most important thing is that this proposed change has come about because of a letter written by a Cypriot Citizen, not a government being forced in to it just to generate cash.”

Currently gay and lesbian couples from the UK can tie the knot in Canada, New Zealand, certain states in the US and South Africa and have their wedding legally recognised here in the UK. However due to regulations across Europe (where at least one of the partners must be a citizen of the country they are marrying in) it makes it impossible for British gay or lesbian couples to marry in Europe. The only way around it is for the couple to register their Civil Partnership here in the UK and then host a ‘non-legal commitment ceremony’ overseas.

Waine explained, “We have been organising commitment ceremonies in Cyprus since the Civil Partnership Act came in to force, and are receiving increasing enquiries from gay and lesbian couples wanting to marry legally on the island. They’ve often been to friend’s weddings in Cyprus or heard about someone that’s married on the island and that’s what they want too. Gay and lesbian couples don’t want to marry in stereotypical gay haunts like Ibiza, Mykonos and Sitges; they dream about marrying in typical wedding destinations such as Cyprus, Mauritius and the Caribbean.”

Cyprus’ Economic Opportunity

Cyprus could cash in on the gay wedding market from the UK, Waine said “Not only would the marriage law be a step in the right direction for equality of gay and lesbian Cypriot’s, it also could open up a massive market from the UK. Providing the residency requirements for gay weddings remain the same as straight couples, Cyprus would become the only country in Europe where gay and lesbian British couples overseas could legally get married.”

“I strongly urge the ministers and diplomats meeting with Dr Lazaros Savvides to support the change in the law; as well as for the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and hoteliers in Cyprus to get behind the movement. We have written to the Cypriot Government and Cyprus Tourism Organisation to offer our support to the proposed change; and we believe that hoteliers across the island would view this amendment favourably. Economically the island of Cyprus only stands to benefit, as it will lead to an inevitable increase in weddings taking place on the island, and generating more group business throughout the year.”

Although it would send out a signal that Cyprus is a gay-friendly destination and welcoming to gay and lesbian couples. More importantly it will attract more couples and families to the island – Waine explained that “from our research we’ve found that from gay wedding groups that we have marry overseas, less than a quarter of the party are usually gay or bisexual. There seems to be a misconception that gay wedding parties are going to bring 30 Kylie-singing, pink wearing drag queens! This couldn’t be further from the truth, you must remember that each of the gay partners have parents that aren’t gay, brothers and sisters that aren’t gay, and friends that aren’t gay.”

Messages of Support from Across the UK and Cyprus

Perfect Gay Honeymoons has received support from gay businesses across the UK and Cyprus. “This is wonderful news,” said Sue Briggs-Harris, editor of Tickled Pink, Britain’s first, paid-for gay wedding magazine. “A lot of straight couples choose to get married abroad these days to avoid all the stress usually associated with a wedding. Gay people are no different. No matter what the Daily Mail would have us believe.”

Nicola Hill, the owner of online gay wedding directory Gay Friendly Wedding Venues added “It would be great if Cyprus legalised gay marriage. The weddings abroad section of our website gets a lot of hits. Many British gay and lesbian couples want the option of marrying abroad, especially in a warm climate, so Cyprus would be ideal.”

Dr Kai Wacker, of GayCyprus.org, the gay tourism information resource, based in Limassol said “The legalisation of gay (same sex marriages) in Cyprus would be something not only the Gay Community of the Republic of Cyprus, but also Cyprus Tourism, the Cyprus Hotel and Catering Industries and many more businesses here in the Republic of Cyprus could profit from enormously. We as a company as well as openly gay individuals and couple would strongly support the legalisation of Gay or Same-Sex marriages in the Republic Of Cyprus.”

Whilst the owner of one of the islands most famous gay-bars, ‘Different Bar’ in Paphos, Panos Charalambous said “this is very nice news!” as it could have a big effect on the growing gay-scene on the island. It’s widely acknowledged that gay couples often have double-incomes, many don’t have children and they tend to spend more money in the local community when on holiday, eating in local taverna’s and restaurants; which is of great benefit to the local economy.

Cyprus – ‘The Island of Love for all’

Waine finished, “Over half of the enquiries we receive for gay weddings abroad are for Cyprus, and these are coming in on a daily basis, so there is certainly the demand there. We have so many gay honeymoon couples travel to Cyprus each year and they always rave about the island, the warmth of its people and standard of hotels. This is an ideal opportunity for Cyprus to bring about change for good, and to offset some of the losses it’s endured during the recession. Ultimately it is the island of love, it has fantastic 5* luxury accommodations, spa and wedding facilities, and this should be open to any couple in love.”

Outbreak of Swine-Flu in Mexico 28/04/09

Swine-Flu Outbreak in Mexico

28 April 2009 – 10:30

For all couples who have booked or are considering booking a honeymoon to Mexico.

Overview of the Current Situation:

We are currently monitoring the situation on a daily basis. This information will be updated as the situation changes, so please check back on a daily basis for further details (on our Website, Facebook Page and Blog).

Due to the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Tuesday 28th April 2009 has updated their advice: “We are now advising against all but essential travel to Mexico”

ABTA, The Travel Association, has issued further guidance to travellers this morning (which can be seen below).

If you have booked a package holiday with us or an ABTA company such as ours. We will be able to advise you and make necessary arrangements to travel plans where applicable. This may involve changing your holiday to an alternative destination or offering a cancellation.

If you have booked independently your scheduled flight may still go ahead and you may be unable to get any refund from the airline or for any accommodation bookings you may also have.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: It is imperative that you have travel insurance from the time of booking your holiday. As you MAY be covered in the event of changes in the situation of the Swine Flu outbreak.

Future Bookings to Mexico:

If you currently have a booking with us travelling to Mexico

We will have already been in contact with you by lunchtime today and all bookings are being dealt with on an individual basis. If you haven’t spoken to a member of our team please call the office on 0844 770 8270 or check your email as we will have made contact with you by phone or email.

Thomson Airways today cancelled their departures from London Gatwick and Manchester:

Flights affected
TOM 161 MAN / CUN departing 0930 local time
TOM 095 LGW / CUN departing 0915 local time
Thomson Airways are currently reviewing further flights scheduled for later this week and next week:

Flights due to operate from 29th April onwards are currently under discussion and decisions will be made later today

All other airlines and tour operators that we work with are reviewing their immediate services on a daily basis.

If you are currently planning a holiday to Mexico

All operators and airlines are continuing to take bookings as normal for future departures to the country. Please call our office on 0844 770 8270 for further information.

Other destinations which have reported cases of Swine Flu

The FCO has not placed any restrictions on travel to any other country, so it’s business as usual to all other destinations.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) assistant director general has insisted that the WHO was not recommending closing borders or restricting travel.

“Closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus,” he said.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact the team on 0844 770 8270

Winners of the TTG Big Idea 2008

Business partners Danny Waine and Helen Doyle are set to launch the UK's first weddings abroad specialist tour operator – "Perfect Weddings Abroad", after their new business idea was voted the best in the country by one of the UK's leading travel trade newspapers and its panel.

Danny and partner Helen have won the TTG Big Idea competition, run by UK Travel Trade Gazette newspaper. They have scooped the top prize - a massive £100,000 investment in the company plus expert advice from some of the industry's top bosses.

Danny says: "This is a real dream come true for us. The business will benefit enormously from the £100,000 financial investment, but the other part of the prize, which is expert support from some of the leading lights in the travel and tourism industry, is invaluable." Four travel industry 'dragons' each put up £25,000 of their own money for the competition prize as well as offering their expertise, guidance and access to their companies' products for the eventual winner to benefit from. They include Steve Endacott, from On Holiday Group, with a background in tour operating in some of the UK's largest travel companies, Terry Fisher, of Gold Medal Travel, who built up his own travel agency network from the age of 19 before selling up to Airtours in 1988, Simon Powell of Comtec, one of the most successful travel industry technology companies and David Speakman of Travel Counsellors, the UK's largest homeworking travel franchise, which is now operating worldwide.

Danny says: "In the long term we want to become the UK's Number 1 Weddings Abroad operator." The investors voted unanimously to back the pair. On Holiday Group Chief Executive Steve Endacott said: "We were impressed that they were willing to put in some hard graft to make this work. We think this is a great business plan."

'Perfect Weddings Abroad' is a spin off from Danny and Helen's current travel agency specialist business 'Perfect Weddings and Honeymoons' and will see the pair launch the new brand early in 2009. It will offer weddings abroad services to direct clients, independent travel agents and travel trade affiliates. The company will create jobs across the UK by expanding its network of homeworkers and in its head office in Staffordshire by developing its tour operation and trade-friendly business.

Danny says: "Perfect Weddings Abroad will offer a full overseas wedding planning service and add on the holiday arrangements. This is a totally new concept, putting the wedding at the heart of all the arrangements. We will offer a range of services including the option for fully inclusive or 'wedding only' arrangements, the provision of a personal wedding co-ordinator to accompany the couple from the UK to their location, a full pre-departure wedding planning service and we will also offer renewal of vows and civil partnership packages."