Depending on where you're headed, you may be able to choose between a religious and a civil ceremony, or you may be locked in to one or the other (Bermuda permits only civil unions for nonresidents, while Bali requires that visitors declare a religion before a ceremony can take place). If you're planning a destination wedding on your own, one of your tasks is to find someone who is legally allowed to pronounce you man and wife. The following section will tell you how to do just that.

Clerics

Any house of worship has its own officiant(s) attached to it, so if you're planning to book a church or temple, you won't have to look any further for someone to preside over your vows. Some churches have more pre-marriage requirements than others, however, so be prepared to meet them. Catholics, for example, are required to complete a pre-Cana course (which focuses on the realities of marriage) and are sometimes also required to give six months' notice of their intention to become man and wife.

Questions you should ask your officiant well in advance of the ceremony include these:

• What are the requirements for marriage? (If one of you is divorced, can you still get married in the church? What other requirements will you have to meet?)

• Is the date I've chosen available?

• What is the fee for the use of the church or temple? (This is usually referred to as a donation and goes toward the upkeep of the property.)

• Who will perform the ceremony?

• How will the readings and music be chosen?

• Are there any restrictions on the types of decorations or flowers I can use during the ceremony?

• How much time will there be between my ceremony and the next service? (You don't want to be rushed out the door of the church after a three o'clock wedding because four o'clock Mass is about to start.)

You also want to know about the amount of adequate parking, whether the church or synagogue can be used for group photographs before or after the wedding, and whether you, the groom, and both sets of parents can form a receiving line after the ceremony.

Civil Officiants

There are fewer questions and requirements involved in planning a civil ceremony. Usually all a civil officiant needs from you is the marriage license and witnesses. You tell him when and where to show up, and he'll just step into place and perform the ceremony. Many couples choose a civil ceremony simply because they want to have the ceremony at their reception site, and not every religion will sanction a union outside of a house of worship. In other words, unless the ceremony takes place in the church, a religious officiant may not be allowed to preside over it.

The most likely candidates for performing a civil ceremony are a justice of the peace or a judge who lives in the area where you've chosen to marry. When you apply for your marriage license, ask for advice on finding someone to pronounce you man and wife.