Croatia is becoming increasingly popular as a wedding destination. Ever thought about tying the know in a lighthouse?
Although a wedding at a lighthouse might sound somewhat exotic, an escape away from the crowds, noise and traffic for the big day is increasingly popular with newlyweds. "Weddings at such isolated places are becoming more common among Croatian couples, but also among foreigners", confirms Darko Meštrović, managing director of "Plovput", the state company which manages the lighthouses in the Adriatic, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on September 16, 2015.
"Couples who choose lighthouses for wedding ceremonies must respect our rules. For example, if the wedding is taking place at dusk or during the night, due to security issues they must not use any strong lights, since the lighthouses are important for the safety of navigation. In addition, the weddings cannot have a large number of guests and our newlyweds respect that", says the director of "Plovput".
The first wedding couples arrived at the lighthouses 15 years ago. "Our people from Croatia come to the lighthouses, but we are happy that the beauty of our Adriatic coast is known among foreign guests as well. So, in addition to Croatian couples, we had newlyweds from Italy, Britain, Germany... That shows that foreign guests appreciate our rich cultural and historical heritage, including our 48 lighthouses, the stone guards of the Adriatic", says Meštrović.
Weddings can be organized, depending on the wishes, from the north to the south of the Adriatic. "So far, the couples have gotten married at the lighthouse Vošćica on the island of Krk, at St. Peter in Makarska, at Stončica on Vis, at Grebeni in Dubrovnik, while one of the favourite places is Veli Rat, a lighthouse on the southern tip of the Dugi Otok island, which is especially attractive for those who want to enjoy fantastic sights of the open sea. "Veli Rat is indeed very popular, so far we have had 15 weddings there. The book in which the guests write their impressions is the greatest reward for us", says the director of "Plovput".
Since we live in a consumer society, one of the important factors in choosing whether to organize a wedding at a lighthouse is the cost, which is surprisingly affordable. "Weddings are completely free. The couples who decide to have a wedding at one of our lighthouses must contact our company for permission and agreement about the wedding, but they do not pay anything. Couples have to take care themselves for transportation. As far as decorations are concerned, they have to be in accordance with our regulations about the use of light, in order not to endanger the safety of navigation", explained Meštrović.
Some of the lighthouses have been rented out for five or ten years, since the government has decided to dedicate thirteen lighthouses for tourism. It is nice to know that, in addition to everything else that the Croatian coast offers, couples can have a dream wedding at one of the lighthouses.
