A wedding in the Maldives conjures images of white sand, turquoise lagoons, ocean views and candlelight dinners. It defines barefoot luxury and offers the privacy many couples want.
Most resorts offer their own wedding packages. These usually include a beach ceremony setup, a symbolic officiant and a professional photoshoot. Couples complete the legal paperwork with a civil ceremony before or after travelling to the Maldives, then celebrate with a symbolic blessing that can include any elements they choose.
A wedding in the Maldives is the epitome of luxury, and understandably comes with a price tag to match. While an intimate wedding for the two, with a simple beach set up and a romantic meal will add £800 – £5000 to the cost of your stay, a 3 day, 3 night buyout for an wedding of 150 guests at a resort such as Taj Exotica costs a total of around £300,000 ($350,000) based on 2026 prices, including all accommodation, transfers, food, alcohol and a basic wedding set up.
Choosing the Best Venue for a Wedding
The Maldives is made up of over a thousand small islands grouped into clusters known as atolls. Each resort typically sits on its own island, creating the privacy the country is known for.
There are around 150 five-star resorts across the Maldives, and each island feels different. Many islands feature natural vegetation, thriving reefs and native wildlife, with accommodation in beachfront and overwater villas.
Every five-star resort offers the essentials for an idyllic small wedding – white beaches, ocean views and restaurants suitable for a celebration. For elopements or intimate weddings, couples usually choose based on the guest experience they want, as resorts can arrange privacy without a full buyout.
For larger weddings, the choice becomes more limited. There are logistical challenges getting large numbers of guests, suppliers and entertainers to some of the islands. Additionally only a few have large event spaces suitable for a wet-weather back up.
Logistical Considerations
The Maldives has been the setting for many luxury and celebrity weddings, but there are a few practical points to keep in mind before planning.
Getting to the Maldives
There are regular flights to Malé International Airport, including direct BA flights from London that take around 10 hours.
Guests reach their chosen resort by seaplane, domestic flight or speedboat, depending on distance. The airport sits on its own island, with local flights, seaplanes and speedboats operating from the old terminal.
Moving between atolls isn’t simple, and often requires returning to Malé, so most visitors stay on one island for the entire trip.
- Travel time by speedboat from Malé to most of the luxury resorts is 20 minutes to 2 hours. Most resorts operate their own speedboats. Based on our experience, a 30 minute speedboat ride is a fun and exhilarating part of the experience, but some of your guests may not thank you for transfers taking more than an hour as the sea can be bumpy.
- Islands on the southern-most atolls can be reached by a short domestic flight followed by a speedboat transfer.
- For the ultimate arrival, a seaplane gives incredible views of the reefs and atolls. However, they are expensive, luggage allowances are strict, and they only operate during daylight hours and good weather.
Culture and Etiquette
The Maldives is a Muslim country, so while resort islands are relaxed, it’s important to be respectful of local customs. Alcohol can’t be brought in, and locals can’t buy or drink it, but it’s served on private resort islands. Modest dress is required if visiting local communities. Resort dining is international, with menus reflecting local ingredients and flavours.
Setting your Budget for a Wedding in the Maldives
The Maldives is exclusive, and costs reflect this. Everything from ingredients to décor must be imported.
Most resorts recommend a half-board or all-inclusive plan for meals. Alcohol packages start at £75-£100 per person, per day, or budget £12 for a glass of wine, £17 for a cocktail.
Wedding packages often include the ceremony setup, officiant, photographer, a celebratory meal and a room upgrade. To set your budget, add flights, transfers, accommodation, meal and drinks packages, and the wedding package itself.
Popular resorts rarely reduce rates in high season due to consistent demand.
The Best Time of Year for a Wedding
The Maldives enjoys warm weather all year. May tends to be quieter as it marks the start of the wet season, which runs until September. Rain showers can be more frequent, but tend to be brief, and many couples find this period ideal. Prices are lower, the islands are less crowded, and recent weather patterns have meant that the wet seasons have often been dryer, with similar rainfall to the dry season, which runs from from October to April.
Is the Maldives Right for Your Wedding?
The Maldives suits couples seeking intimacy, privacy and a curated experience. It isn’t ideal for large groups, but for symbolic ceremonies surrounded by clear water and quiet luxury, it’s hard to beat.
Legally binding weddings aren’t possible for non-residents, but couples can hold a symbolic blessing and complete the legal process before or after their trip.
Finding Wedding Suppliers for the Maldives
You won’t usually need to bring suppliers with you unless your needs are highly specialist. There’s a strong supplier base in Malé, and many services are included in resort wedding packages. DMCs such as Hummingbird Travel will work with your planner or resort to arrange anything else needed for a spectacular celebration. From a particular type of wedding cake, to a firework display – although it’s worth noting that firework displays need government approval and air traffic clearance, so the paperwork adds £1000s to the cost of even a 2 minute display.
Our Venue Recommendation
As travel logistics and transfer time for guests are an important factor in choosing the right resort for your wedding, we focused our December 2025 venue scouting trip on resorts less than 30 minutes by speedboat from Malé. Inevitably, their close proximity to the airport increases demand and prices for these resorts. So, if budget is a priority for you, it is worth also considering resorts with longer transfer times.
Anantara Maldives – A Seamless Wedding Experience Across Three Islands
From previous experience with Anantara Hotels, we’ve come to expect high standards across the board – from stylish accommodation and excellent dining to spacious event areas and world-class spa facilities. Anantara Maldives delivers on all fronts, making it a strong contender for destination weddings. We spent four nights exploring the resort, staying in both a beachfront pool villa and a deluxe overwater villa, and visiting seven of the resort’s restaurants and bars, plus the spa.
Effortless Arrival & Setting
Located just 30 minutes by speedboat from Malé International Airport, Anantara Maldives is exceptionally accessible. Transfers are available around the clock, and guests are checked in before leaving the airport, allowing for a smooth and stress-free arrival.
The resort is set in the South Malé Atoll and is made up of a cluster of islands surrounded by a shallow lagoon. Three of the islands have guest accommodation, while Gulhifushi – the resort’s private Picnic Island – is dedicated to daytime escapes, events, food trucks and sunset drinks.
Three Islands, Three Experiences
Anantara Dhigu is the largest and most family-friendly of the three, making it ideal for weddings with children or group activities. There’s a kids’ club, plenty of watersports, and bikes with each villa to explore the island’s sandy paths and boardwalks. The west-facing beach offers beautiful sunset ceremony backdrops, and several restaurants and private dining decks can be adapted for receptions.
Anantara Veli is an adults-only retreat (unless privately hired), designed for calm, elegance and privacy. It’s ideal for smaller weddings or proposals, with standout sunset views from its stone jetty and thatched pagoda. Dining is a particular highlight on Veli, with Japanese, Thai, Indian and tapas options – all beautifully executed.
Naladhu Private Island is the most exclusive of the three. Not even shown on the resort maps, it offers just 20 houses – including a 600 m² two-bedroom residence and a Jo Loves by Jo Malone signature villa. Guests enjoy à la carte dining and full in-villa service. This is the perfect choice for honeymooners or intimate weddings requiring total privacy. Access is restricted to Naladhu guests only.
Planning Your Wedding
The resort allows full buyouts of any of the three islands, but most weddings are held on the beach or on Picnic Island, followed by a private dinner at one of the bars or restaurants. The flexibility across the three properties makes it easy to shape the guest experience based on the couple’s preferences – from child-friendly group trips to peaceful adults-only escapes.
Weddings are usually organised in partnership with experienced planners and local DMCs like Hummingbird, ensuring smooth coordination. Anantara offers a comprehensive ceremony package including a celebrant, photographer, beach setup, floral arch and an indoor backup venue – essential in the Maldives where weather isn’t always predictable.
Final Notes
During our stay, the resort was operating at 95% capacity – a clear indication of its popularity. For honeymoons or weddings, early booking is strongly advised to secure the best room categories and preferred dates.
“One of the things that really stood out was the team behind Anantara. You can genuinely feel how much they love working here. Even in low season, 650 staff from 26 nationalities live and work together to look after just 197 villas. That sense of community comes through in everything they do, and it truly elevates the experience.” – Alison Hargreaves
Taj Exotica Resort and Spa – Winning Awards for Sustainability
Taj is a well known and well respected brand in India. I have stayed in some of their impressive 5* wedding hotels and palaces in the past. I was therefore interested to see how they adapted their ethos to an island resort in the Maldives, just 30 metres wide.
Rapid Transfer Experience
Taj Exotica sits in the South Malé Atoll, where airport transfers are fast. In perfect conditions, the journey takes just 15 minutes. The 25 minutes we experienced is perhaps more typical. The team took us straight from the arrivals hall to one of the resort’s speedboats. The resort completed check-in on arrival whilst the team transferred our bags directly to our room. We relaxed in the privacy of our villa less than an hour after collecting our bags at the airport.
Safe and Shallow Setting
The island sits within a shallow lagoon. Guests can enjoy the clear turquoise seas the Maldives are known for. They can also snorkel and take part in a range of water sports from the sandy beaches. The resort does not have its own house reef. However, the team has successfully planted coral as part of its sustainability initiatives. Guests can observe a large number and variety of fish from the boardwalks and the Mediterranean restaurant. These include nurse sharks and brightly coloured jacks.
Sustainability Credentials
Taj Exotica won Best Sustainable Resort at the Travel Trade Maldives (TTM) Awards in 2025. The resort secured this award for the second consecutive year. It is one of only two properties in the Maldives to hold an EarthCheck Platinum environmental certification.
The resort has covered the shallow lagoon behind the central hub with solar panels, away from guest areas. These panels supply more than 50% of the island’s electricity. The restaurants also reflect the resort’s sustainability approach. The team has replaced the buffets common in this region with à la carte dining.
Planning Your Wedding at Taj Exotica Resort & Spa
Weddings at Taj Exotica tend to fall into two categories that work particularly well here; intimate weddings for just the couple, or island buy-outs for around 120-160 guests.
Those options for a small, intimate wedding can have a private ceremony on the beach or in the thatched wedding pavilion within the shallow lagoon. It is accessed from the beach near the main restaurant, via a wooden pier. After the ceremony, enjoy a sunset cruise, followed by dinner in a small free-standing pavilion within the lagoon that can only be accessed by boat. Wedding packaged for small weddings at Taj Exotica Maldives cost $3000 – $4000.
For larger weddings, a buy-out of the island gives you private access to all of the resort’s facilities, including the restaurants for the reception and the main beach for the ceremony – weather permitting. You’ll need to book at least 6 months in advance and will need a planner to handle logistics; either bring your own planner, or the venue’s team can put you in touch with a local planner. All of the 64 villas can accommodate at least 3 guests, with the resort comfortably accommodating 160 guests for a wedding. The price for a 3 night private island rental for a wedding with 150-160 guests, including all of the wedding events, food and alcohol, costs around $350,000 based on prices for 2026/2027.
Other Popular Choices for a Luxury Wedding in the Maldives
If you’re looking for natural beauty and seclusion, Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is one of the most remote properties to the south, accessed by commercial flight and a 30 minute speedboat transfer. It’s known for its pristine beaches and minimal seaplane and speedboat movement.
Other highly regarded options include:
- Four Seasons Maldives – two private islands offering a refined, exclusive feel.
- COMO Maalifushi – beautiful, contemporary, and designed for quiet luxury.
- One&Only Reethi Rah – spectacular but without its own reef, so less suited to diving and snorkelling.
Take a look at our Venues in Maldives page for more information on these and other venues.
