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You write to Paul & Supparin
A short message — your dates, an approximate guest count, and the wedding plans you have in mind. Paul and Supparin are your direct planning contacts, from discussing your plans through to the wedding day.
Planning · guide
Civil Partnership Weddings Abroad
From our wedding archive: Laura and Marie Turnbull-James’s original account, with historical civil partnership terminology placed in context. For current wedding and legal guidance, follow the links below.
By Paul & SupparinFrom our planning archive · 3 min read
A historical wedding story, not current legal guidance
This archive page uses ‘civil partnership wedding’ as period terminology for a celebration abroad. Laura and Marie Turnbull-James’s account below is preserved in their own words, including the wording and spelling used at the time. It should not be read as advice about the legal status of a partnership today.
A civil partnership and a marriage are distinct legal statuses; a symbolic wedding ceremony does not itself register either. How an existing partnership is treated depends on the relevant jurisdiction and the couple’s circumstances, rather than the wording used for their celebration.
Thailand’s marriage equality law took effect on 23 January 2025, enabling same-sex couples to register a marriage. For our current wedding information, see same-sex weddings in Phuket and our legal marriage guide for foreign couples.
Laura and Marie Turnbull-James — their original account
WOW. What an amazing, thoughtful and just genuine people we have ever met. It was perfect in everyway and there is not one second of the whole day we would change or improve. We got everything we asked for and more. Unique Phuket team could not have done anymore then they did. They were professional, organised and it was amazing how they made us both feel. They done little touches to our special day and made us both feel like we were the only couple alive. We had a small wedding ceremony on the beech and a blessing with the monks. They organised our food, hair and makeup, venues and all those little things in between. All we had to do was turn up and be made to feel like princesses. They eased our concerns as they surfaced and they always were there if we needed them last minute for something or for help with other things. If we were to have to do it all again we would not go to anyone else and if we had to recommend a wedding service in Thailand then Unique Phuket Wedding Planners will be the ones every time. Not only did we get a amazing professional service, we have also met amazing friends for life. Thank you all for your delivery of a beautiful day and beautiful memories. Laura and Marie Turnbull-James xx
What a ceremony abroad actually involves
A symbolic ceremony carries no paperwork, which is precisely why it is so flexible. There is no residency requirement, no witnesses required by law, no fixed wording and no waiting period. Paul writes and conducts the ceremony with you beforehand, so the vows, readings and any family involvement belong to you rather than to a statute.
The practical shape is the same one we plan for every couple: a beach or villa setting, a ceremony of around twenty to thirty minutes, photography through sunset, and dinner afterwards if you are bringing guests.
Couples travelling as two, without guests, usually plan an elopement instead — the same ceremony, stripped of the logistics.
Same-sex couples in Phuket
Same-sex couples have always been welcome with us, and Phuket itself is an easy, unbothered place to marry. The suppliers we work with — celebrant, florist, photographers, venues — are the same for every couple, and so is the ceremony structure.
Timing the legal step around the trip
Where couples get caught out is leaving the legal registration until the same week as the ceremony. If you intend to marry legally in Thailand, allow around three weeks of planning lead time for documents and appointments, and expect a day in Bangkok. If your legal status is already settled at home, none of that applies and the trip becomes purely about the wedding.
Either way, tell your guests which day is the ceremony. Nobody outside the two of you needs to know where the signature happened.
What it costs
A symbolic ceremony is priced exactly as any other Phuket wedding — by ceremony type, guest numbers and setting rather than by legal status. Our pricing guide gives the honest starting points, and the legal registration, if you want it, is a separate cost on top.
If you are planning a civil partnership wedding abroad and Phuket is on the shortlist, the useful next step is a conversation about the shape of the day rather than a package list.
When you are ready
Begin a personal conversation with Paul & Supparin.
If your date, wedding plans, venue or paperwork are not yet clear, please start with a conversation rather than detailed plans. Paul and Supparin are your direct planning contacts, from discussing your plans through to the wedding day.
Before you enquire
What planning a wedding with us actually looks like.
A wedding on Phuket is a small number of decisions made carefully, not a long checklist completed in a hurry. This page is our quiet brief on how we work with couples — so you can decide whether the rhythm suits you before any commitment is asked of either side.
What happens after you write
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The next steps for your wedding
For enquiries that fit our services and starting budgets, Paul or Supparin usually reply within one Phuket working day. We can then discuss what is achievable on your date, possible venues and the next steps.
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We hold a call when it helps
Many couples prefer a short video call before committing. It is the fastest way to test whether we are the right fit, and to talk through venue, season and the practical brief.
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A written quote, line by line
When the brief is clear we issue a written quote — every supplier named, every line itemised, every assumption stated. You can change any line before you sign.
How Paul & Supparin work
Two planners, every wedding.
Paul leads the planning conversation, writes the quote, officiates the ceremony, and is the on-the-day point of contact for the couple. Supparin (Toom) leads the in-house floral and styling work, runs the installation, and is the on-the-day point of contact for the venue and the suppliers.
Communication is by email and short calls — calm, responsive, and in English. We do not work to a sales script and we will not pressure a date. Couples who choose to plan with us almost always do so after a considered conversation, not on a first reply.
Planning here is unhurried by design. The wedding is one day; the months before it are a relationship.
Planning from overseas
A planning team used to planning across time zones.
Most couples we plan with live in another country and arrive in Phuket close to the wedding date. Fifteen years of doing this means the rhythm is unhurried for you — we site-visit on your behalf, share photographs and short films, hold calls at sensible hours, and carry the local logistics so you do not have to.
Where a site visit is possible, it is welcome but never required. Couples who arrive only a few days before the wedding are met, briefed in person, and walked through the day before we run it.
Asked often, answered briefly
When should we start planning?
Twelve months is comfortable for a villa or resort wedding. Six months is enough for an elopement or a beach ceremony. Shorter is sometimes possible — please ask before assuming it is not.
Do you only plan large weddings?
No. Elopements and small beach ceremonies are a meaningful part of what we do. The two of you on a quiet beach is taken as seriously as eighty guests at a villa.
Will Paul or Supparin be there on the day?
Yes. Paul officiates the ceremonies, Supparin leads the floral and styling install, and one of them is the on-the-day point of contact. The wedding is not handed off.
Are we tied to specific venues or suppliers?
No. We recommend venues and suppliers we know personally and will tell you honestly where they suit you and where they do not. If you arrive with a venue in mind, we will plan around it.
Where to read next
Wedding planning guides →
Costs, paperwork, season and the practical brief.
Pricing →
What ceremony packages start at, and how villa and resort weddings are quoted.
Reviewed venues →
Beaches, villas and resorts we have personally worked at.
Real weddings →
Verified weddings we have planned and run — with photographs and couples' words.
When the picture is clear
Tell us about your wedding.
A short form covering your date, guest count, wedding plans and venue preference. For enquiries that fit our services and starting budgets, Paul or Supparin usually reply within one Phuket working day.