Ever more foreign couples wedding in Istanbul

Istanbul may not sound like the likeliest place a Scottish woman and an Irishman to tie the knot in. Having previously lived in Turkey’s capital Ankara, before moving to their current home in Dubai, Stephanie and Henry chose Istanbul for their wedding celebration because “they had fallen in love with Turkey.”

“We couldn’t think of anywhere better for a wedding than by the Bosphorus in Istanbul,” Stephanie said about their wedding in the historic Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, the sporting and social center of Byzantine Constantinople hundreds of years ago.

There has recently been a boom in the number of foreign couples, especially from Middle Eastern countries, who choose to have their wedding in Turkey, Başaran Ulusoy, chairman of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) told the Anadolu Agency.

“Turkey’s increasing international fame and the progress of its brand image have helped the country host more weddings for foreign couples,” he says. “The interest in Turkish dramas in many different countries has also contributed to the country’s reputation.”

This year, over 3,000 foreign couples decided to say “yes” to a life together in various cities all across Turkey, mostly in Istanbul, says Ulusoy.

Gülşat Şat, Deputy General Manager of wedding planning agency Cremano Wedding, says nowadays an increasing amount of couples are searching for an unforgettable wedding that tells a “fascinating tale.”

“Turkey, which has wide cultural and historical heritage, offers very nice venues for weddings, many of them by the magnificent Bosphorus,” she said.

Turkish photographer Serkan, who works for...