Photo: Wedding at Viceroy Sugar Beach

Weddings abroad can be a cheapish (and diplomatic) option if you don’t want to invite hordes of people. The quicker you do it, the fewer guests will be able to come (and, if you're Cheryl, you're more likely to escape the paps). Check out our picks of the best places for a speedy wedding.

ST KITTS & NEVIS

The rules: Couples must have been in the country for at least two business days before they can tie the knot.

The venue: Montpelier Plantation

This pretty, atmospheric (traditional four posters, white shutters, porches), boutique hotel, on the lovely, off –the- beaten track island of St Kitts, used to be a working plantation. Tie the knot in the 18th Century Sugar Mill, or, if you're feeling historical, under the silk-cotton tree where Nelson married Fanny Nesbit in 1787.

Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Nevis, montpeliernevis.com

MUSTIQUE, ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

The rules: Couples must apply in person at the Ministry of Legal Affairs at least a day in advance, and you must stay on Mustique two nights before the wedding

The venues: Cotton House Mustique and Macaroni Beach

Macaroni Beach Mustique: Getty

Mustique has long been an exclusive playground for the rich and famous, and if your credit won't stretch to hiring a villa, the island's only hotel is the beautiful Cotton House. We’re not sure if this is where Cheryl stayed, but it gets our vote: small, low-key (for such a swanky island) and very romantic. The most popular beach location for the ceremony is Macaroni Beach, where, it is rumoured, Cheryl tied the knot.

ST LUCIA

The rules: A two-day residency is required

The venue: Viceroy Sugar Beach

Bang between St Lucia’s famous twin peaks, the Pitons, Sugar Beach is one of our favourite ELLE fashion shoot locations. Think plantation-house style rooms, lots of white, and tropical gardens. Get hitched on the beach, on the Great Lawn or in one of the luxury suites high up over the sea.

Viceroy Sugar Beach, St Lucia, viceroyhotelsandresorts.com

JAMAICA

The rules: Couples can get married 24 hours after arriving in Jamaica, as long as a prior online application for a marriage license has been made to the Ministry of Justice

The venue: GoldenEye

Even if you're not a Bond fan, it is hard not to be impressed with the idea of getting married in the sunken garden at Ian Fleming’s actual villa, followed by a party on his private beach. We defy you not to start humming Goldfinger...

Goldeneye, Oracabessa, Jamaicagoldeneye.com

visitjamaica.com/your-travel-guide/getting-married

BVI

The rules: Just three working days to process the required paperwork.

The venue: Rosewood Little Dix Bay

©PITER09

On a gorgeous bay, Little Dix is one of the most peaceful hotels on the island. For the ceremony : think a white beach lit with tiki lamps, or even next to the on-site sugar mill. And for the wedding night, the new Tree House suites raised on stilts with views of the sea. Could it be more romantic?

LIttle Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands, littledixbay.com