The dreamy, sunshine island of St Lucia has moved ahead of Barbados and Mauritius as the top choice for weddings overseas, according to a new survey by American Express.

This year, more money - conscious couples chose to marry abroad, to take advantage of lower costs.

In the honeymoons overseas market, which has doubled in value since 1998, Mauritius leads the field.

There has also been strong climb back to popularity by the four large Caribbean islands - St. Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica and Antigua. This is attributed to the strength of sterling against the US dollar.

And shrewd tour operators have come up with a spate of highly competitive packages to tempt them into spending on a romantic spree.

The Seychelles and Sri Lanka are also popular replacing Mexico and Florida in the top ten.

In common with other Indian Ocean destinations, the report suggests this is because of the breadth of luxury 'hideaway' style accommodation in this competitive sector.

The survey names Las Vegas as the wedding destination perceived by couples to offer best value.

Among competing city destinations, New York, Dubai and Cape Town have all grown in popularity over the past year.

There is also a growing demand for safaris to South Africa and Kenya as well as the tiny, remote Kingdom of Bhutan. This year's league table underlines the volatility of the market.

American Express Travel Weddings and Honeymoons Leauge Table 2006.

Wedding

1 St Lucia

2 Barbados

3 Mauritus

4 Antigua

5 Cyprus

6 Las Vegas

7 Jamacia

8 Seychelles

9 Sri Lanka 10 Maldives

Honeymoon

1 Mauritius

2 Maldives

3 Barbados

4 Thailand

5 Antigua

6 Seychelles

7 St. Lucia

8 Hawaii

9 Sri Lanka

10 Dubai