VILLA WEDDINGS IN THE CARIBBEAN
The romance of the tropics, privacy, the luxury of being cared for by an attentive staff ... A villa weddings have them all. For years Caribbean weddings have been high on the list of favorites for couples stepping out on one of life's greatest adventures. We have a great deal of experience organizing accommodations for wedding parties, be it a secluded villa for just the couple, or a combination of neighboring properties for a large group of family and friends.We look forward to arranging your wedding by the sea!If you need information for a Catholic ceremony, please call us.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
The minister or marriage officer will need the following to make application for your marriage license:
Copy of birth certificate;
Certified divorce papers or certified death certificate if applicable (if not certified, must be notarized);
Notarized parental consent if under 21 years;
Couples must be on most islands a minimum of 24 hours prior to wedding. The time period can vary from island to island up to 48 hours.

MINIMUM RENTAL FOR A WEDDING
A five night minimum rental rate is required for the villa where the wedding and any associated events are to take place. It is economic to house your wedding party and guests in one or more of our villas rather than a hotel.

WHEN TO HOLD THE CEREMONY
We recommend scheduling the ceremony close to sunset with the reception starting sundown under the stars and going into a romantic candlelight evening. Winter months, sunset is around 5:30 PM, so schedule your ceremony for 5:00 PM. Summer months, sunset is around 6:30

RECEPTION
Holding your wedding at a villa keeps reception costs down. Whether a seated dinner or poolside buffet, the bride is paying only for additional groceries for a menu upon which she and the cook agree. Your wedding coordinator will suggest various options, from finger-food to a full seated dinner. For large groups ... more than the maximum occupancy of the main villa ... we require that you employ an outside caterer for food and beverage.

THE WEDDING CAKE
The traditional Wedding Cake is dark and rich like a Christmas pudding, made with dried fruits such as prunes, raisins, dates, currants, cherries, etc. These fruits are finely chopped and marinated in wine and rum for months. This wonderful blend forms the base of your cake mixture. Crisp white frosting and fresh flowers complete the picture. Your cake can have one, two or three tiers. (Leftovers will last. Traditionally small pieces of the cake would be mailed in little boxes to friends and relatives who could not attend the wedding, and the top tier of the cake would be packed away and kept for use as the first child's christening cake on first anniversary). Cost of the Wedding Cake will depend on how many guests you wish to serve. A traditional American tiered wedding cake can be ordered from the bakery. Price varies with size and number of guests you want it to serve.

FLOWERS
Because of the abundance of tropical flowers native to Caribbean, it is unlikely that you will have to purchase any. Rather, the villa gardener will gather an array of fresh blooms on your wedding morning to be arranged into corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets, decorations and centerpieces. We suggest that you bring twist-ties, pins and ribbons from home. Should you want more or different flowers, we can get them from a local florist.

LIVE MUSIC
We can book a calypso, steel pan, or a reggae band to play at your reception. It is also possible to employ a local disc jockey.

PHOTOGRAPHS and VIDEOTAPES
Our Wedding Coordinator will confirm your photographer and/or videographer for you. Tell us how many rolls of film you will want or the length of the video and we will tell you the cost.

WEDDING PLANNING AND COORDINATION
If you plan only a simple ceremony with no other events or outside guests, you may not need our coordinator. If you plan a larger wedding, our coordinator is indispensable. For example, if your wedding will include special details, music, catering photographer/videographer, or events such as a rehearsal dinner and reception, there is no alternative to the services of our experienced local coordinator.

Contact us at:
888 703 0233
Email: Info@VillasByTheSea.com