Booking a Jamaica Wedding Package is an easy way to plan an island wedding. Jamaica’s uncrowded white sand beaches, lush tropical foliage, and sunny Caribbean climate make the island an idyllic spot for a romantic wedding or a renewal of vows ceremony.
Many resorts have pre-planned wedding packages or you can enlist the aid of an island wedding planner and create your own package.
Requirements for a Jamaican Wedding
Jamaica welcomes couples looking to get married on the island. Jamaica has very few requirements of prospective wedding couples. Couples must reside on the island at least 24 hours prior to the wedding ceremony. In this day of delayed and cancelled flights, it is a good idea to plan for an extra day, just in case. Each party is required to have a birth certificate (either an original or a certified copy) accompanied by a photo ID. In addition, each party must carry a notarized affidavit stating that he or she has never been married before. Divorced parties must bring a copy of their divorce papers, and widows and widowers are required to show their deceased spouse’s death certificate. Fees for the marriage license and certificate range from $200 upwards, depending on how much of the legwork you do yourself.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and bring two witnesses with them to the courthouse. (Most resorts and pre-planned Jamaica wedding packages include witnesses, if needed.) No blood test is required for a marriage license in Jamaica.
Choosing a Resort and Location for Your Wedding
The island of Jamaica is filled with idyllic spots for a romantic wedding. Choose the lush, green jungle surrounding Ocho Rios on the north side of the island or the seven-mile stretch of white sand at Negril.
Kingston offers a more authentic island flavor whereas Montego Bay is convenient to the airport and full of resort-type amenities, such as fine restaurants, plenty of activities, and luxury resorts. If you are looking for something more formal than a beachside wedding, many resorts also feature picturesque gazebos nestled in tropical gardens, designed especially for wedding ceremonies.
Booking a Jamaica Wedding Package
The Sandals Resorts Company is the pioneer in offering resort-style wedding packages and the company is still the industry leader. Their seven resorts scattered throughout the island offer a wide variety of preplanned wedding packages, including several designed by “wedding planner to the stars,” Preston Bailey.
These elegant wedding packages cover every wedding detail, from lovely flower bell bouquets to chair covers, from expertly-designed table arrangements and coordinated table linens to a romantic flowered wedding archway. Possible upgrades include photography, live music, a bride’s personal dressing assistant, and a videographer.
If you’re looking for something simpler, Sandals offers a complimentary basic wedding package with an officiant, flowers, a cake, Champagne and hors d’oeuvres, and the marriage license and certificate, for couples staying at least seven nights at the resort. They also offer periodic specials, such as the current offer of a complimentary set of china to any wedding couple spending a week at one of the seven resorts.
This video is a promotional video from Couples Sans Souci Resort, highlighting a wedding couple. Takes about 3 minutes and 15 seconds and has some very good music as background. Shows much of this nice resort.
Many other island resorts offer a Jamaica wedding package and the services of designated wedding planners. Perhaps you want to get away from the tourist areas and get married amidst the natural beauty of the Blue Mountains, on the east side of the island. Country inns, such as the Strawberry Hill Inn, offer beautiful settings and scenic vistas, up above all the bustle and commotion of the coastal resort cities.
Creating Your Own Wedding Package
Couples desiring a unique or specialized wedding may wish to make their own arrangements. Most of the legal requirements can be handled via the Internet and you can just go to the courthouse, show the registrar your documentation, and sign the papers one or two days prior to the ceremony. There are also several Jamaican wedding-planning firms, independent of the large resorts, which can assist in arranging all sorts of island weddings.
That Special Wedding Day
You’ve booked your Jamaica wedding package, you’ve arrived on the island, and you’ve got your friends and family with you to celebrate your special day. Jamaica’s friendly people, lush tropical setting, and sweeping sea views are sure to make your island wedding a day you’ll remember always.
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