ST LUCIA WEDDINGS

The secret is out. Couples love getting married in St. Lucia. Indeed, we are the marriage specialists. It must be something in the air or in the water! In 2006, according to American Express Travel, St. Lucia was the favourite wedding destination for British couples. In 2004, World Travel Awards chose St. Lucia as the World’s Best Honeymoon destination and Modern Bride Magazine voted St. Lucia one of its top ten honeymoon locations.
St. Lucia offers all sorts of possibilities. Thirty hotels on the island specialise in weddings and encourage couples to stay on for their honeymoon.
Bay Gardens specialises in garden and poolside ceremonies, Le Sport hotel makes the most of its spectacular architecture as a backdrop for its clients’ weddings. Windjammer Landing makes every wedding special. They do no more than two ceremonies a day. They want couples to enjoy the exclusiveness of the occasion.
Sandals with three hotels on the island, performs the greatest number of visitor weddings in St. Lucia. Each hotel has at least one wedding coordinator who arranges ceremonies.
Indeed, most hotels offer this service that allows couples to delegate their wedding planning. The bride and groom can literally lie on the beach until their wedding day. Formalities, flowers, photographer, music and reception are all taken care of by the wedding specialists.
If you are looking for scenery, there is Soufrière. The Pitons, a World Heritage site, is about the most dramatic backdrop to any wedding photograph. That way everyone will know you got married in St. Lucia, the chic place for weddings and the first of five places in the world that Oprah Winfrey recommends visiting.
Church weddings can also be arranged. However, this takes a bit more time to plan than a civil ceremony.
There are certain legal requirements that have to be completed before the marriage. These are clearly explained by local lawyers, usually chosen by your hotel, who will make your application to the Attorney General for permission to marry in St. Lucia. The application must be made seven days before the ceremony even though the couple is not yet in the island.
Original identity papers are required as well as divorce papers and death certificates for widows and widowers. For individuals under eighteen, proof of parental consent must be produced.
The St. Lucian marriage certificate is recognised in most countries such as the United States and Great Britain. French nationals, however, must register their marriage with the local embassy.
The demand for weddings in St. Lucia has created a new profession, that of marriage officer. Each new nomination is confirmed by an act of parliament. These civil marriage officers follow the vows and the rules laid down by the Registrar’s officer. However, wedding officers will happily accommodate couples who wish to include Bible readings in their ceremony.
Photographers and cameramen are available to record the event. Steel bands and saxophone players will give you music to dance to. Florists will make your bouquets a jungle of tropical flowers.
If you are still undecided, try the Internet. Look under St. Lucia weddings and you will see pages and pages of options to choose from.
In St. Lucia, there are hundreds of ways to say ‘I do’ while the waves gently brush the sandy shore at sunset.