How to Plan Your Beach Wedding in St John
These days, being a Virgin (Island) beach bride calls for two willing hearts, a bit of planning, and minimal paperwork. Consistently ranked as one of the top five wedding and honeymoon locations, the U.S. Virgin Islands is the perfect place to start your blissful wedded life together.
A wedding on the beach is memorable for an intimate wedding for just the two of you, or for an elaborate celebration with family and friends. And yes, barefoot beach weddings are absolutely acceptable!
Remember, when you’re married in the Virgin Islands, you’re also in an idyllic location for a romantic honeymoon. So think about having your wedding on one island and honeymoon on another. That’s the beauty of having four different islands to choose from, all within a quick ferry or plane ride of each other.
Most of St. John will always be a part of the US National Park System. As a result, beach wedding locations and sites are truly pristine, peaceful, and absolutely stunning.
The island is the most undeveloped, easygoing and serene of the three major US Virgin Islands. Nearby St. Thomas Island has the airport, so arriving on St. John is by ferry service from St Thomas. St. John is also very close to the British Virgin Islands, so day trips easily include the “BVI.”
As an American Territory, St. John operates under U.S. laws. If you are a U.S.citizen, you do not need a passport to enter or return to the United States. If you plan on visiting the British Virgin Islands while on St. John, you will need a passport to re-enter the U.S. Virgin Islands.
You will get tons of additional free info about these options when you visit the links I display below in my “Location. Location. Location” panel.
In considering which of hundreds of potential beaches to site your wedding ceremony, keep in mind the nearest airports, accommodations and “civilization” (caterers, wedding cake bakers, musicians, photographers, and restaurants to provide for your guests before and after the wedding itself). Also, think about whether it is important to be on the beach at particular times of the day (such as sunset) and where the sun is likely to be at that time.
In coastal locations, huge beach houses can often be rented more affordably than putting up most people in a resort hotel. They also often offer large decks or entertaining areas that would be great for the rehearsal dinner, the wedding reception, and even the post-wedding breakfast.
So, explore! Enjoy! And relax!
Sarah Forrester
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Check out these links to fabulous beach venues in St John, US Virgin Islands.
Trunk Bay (North Shore) is by far the most popular beach in St. John for wedding ceremonies. Considered one of the top beaches in the world, Trunk Bay is truly beautiful all day, but especially at sunset. Hawksnest Beach (North Shore) is a white sandy beach with coral and outcroppings of rocks, making this an unforgettable location for a beach wedding ceremony. The lighting for photos is most spectacular in the mornings. Cinnamon Bay Beach (North Shore), at about 1 mile, is the National Park’s longest beach. This mile long, white sandy beach offers views of other islands and plenty of shade. |
The USVI tourism office offers a free “Getting Married in the United States Virgin Islands” kit that includes a license application and guidelines. Call 1-800-372-USVI toll free to get a copy.
American couples need only fill out a two-page form, pay a $50 license fee, and observe an eight-day posting period. It can be done through a local wedding planner, thus eliminating an on-island waiting period. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, start planning a minimum of two months ahead, or even sooner if you’re thinking big. The U.S.Virgin Islands require no marriage blood tests. Previously married individuals must present a certified copy of their divorce decree or death certificate of a deceased spouse. The marriage license application fee is $100 ($50 for application fee and $50 for the license). Only cash, certified checks and money orders are accepted. The application is good for 1 year. No physical examination or blood test is required. Civil marriages in front of a judge are performed on weekdays by appointment and will cost around $200. Ceremonies are performed Monday through Friday at 8:30am on St.Thomas and Wednesday at 9:00am on St. Croix. For a religious ceremony, you must make your arrangements directly with church officials. Before your marriage license can be issued, you are required to personally appear before the Clerk of the Court or her designee: 8:00am through 5:00pm Monday through Friday, except holidays, and Saturdays from 10:00am through noon, except Carnival Saturday. Additionally, by appointment and upon paying a $150.00 fee, the Clerk of the Court or her designee can be available on Sundays between 9:30-10:30am. Because marriage license requirements can change, please do not regard this guidance as legal advice. |
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Planning so far in advance for a beach wedding means that you need to equip yourself with facts about the weather (temperature and possibility of precipitation) for the beach location that you have in mind.
Although there certainly are exceptions, when it comes to weather, the past is a pretty good predictor of the future.and it will almost always be better than a wild guess. This link provides historical weather data over nearly 50 years for thousands of locations in the world. |
What if a major storm occurs or the groom has an accident that requires the wedding to be postponed or even canceled? What if an important vendor goes out of business before the wedding and you can’t get back your deposit for the cake or the music?
Consider wedding cancellation insurance. It is available online for as little as 1 cent for every dollar of insurance, and it can cover the honeymoon, too. Here’s one site that has designed a special insurance policy just for coverning wedding -related events: http://www.wedsafe.com/ |
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To help you through the sometimes mind-boggling decisions that you must make,
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I mean everything! Click here and check it out for yourself!– Your host, Sarah Forrester
