Frequently Asked Questions about getting Married in the Virgin Islands.
Why should I use Beach Wedding by Deb Service?
What Do I need to get married in the U.S. Virgin Islands?
What are some pricing guidelines and what determines the price?
What should I do to prepare for my consultation with Perfect Island Wedding Day?
What time of Day should we have our ceremony?
How long do most wedding ceremonies last?
Can we write our own wedding vows and read them at our wedding?
How far in advance do we have to reserve Perfect Island Wedding Day?
How much do we pay to reserve date?
What happens if the wedding is canceled due to any reason?
Why should I use Perfect Island Wedding Day Service?
- Complete dedication to your goal - to your vision of the event and what you wish to accomplish.
- Our pricing is transparent to all involved, Perfect Island Wedding Day does not mark up costs or inflate pricing from the vendors we use. The prices stated are direct from the vendors giving you a better idea of what and where your money is being spent, passing on lower prices to you.
- Discounted pricing on food, beverage and all aspects of the event because of Our relationships with the vendors – they save time and effort by doing repeated business with us, cutting down on paper and employee time at the customer level .
- Outstanding knowledge of wedding and event sites throughout the Virgin Islands.
- An unequalled level of enthusiasm and energy applied to your event.
- Huge time savings! You’ll save countless hours (and headaches) because we have already identified the best and most reliable vendors, already negotiate the lowest prices.
- And can assure that all your elements will be high quality.
- Creative, ingenious thinking that results in special touches, unique concepts and your total satisfaction!
- Flexibility! Perfect Island Wedding Day can plan and take care of as many – or as few – details as you like! And adjusts our pricing to fit your needs.
- The knowledge and experience to help you avoid common mistakes and pitfalls.
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What Do I need to get married in the U.S. Virgin Islands?
Each couple is required to fill out “License and Certificate of Marriage” and an “Application for Marriage License”. It is submitted to the court house along with $100.00 . I would recommend this to be done at least 2 weeks prior to the wedding date. (The court house recommends 8 days but don't forget about island time.)
- Use your full names and no abbreviations. Document will be notarized by Virgin Islands court house.
Court Certified Copies of a Divorce or Death Certificate (if applicable). Court certified copy means that a notarized seal from the court house that issued the divorce is on the last page of the Divorce Decree. Do not confuse this with notarized copies; they must have the raised seal from the court house on the last page.
The couple must pick up their own marriage license, in person, from the Court house in St. Thomas prior to their wedding day. Photo ID is also required before the license is released to you.
Upon completion of the wedding ceremony, Perfect Island Wedding Day Officiate will then make sure your witnesses have signed the applications. The signed applications are then taken back to the court house to be notarized by the court official. These certified copies are then mailed to your home address.
All of this is included in the Minister fee to Perfect Island Wedding Day.
Or if you are doing the court house service the minister fee is then the basic commitment fee.
What should I do to prepare for my consultation with perfect Island wedding Day?
Look in books and magazines for ideas that fit what you want you’re wedding to be. Formal? Traditional? Beach-look? Remember we can change colors or flowers to achieve your vision.
It’s helpful if you can provide us with the following information:
- Day
- Date and time of wedding ceremony
- Complete name, address and phone numbers.
- Approximate Number of people attending Ceremony and Reception.
- Contact person at ceremony/ reception
What are some pricing guidelines and what determines the price?
These are just guidelines but will give you an idea of what real pricing is, based on quality service and products.
You may find cheaper but quality will not be equal to these vendors.
- All of our pricing starts with the Minister for as the base commitment.
- Beach Location fee for ceremony: generally $100.00 per beach site.
- Transportation usually $20.00 round trip per person on same Island.
- Flowers: Most bridal bouquets are in the $100.00-$150.00 range and bridesmaids in the $50.00 - $90.00 range. We can make bouquets larger or smaller. Boutonnieres usually are $7.50-$12.50 and corsages usually are $10.00 – $20.00.
- Music: live Violin $250.00 per hour.
- Photographer based on Professional service chosen
- Cake starting at $60.00 for two.
- Reception at restaurant based on per person $100.00.
- Pricing is determined by which island your wedding is being held on. (Number of people,Type and location of reception).
What is the minimum service we can reserve from Perfect Island Wedding Day?
All of our weddings are performed with a Perfect Island Wedding Day officiate.
Basically one of our officiates will meet you a St. Thomas location and perform a standard religious or non-religious ceremony for $150.00.
What if we don't have time to select our wedding services or would just like to have a package instead?
Well I can understand that. Sometimes it is overwhelming to plan something so special from afar. We are there every step of the way. For those of you who would like a package, just contact us. We will create a wedding for you using your guidelines with- in your budget. But just because its called a package it still will contain the quality of service , unequalled level of enthusiasm and energy applied to your event
Remember you are in the tropics.Heat indexs temperatures can reach over 100 degrees in the summer time.
I always suggest linen shirts and pants for the men.When getting married on St. Thomas or St. John formal wear, such as tuxedos usually make the groom and his attendants look hot and uncomfortable. This causes pictures to be hurried and looking like they had a bad night out. For the Bride anything goes as long as you are comfortable wearing it.
What time of Day should we have our ceremony?
Usually I leave this one up to the photographer. Location and time of day are two important factors in making great pictures in St. Thomas and St. John as opposed to just taking pictures. At Beach Weddings by Deb we will adapt to your time. If you are not having a photographer then I would suggest any time before 11 am and after 4 p.m. to avoid the warmest time of day.
How long do most wedding ceremonies last?
The typical wedding ceremonies that I officiate are from 15 to 20 minutes long. However, they can be as short as ten minutes or as long as an hour depending on the particular needs and desires of the couple.
Can we have a friend or family member read a portion of Scripture, a poem, or other reading during the wedding ceremony?
Yes, This is a wonderful way to involve family or friends in the wedding ceremony.
Can we write our own wedding vows and read them at our wedding?
Yes, you can. If you would like, I will let the guests know that you wrote your vows and you can repeat them after me.
How far in advance do we have to reserve Perfect Island Wedding Day?
The sooner the better, we are already have several booking for the 2012 year.
Of course the busiest time is from January through July. Any bookings from July 30, 2011 through December 2011 get a Free St. thomas print if booked before March 31, 2011.
How much do we pay to reserve date?
1/3 of Total is due at time of signing contract. 1/3 due 1 week prior to wedding day. Balance due day of wedding.
What happens if the wedding is canceled due to any reason?
Prior to 30 days deposits are returned less $200.00 and any fee's to vendors paid or service fee.
After 30 days there are no refunds. However all couple are given the opportunity to reschedule ceremony to a different date.
What if I am arriving by cruise ship?
We specialize in cruise ship weddings. We will have transportation waiting for you at the dock. You schedule will first include a courthouse stop to pick up wedding applications in person. From then on, everything will be taken care of for you to have the wedding of your dreams at a location of your choosing. Flowers, wedding cake, receptions, tours, day trips can all be arranged by Beach weddings by deb.
We then provide transportation back to the ship so that your day ends on the happiest of memories.
Please contact us for any questions or concerns you may have.
We hope to have covered everything but if there is anything you need to know that's not addressed in this section, please send us an email and we'll do our best to give you an answer. Or if you know something you think we don't, let us know and we'll add it to our site!