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My January 23rd wedding couple were from my home state of Minnesota. When they first contacted me via my website, it was with a request that they have a fun, relaxing, happy wedding ceremony and reception. They were arriving on St. Thomas from a cruise. The ship was Oasis of the Sea by Royal Caribbean cruse lines.
They compared rates of wedding on board the cruise ship to mine and decided that Beach Weddings by Deb was by far a better wedding package. Just getting rates, details or simple questions answered from the curise lines was a major time consuming ordeal.
Catamaran wedding on Water Island from cruise ship weddings
Pricing was inflated and service was deflated. http://beachweddingsbydeb.com/cruise-ship-weddings.html
What was the final result? Just what they requested.
They were met at dock and driven to courthouse to pick up courthouse papers as required in person.
Cruise ship wedding on Water Island
Then back to ship to get dressed and meet with guest for boarding a catamaran to Water Island. Temperture 82 degrees, sky blue. Back home in Mn it was 10 degrees and cloudy.
A short ride to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island.
Ceremony, pictures on beach.
The rest of the day spent sailing over to Buck Island for snorkeling, Wedding catered lunch, wedding cake, open bar.
Back to cruise ship and off to next port of call as the New Mr. and Mrs.
My mission was accomplished
St.Thomas weddings as a port of call when on cruise ship compare .
Ok I have said it before, I love weddings and I love boats!!!!
I love making people happy and creating memories that last a life time,not only for the bridal couple but for their guest too.
Maybe it’s because I am a Leo or have some need in my bio, that craves the desire to make people happy.
What ever the reason , I am constantly searching for the perfect combination of a St Thomas beach wedding ceremony and reception.
We had a perfect example of a cruise ship wedding this week. This can be modified to fit whether you are staying on island or have St. Thomas as a Port of Call.
Cruise Ship arrived on St.Thomas with bridal couple and 50 guest on board.
The itinerary went like this.
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8:00 am Cruise ship arrives on St. Thomas.
8:30 am Bridal couple meet Beach Weddings by Deb driver on dock for trip to court house.
9:00 am Bridal couple return back to cruise ship to prepare for wedding.
12:00 am Bridal party and guest meet Beach Weddings by Deb representative on dock to be
escorted to a catamaran privately chartered for wedding with open if desired.(Usually within a 2 to 3 block area).
1:00 pm Bridal catamaran arrive at beach
1:30 pm Wedding ceremony
2:00 pm Cake cutting and toasting pictures with champagne and or rum punch.
2:15 pm hordorves or reception beach BBQ served. Music,open bar all under covered open beach side Pavilion.
3:30 pm All board catamaran for ride back to cruise ship.
4:15 pm All board cruise ship.
5:00 pm Cruise ship leaves St. Thomas.
This wedding had a few upgrades such as but not limited to.
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Pillar flowers for ceremony.
Chairs at ceremony for 50 guest.
Flower petal and conch lined aisle.
Live music.
Separate boat to ceremony, for bride in full traditional dress and brides maid. It was the brides desire to remain unseen until she walked up the aisle at ceremony. Very romantic.
Additional hours of photography, on cat and at reception.
A good thing to remember when thinking about a beach wedding is that you are not subjected to conventional limitations. However it is a catamaran and beach environment, so guest should expect that there may or may not be a dock at the beach. They may have to board a smaller boat to be transported between shore and catamaran. If you expect to have elderly guest we can accommodate them but it would result in upgraded transfers for them. I would also suggest that guest clothing be casual. This is not the environment for heels and dress shoes. Flip flops rule.
The most important and number one rule. There is no rule. That is the beauty of a St.Thomas wedding or a St.John renewal.
- A St.Thomas wedding has no restrictions on where you want your first kiss.
Bridal couples pick having a destination wedding for several reasons.
Today I would like to discuss one of the most important reasons. No rules.
Having a St.Thomas wedding or a St.John wedding is less formal to be sure. How many brides getting married in the U.S. go barefoot or have their first toast out of coconut shells? How often do they have pictures walking hand in hand on a white sandy beach with sea gulls flying? Get the picture?
Want red shoes at your wedding? You can at a St.Thomas wedding.
Getting married in the Virgin Islands can be as formal or informal as you desire. To me the whole idea of a beach wedding is to enjoy the sun, water, sand, romance and wedding vows. There are no restrictions or rules about how you decorate, how many brides maids or grooms men. There are no rules to govern , time of day, number of guest, who stands where, how many flowers are needed or when to serve cake. Want rum punch for the first toast. You’ve got it. Want to get married in shorts. No problem. Want a formal full dress with hair and make up done. Anytime is fine. Its your day enjoy, celebrate the occasion and just do it.
Out side of your budget the only limitation is your imagination.
Let nature decorate or help decorate with an arch at your cruise ship wedding or St.Thomas wedding.
Even a small budget can produce a beautiful ceremony, what better decorations or surrounding could you have?
All of the wedding destination magazines and websites will give you information on locations to get married at. There are endless websites for St. Thomas weddings and wedding packages that rival Las Vegas. I can only tell you why I love it in St.Thomas.
Why I live, work as a wedding coordinator and play here. Why, after living and traveling all over the U.S., I call St.Thomas and the U.S Virgin Islands my home.
The weather plays a big part, no scraping, shoveling or salting of snow done here. St. Thomas is as close to paradise as you can get, in terms of weather, but another draw for me was the uniqueness. The celebration of different cultures, races and customs. A small town atmosphere without the boredom. Besides the long term citizens living here in St.Thomas, we also have a very fluent, transient population that keeps the whole gamit interesting and fun.
I find myself scanning the harbor, every time I pass, just to see what has arrived or changed. I check to see which cruise ships have arrived in port, which friends have come back from a sail, which ones have left for parts unknown or which new visitors have arrived via the port.
Thanks Giving was no exception, with my husband being a photographer and a sailor, we could not pass up the opportunity to take pictures of the Bounty, a replica of the real Bounty from Munity on the Bounty. This picture was taken on Thanksgiving day.
We were in our dingy just leaving our boat Shanit and could not pass with taking pictures. Enjoy along with us the past with the Bounty and the present with Celebrity cruise ship.
Bounty ship and Celebrity Cruise ship in St.Thomas
One never knows what will pop up on a given day down here. This is not the place for people who relish the same day to day routine. But if you are looking for a location that gives excitment and great weather, have a wedding here. Don’t be shy of the unknown because if you do. You will be missing out on a great experience.
My job must be the best job in the world! Not only do I get to live and work on St.Thomas in the Virgin Islands but I help couples create St.Thomas wedding day dreams.
I love to take couples from the beginning of their planning to the very end. From the “What does it take to get married in the Virgin Islands?” to “What kind of cakes do you have?”
This past weekend was another great one. Thanks to Cristin Dressell and Andrew Lukcso who were married here on St. Thomas. Surrounded by family and friends they enjoyed a great catamaran reception.
Steel Pan music for first dance aboard Catamaran
They had perfect weather and a great sunset. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Lukcso of Ohio.