Less than a decade ago, planning a destination wedding involved site visits, lots of long-distance phone calls and good luck. The internet has gone a long way to helping brides have the wedding of their dreams without the costs and uncertainty once involved.

The Cayman Islands is a favorite location for destination weddings. Just one hour south of Miami , the three islands offer services and activities for guests with a myriad of interests. Celebrations, a full-service wedding and special event company based in the Cayman Islands , can help you plan a memorable wedding and an enjoyable trip for your guests as well!

Cruise Weddings

With Celebrations on deck, cruise weddings are smooth sailing. Couples arriving by cruise ship can get married the same day they arrive in the Cayman Islands . Celebrations coordinates the paperwork, luncheon, décor, rentals and transportation- everything will be waiting for you when you disembark. They apply the same attention to detail to create a lavish reception or an intimate beach ceremony for just one special couple. Couples just need to produce valid identification (passport or Driver's Permit) and either death or divorce certificates in the case of previously married persons.

Stay-over Weddings

The hottest recent trend in stay-over destination weddings is the soiree - a series of events for both the guests and the bridal party. The Cayman Islands offers several 5-star restaurants, world-class scuba diving, historic castles and museums, rich botanical gardens and the famous Stingray City.

A typical destination soiree would include the following events:

• Welcome night (usually themed)
• Rehearsal dinner
• Wedding
• Brunch

Then there are the extra favorites such as:

• Golf tournament
• Hen night
• Sunset dinner Cruise
• Diving excursion
• Shopping trip
• Stingray City tour
• Turtle Farm excursion

Trends

If you choose to have a destination wedding you do not have to forego the traditional formal ceremony and reception - you will find all world-class services you need right in the Cayman Islands. However, recent surveys by the Caribbean Wedding Association show that brides rate having a fun, memorable wedding more highly than having a formal or standard one.

This translates to the colors used for wedding articles and accessories and the rituals and activities incorporated in the ceremony and reception. Destination brides are favoring fun, bright, vibrant décor and adding island-inspired accents. In the Cayman Islands we love chocolate-colored décor and accessories and cakes beautifully decorated in colors with personality like lime green and hot pink!

Getting Started

There are numerous resources to help you plan your Cayman Islands Wedding. The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has a comprehensive list of service providers from Ministers and Coordinators to Restaurants and Photographers. Have a look at www.caymanislands.ky.

Alternately, you can look at the Celebrations Ltd. website for examples of venues, décor, bouquets and cakes. Then fill out the form on the site and a planner will contact you to reserve your date and start planning the wedding of your dreams. Their planners have been featured in the Travel Channel's Weddings Away - Cayman Islands and they can even send you a copy of the series.