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Awesome Caribbean Weddings is a small company with a fantastic brief. It is a dedicated wedding arranger on St Lucia, which is one of the most romantic destinations in the Caribbean and already has an excellent reputation for weddings. Set up by two friends from England who have been in St Lucia for over ten years, Awesome Caribbean Weddings has an extremely broad range of imaginative suggestions that will help you turn your wedding day into something exceptional and very special.
Getting married in the Caribbean is a departure from a traditional wedding back home in more ways than a simple change of surroundings to the tropics. Unexpectedly, what with all the constraints of doing it at home, holding your wedding in the Caribbean can in fact be a release. You can arrange it in any way you like and don’t have to worry about other aunts’ and uncles’ expectations (the fussy ones probably won’t come anyway). You can use the wonderful natural setting as a backdrop for any fantasy or adventure you’d care to choose. There are just a few local regulations to cope with (legal documents, licence and taxes), but you can be married on the beach at sunset, or at a waterfall, even underwater if you really want. You can go away in a yacht, or in a dugout canoe, or a windsurfer. And of course at four thousand miles distant it is almost impossible for your mother to interfere.
Marrying abroad might actually help you to relax, because you know that you simply cannot have the control, so you have to hand over to someone else. Awesome Caribbean Weddings can give you the confidence to just let it happen around you. As two British women they understand exactly what is going through the mind of a bride from the UK or the USA and they realise the importance of getting it all just so.
Awesome Caribbean Weddings was set up in 1999 by two Englishwomen, Kayt, a fashion designer and artist, and Michele, who was taking time off from her job in human resources and travelling the world. They came to St Lucia independently in the early 1990s and became friends. The first wedding that they organised was Michele’s own. She married on an Atlantic beach, barefoot, with the breakers rolling in in the distance, and they danced in the sand.
Then, on the strength of it, two scuba diver friends asked them to arrange an underwater themed wedding for them. They organised a catamaran decorated with “seaweed” and tropical fish and a wedding arch made to resemble an underwater grotto, complete with sharks swimming by. Guests dressed to theme. There were Neptunes, a gorgeous mermaid, sub mariners and scuba divers. Kayt dyed her hair blue for the occasion while Michele had an underwater scene painted on her body. The cake was in the shape of a diving mask. The company was born from there.
Awesome Caribbean Weddings is able to provide a completely personalized service to plan a wedding or other personal ceremony (renewal of vows, for instance), no matter where you are from. The advantage of using a wedding organiser is that you can tailor-make to your own requirements, while in a hotel you are usually limited to the packages they offer. They liaise directly with the couple involved and sort out the realistic from the impossible and impractical. It is not necessary to visit them in advance. In addition to the ceremony itself, they can organize everything for the bride and groom, and also for the friends and relatives that come with them. They will also organise rehearsals, celebratory dinners as well as the ceremony itself, in groups ranging from two people up to two hundred.
The company is ideal for couples looking for a location outside a hotel, or for something more original than the standard marriage package offered by a resort. St Lucia of course has some fantastic locations and so they are able to arrange ceremonies at waterfalls and historical locations, on yachts and beaches, in villas and tropical gardens. They provide all the organisation and the logistics, including catering, flowers and cakes, music, transportation, accommodation, tours and honeymoons. They have tested out each one of their suppliers and know the best place to source any special requests. They also understand that there are likely to be last minute alterations once you arrive on island.
Awesome Caribbean Weddings organise ceremonies only on St Lucia, enabling them to offer their in-depth knowledge of the island to fit your ideas to reality, and of course they can oversee the whole event. Part of the strength of their service is the fact that it is not diluted. Also, they restrict their order-book to one wedding on a particular day, so you know that you will have their undivided attention. Their knowledge is also invaluable for the planning of the whole of your holiday, not just your wedding day. |
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Proposals It’s one thing to have a wedding in romantic tropical surroundings, but something you might not have thought of is the idea of setting the whole thing in train. Awesome Caribbean weddings has suggestions for and will arrange a small but special event to enable you to propose to someone in exceptional and romantic circumstances. |
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Special Offers 2008 PRICES FOR 2009
NATURAL BEAUTY BEACH CEREMONY - US$945 only for a St Lucia Beach wedding for 2.
The package includes:
Civil marriage officer and all legal fees. Office meeting with the Justice of the peace to sign legal documents – transport to office included for this. Marriage certificate. A public beach location, photographer and 40 high resolution digital images on CD. Two witnesses can be provided if required. A personal wedding co-ordinator. All planning and organization of the event. Valid for weddings that take place before 31 December 2009.
BAREFOOT BEACH CEREMONY - US$1,435 only for a complete St Lucia Beach wedding for 2.
The package includes:
Civil marriage officer and all legal fees. Office meeting with the Justice of the peace to sign legal documents – transport to office included for this. Marriage certificate. A private beach location, beautiful tropical bouquet and boutonnière, recorded music of your choice at the ceremony, one bottle quality sparkling wine for toasting, photographer and 50-80 high resolution digital images on CD, and fresh petal confetti. Transport for bride and groom to/from accommodation (north of island) to the private beach. Two witnesses can be provided if required. A personal wedding co-ordinator. All planning and organization of the event. Valid for weddings that take place before 31 December 2009.
Only one wedding can take place a day, so please contact Awesome Caribbean Weddings to book your chosen date. |
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Wedding Themes & Locations These are some locations that Awesome Caribbean Weddings can offer or has used in the past:
Beach - A private beach setting with a view out to the Caribbean Sea
Cliff View and Cliff Top View - With beautiful views of St Lucia and the sea
Waterfall Wedding - In the shade of rainforest plants, right in front of a waterfall and river with rockpools
Sea View Garden - A wonderfully colourful garden with an amazing vista of the Caribbean Sea, Rodney Bay and Pigeon Island
Wedding with a view - On a hillside overlooking the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea
Estate House - Historical building with a patio with a sea view for your ceremony and restaurant for your reception
The Old Sugar Mill - A beautiful stone sugar mill surrounded by lush gardens
Wedding on the Water - Depending on the size of your group, a yacht for a couple or small group and a catamaran for a larger group up to 75 people. A ceremony in the bay can be followed by a wonderful sunset cruise.
Villa - The villas of St Lucia are very popular for villa weddings - you can stay in it and use it as your ceremony location. The villa management companies, especially Tropical Villas Ltd and Awesome Caribbean Weddings work well together. Try typing in 'Villa Weddings' into the search and see what we can come up with.
They can help to find a lovely villa for you to stay in and also use as your ceremony location. |
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Wedding Arrangements Every wedding is tailor made to your requirements, but these are some of the services that Awesome Caribbean Weddings has offered its clients in the past:
Pre-wedding activities
A visit to a spa
Day trip to explore the island
Day sail or sunset cruise
Hairdressing, make-up and nail care services
Gifts for your guests
Flowers and Bouquets
Bride’s bouquet, groom’s boutonnière
Arbours and aisles made of tropical flowers
Fresh petal confetti from tropical flowers
Each bouquet is created especially for each bride and sample photographs can be sent to show the type of flowers and colours available. After discussion the bouquet and other floral decorations are coordinated to the chosen colour theme/bouquet or chosen wedding theme or style.
Bridal Bouquets are generally included in the programme put together for you by Awesome Caribbean Weddings and the price only increases if roses or specific imported flowers are required. Bridesmaids’ bouquets are coordinated with the bridal bouquet, as is the groom’s boutonniere. Also available are flowergirls’ baskets full of loose petals, floral crowns, floral tiaras, floral combs, pinned or wrist-style corsages and boutonnières (button holes).
Wine and Champagne
Full range of international champagnes and sparkling wines
Choice of pewter champagne flutes for toasting and photographs
Wedding cakes
Types of cake available include vanilla sponge, white cake, ginger cake, chocolate, fruit cake (moist traditional wedding cake), and Caribbean rum cake (fruit cake with rum and spices). They can be made with as many as four tiers and different tiers can be made with different flavours. Shapes include square, oval and heart-shaped cakes. Awesome Caribbean Weddings will send you photos to help you decide on the design, or if you find a design in a magazine that you particularly like, then their baker will replicate it for you. Typically they use fresh tropical flowers to top their decorated cakes
Photography and Videography
Awesome Caribbean Weddings’ photographer, Mikael Lamber, has years of experience in photography and videography in St Lucia and Europe. He has a photojournalistic style which will capture candid of moments of the wedding and the setting, and of course portray you and your guests relaxing and enjoying the ceremony. Mikael will take many more photos than the package you select and he will make sure to photograph all the key moments and more, including the arrival of the groom and your guests, the arrival of the bride, the ceremony itself and then portraits and group shots after the marriage.
The videographers, Chris and Trevor, are very talented and will capture the most beautiful moments of the day. This will include the location itself, the arrival of your guests, the whole marriage ceremony and of course many other special moments during the day
Music and Entertainment
Music can be provided, no matter the location. It can be recorded, or played live by a local band, including a steel band. Musicians available include a saxophonist, classical violinist, jazz or reggae guitarist, guitar/saxophone combo, a gospel choir, string ensemble, chak chak band (St Lucian folk music), steel pan band and solo steel pan player
Other sample services are available on request and are charged separately:
Marquees
They can be decorated to your requirements, with seating if required. Table settings can be as formal as you want, with white linen and cut glass and floral arrangements. Food can be barbecued for you at your chosen location
Transport is available for the wedding couple as for all the guests. Examples that you might choose from include a yacht, a limousines, a horse and carriage or even a helicopter. Awesome Caribbean Weddings will arrange vehicle hire for you in advance.
Accommodation
Awesome Caribbean Weddings can co-ordinate accommodation for you and for your guests. They will make a list of contact phone numbers for all your guests’ accommodation so you know how to reach them easily.
With your approval, Awesome Caribbean Weddings will email relevant information and an itinerary to your guests in advance of departure.
Finally, Awesome Caribbean Weddings is happy to consider any request and will try to organise anything within reason. Please ask.
Please note that all prices and services mentioned are subject to change without notice. |
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Legal Requirements All legal requirements for your wedding in St Lucia are dealt with by Awesome Caribbean Weddings as part of their service. They tell you which documents you must bring with you but after that they will set up the necessary meetings for you and transport you there and back. The idea is to take the weight off your mind because you know that it is all being done for you.
There is no residency requirement in St Lucia but the paperwork does generally take one or two days to process, so the earliest you can get married is the third day after your arrival on the island. An express service has recently been introduced for those who do not want to wait the usual length of time. It does cost US$120 extra but depending on your arrival time and day it is possible that you could be married on the afternoon of the day after your arrival, as long as both days are working weekdays.
The details of the documents you require are listed below:
- Passports (remaining time of validation min of 6 months) or Photo ID for US citizen
- Birth Certificates
- Decree Absolute (if any of the parties is divorced)
- Death Certificate (for the former spouse, in the case of widow/widower)
- Previous marriage certificate (if widowed)
- Deed Poll Certificate (if name has been changed)
- Parental Consent (if under 18 years old) by way of Affidavit from a Notary Royal
- Adoption certificate if applicable
Please Note –
All documents must be in English. If they are not, an authenticated translation must be provided along with the original.
If you have to obtain copies of any of the documents required please ensure they are CERTIFIED COPIES that have a RAISED SEAL OR FRESH, DIFFERENT COLOURED INK STAMP AND ORIGINAL SIGNATURE of authentication. |
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Religious Ceremonies Awesome Caribbean Weddings can organise a religious ceremony for you. The various denominations all have slightly different paperwork requirements and specific processes. They can seem a bit daunting, but you will be guided through.
They offer Catholic, Anglican (Church of England), Baptist, Evangelical, Nazarene, Lutheran (Wisconsin Synod only), Hindu and Jewish ceremonies.
Catholic and Anglican ceremonies can only be held inside the church building, the other religious ministers will perform ceremonies outside their church properties. For Catholic and Anglican weddings at least one of the couple must be practising in that faith. |
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Contact Details If you would like to make further enquiries or book services, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with Awesome Caribbean Weddings St Lucia, or if you wish to telephone them, their telephone number will be revealed if you click on the CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER link. |
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We appreciate your feedback on our service. I found this page useful I would like to make a comment All the information on this site comes to you free of charge and we do not receive commission for your reservations so it is always good to hear if you think we are doing a good job, or if you have any constructive suggestions. Please also remember to mention DefinitiveCaribbean to your friends so that we may be helpful to more people looking for an enjoyable Caribbean wedding experience.
Thank you for your interest. |
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