The romance of the tropics, privacy, the luxury of being cared for by an attentive staff ... Jamaica weddings have them all.

For years, Jamaican weddings have been high on the list of favorites for couples entering one of life's greatest adventures. Our villas make the most perfect locations for the great day thanks to the loving staff and the level of care that is an integral quality of every vacation we arrange.

We have a great deal of experience organizing accommodations for wedding parties, be it a secluded villa for just the couple, or a combination of neighboring properties for a large group of family and friends.

We offer guidance and contact numbers which you will find on this page so that you can make your own arrangements for a simple event. For anything larger we recommend you employ one of our locally-based wedding planners who are experienced in arranging Jamaica weddings.

Any discussion of getting married in Jamaica would not be complete without mentioning Good Hope Plantation, a magnificent romantic old world estate on 2,000 acres.

We look forward to helping you plan the wedding of your dreams!

MINISTER/MARRIAGE OFFICER
Pastors of most churches and all priests are licensed officers.

Recommended ministers are:
Rev. Anthony Ottey of picturesque Montpelier St. Mary's Anglican Church, 912-6956
Rev. Gordon, Church of God, 952-4616 (church) or 953-3376 (home + fax)
Rev. Alexander, Methodist, 952-1613 (church) or 952-2527 (home)
Rev. Evans, United Church of Jamaica, 952-2160 (church) or 952-6466 (home)

For a civil ceremony, contact nondenominational marriage officer:
Rev. Garnett Neathly 952-6253 (phone) 605-9368 (fax) cell 876 990 9498 e-mail garnett@cwjamaica.com

Area Code for all Jamaica numbers is 876.

If you need information for a Catholic ceremony, please call us.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
The minister or marriage officer will need the following to make application for your marriage license:
copy of birth certificate;
certified divorce papers or certified death certificate if applicable (if not certified, must be notarized);
notarized parental consent if under 21 years;
fee of approximately $250-$500 in a cashier's check.
Also include both applicants' full names and occupations, status (single/divorced/widowed), date and time of wedding, fathers' full names, name of villa where ceremony will take place, and proposed length of stay in Jamaica.
Applicants must be on the island 24 hours prior to wedding.
Apply for license at least 6 weeks before wedding date.

MINIMUM RENTAL
A one-week (7 nights) minimum rental at the full house rate is required for the villa where the wedding and any associated events are to take place. It is economic to house your additional wedding guests in one or more of our villas rather than a hotel. For "sister" villas where your additional guests are accommodated, there is a seven night minimum in High Season and a five night minimum in Low Season. Click here to see the sister houses.

WHEN TO HOLD THE CEREMONY
We recommend scheduling the ceremony close to sundown with the reception starting under the beautiful Jamaican sunset and growing into a romantic candlelight evening. Winter months, sunset is around 5:30 PM, so schedule your ceremony for 5:00 PM.  Summer months, sunset is around 6:30 but as Jamaican law requires that marriages take place before 6:00 PM, schedule your ceremony for no later than 5:30 PM!

WEDDING PLANNING and COORDINATION
If you plan only a simple ceremony, you may not need a coordinator. If you plan a larger wedding a coordinator is indispensable. For example, if you want music from a DJ or a live calypso band, outside catering, a photographer/videographer or a rehearsal dinner and full reception, there is no alternative.

Please ask our agents for the telephone numbers of experienced wedding coordinators NICKY FARQUHARSON (Montego Bay), HEATHER WATES (Discovery Bay) who reside in Jamaica. Each will quote you her fee and costs for all you request based on the details of your individual wedding. Your coordinator will be of great help.

RECEPTION
Holding your wedding at a villa keeps reception costs down ~ whether you want a small wedding or a seated dinner or poolside buffet. Your wedding coordinator will suggest various options, from finger-food to an elaborate seated dinner. For large groups ... more than the maximum occupancy of the main villa ... we require that you employ an outside caterer for food and beverage.

THE WEDDING CAKE
The traditional Jamaican Wedding Cake is dark and rich like a Christmas pudding, made with dried fruits such as prunes, raisins, dates, currants, cherries, etc. These fruits are finely chopped and marinated in wine and rum for weeks. This wonderful blend forms the base of your cake mixture. A crisp white frosting and fresh flowers complete the picture. Your cake can have one, two or three tiers. (Leftovers will last. Traditionally small pieces of the cake would be mailed in little boxes to friends and relatives who could not attend the wedding, and the top tier of the cake would be packed away and kept for use as the first child’s christening cake). The cost of the Jamaican Wedding Cake will depend on how many guests you wish to serve.

A traditional American tiered wedding cake can be ordered from a bakery or you can submit your own design for our pastry chef to create. Price varies with design and the number of guests you want to serve. Another option is simply to ask your villa cook to prepare and decorate a sponge cake.

FLOWERS
For specific blossoms for corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets, decorations and centerpieces, we recommend that you ask your wedding coordinator to order these through a local florist.

WHICH VILLAS ARE BEST FOR WEDDINGS? Click here

ADDITIONAL FEES APPLY TO ONLY:

$2,000 damage deposit in Greatview

$1,200 location fee in Seaside Cottage
$2,000 location fee in Silent Waters for stays of less than four nights

Reminder: In most villas, a $15 per person surcharge applies to reception guests in excess of double occupancy per bedroom. Fortlands Point $100 per extra guest.

VILLAS THAT DO NOT HOST WEDDINGS ARE: A Summer Place, Amanoka, Malatai on the Beach, Rio Chico, Sundown, Tranquillity on the Beach and Phoenix

GRATUITIES
Apart from the normal gratuity - 10% of the villa rental in High Season and 15% in Low Season - you may wish to show your staff additional consideration for the extra effort they will make for your wedding. Of course, if staff from other villas have been helping at any event, they too will appreciate recognition of their contribution when you are distributing gratuities. For a complete understanding of the budget, click on YOUR BUDGET MUST READ.

REFERENCES
Would you like to speak to one of the couples who cherish their special memories of weddings and honeymoons in our Jamaican villas? Just ask us and we'll put you in touch with some of our brides and grooms.

All rates quoted above are in US$.