(This post is a continuation of the destination wedding planning series)
Source: St. John Weddings
I asked professional wedding planners in St. John, “What advice would you give to a bride who is preparing for her destination wedding?”
Popular officiant, Anne-Marie Porter suggests:
- Work with someone you trust whether it be a coordinator, planner, or friend
- Leave expectations at home and focus on having fun
- Look forward to a relaxed and stress-free time
- Enjoy your honeymoon and expect a good honeymoon
- Specifically for St. John, you need a permit for marrying on the beach
Source: St. John Weddings
Well-known wedding planner, Stacey Mulcare suggests:
- Invest in a travel steamer ($35-$40) and delegate someone to steam your dress. Test it out first to make sure resort’s water doesn’t stain the dress
- Do dry-run of make-up and hair (charges apply) to understand how it will look and feel in the conditions (weather, lighting, wind, etc)
- Choose head pieces that don’t cast dark shadows (veils, tiara, flower, hair off face) v. (hats, gazebo, archway)
- Most brides don’t visit (around 15% do). Meet the chosen planner to get idea of ceremony and reception site.
- Specifically for St. John, marriage applications must be in the courthouse 8 working days before the ceremony with $100 fee. If you’re divorced, bring a notarized certified copy of decree. Only the bride and groom can pickup the license, however, after the ceremony, anyone can drop-off the license with officiant’s signature back to the courthouse.
- Specifically for St John, you can’t ensure total privacy for most beaches but it’s basically private before 9am and after 4:30pm. If you want total privacy, consider renting a villa (costs much more). Remember that sunset starts 6:00pm.
