Choose this Idyllic Location for Your Cayman Beach Wedding

Our favourite photographer, Dennie Warren Jr. of Better Angle Photography sent me this picture today. Smith's Cove is a free, public beach approximately 2 miles from the cruise landing.  It is a well-loved wedding location for a Cayman Beach Wedding.  It is also a special spot for Trash-the-Dress photos.  It is an equally idyllic spot for sunset beach weddings.  This location is suitable for large and small groups.  For an intimate wedding, see my upcoming post on My Secret Cove, also popular  for marriage proposals.

If you arrive in Cayman by cruise-ship we will pick you up at the cruise landing, bring you to our waterfront office where you can complete the documentation for your wedding and get dressed in our Bridal Room.  We then take you to the location you have chosen for your ceremony.  Coming with a group? No problem.  My assistant, Maria meets you when you step off the tender with our Simply Weddings welcome sign, and our friendly tour operator, Joselene will take your guests to the wedding site is an air-conditioned coach.

Start planning your Cayman Beach Wedding today,  contact us to reserve your date and time.  Wedding packages start at US$700.

Governor's Beach , Grand Cayman, such a simple wedding location

We get a lot of emails from couples wanting a very simple, Cayman wedding. Many of these arrive on cruise ship, but recently we have been getting a lot of stay-over visitors as well, as this North Carolina couple below.

These are the kinds of questions I get most often.

Is our marriage legal in the USA?  - Yes, it is

What do I have to provide in advance? - Copies of the picture page of both passports, any divorce decrees, or death certificates as application, and an application form.  We also require a deposit of $250 to reserve your date and time.

Can Simply Weddings pick us up?  Yes, many of our wedding packages provide transfers, from the harbour to our office and Bridal Room, to the beach for the ceremony, and back to the harbour.

How do we choose the beach wedding location?  Have a look at my Facebook pages,  SimplyWeddingsCayman and GrandCaymanBeachWeddings in my Photo Albums you will see many beach locations.

I would like some  flowers, do you provide them?  Of course, many of our packages have bridal flowers, or we can customise a special order bouquet for you.

I would like a few photos of my wedding, can you provide them?  We have one photo package, which is done by a professional photographer and you receive edited high resolution and low resolution (for emailing) images on a CD.  We no longer provide prints in an album.  We also provide videography as required.  You are welcome to take pictures with your own camera.

Can you guarantee we will have privacy for our wedding?  Not on Seven Mile Beach.  This whole strip of beach is public, but I can take you to a quiet beach you will be unlikely to have other people in your pictures.

We would like our children/our family to be included in our wedding ceremony, is this possible? Of course, I write many ceremonies to include special requests.  You can also create a Family Memory Vase using a Unity Sand Ceremony.

Are there any Cayman Islands traditions which you include?  Definitely, I like to use the "Champagne and Cork" ceremony, and if there are children present I will have a gift for them to remember the day.

So, until next time, when I will answer more of your questions...

Cheers,

Joy

Grand Cayman Wedding Vow renewal with Joy Basdeo and Simply Weddings

If you want to add something special to your Cayman Islands vacation, consider a wedding vow renewal.  It doesn't have to be one of the big anniversaries, you can take advantage of our very reasonable packages to make your cruise visit, or stay over vacation a holiday to remember.  All our beach Wedding Vow renewals come with chilled champagne for toasting, and non alcoholic sparkling grape juice if you bring your kids.  Cake and champagne on the beach is always a thrill for your guests.  I like to do the Champagne and Cork ceremony, a Cayman Islands wedding tradition.  This is a lot of fun for children or other guests.  

Valentine's Day Wedding on Seven Mile Beach, one of the World's Top Beaches

My team really pulled together to make this Valentine's Day wedding on Seven Mile Beach extra special for this young couple from Florida  who were visiting on a cruise ship, with their young son.

This location, which is called Governor's Beach, has everything you need for stunning wedding pictures. 

This chocolate-mint wedding cake made by Caykes was a big hit with everyone

My Secret Cove was the Perfect Spot for these British Cruisers

My readers will note that I have not been blogging much of late.  I am going to make a confession.  I don't like blogging on my PC, and it takes forever.  I don't like Windows 7 and I don't enjoy using it. There! So I finally bought an iMac and now I have to learn to use it properly, and hopefully I'll be able to blog frequently and finally catch up on all those beautiful pictures my photographers have been supplying me with.

If this works, I am eternally grateful to Ben and Mari of Beneficial Entertainment Ltd. who actually came and gave me a lesson in using photos with an iMac.

This British bride emailed me a few months ago to say that she would be in Cayman in January with her fiancé, and since her son works on a cruise ship he would be able to be their witness and bring a friend.  I thought that My Secret Cove would be the ideal spot for this small group, and it was really a brilliantly beautiful winter's day in Cayman.

It really makes sense to choose my all-inclusive package when you are just a couple or a small group, then everything goes smoothly and you can relax and let me do all the arrangements (as well as the ceremony).

We always have a lot of fun with the champagne and cork ceremony, and it makes for some pretty good candid shots too.  A wedding is supposed to be fun, I always say, and I am happy when I see the Bride and Groom's faces wreathed with smiles.

Presentation of the cork, then I told them about the meaning of the cork, and why it's important as a souvenir of their wedding ceremony

Now that I have got to the end of this particular post, I can't believe how much easier it is to blog.  I guess Ben Hudson is a really good teacher,and I do appreciate him taking the time to show me how to make this easier.

Governor's Beach was the right spot for this Michigan couple and family

I told this Highland, Michigan bride I really admired her, since her wedding featured the couple's six children and a large family group and they all came in by cruise.  I am not sure I could have pulled that off as calmly as she did, but it just goes to show that a casual wedding can be loads of fun. One feature of the wedding was the Unity Sand Ceremony, with lots of colors, as I let the children pick their own colors.  The two grandmothers laid down the foundation for this very special Memory Vase.

Here is the set up for this special Unity Sand Ceremony and Memory Vase

The Bride and Groom topped off the vase.  Usually I would add some Cayman sand to finish it, but this time the vase was a bit full, so I just said a blessing.

Here's the whole group

The couple got lots of photos by themselves as well. After the photos and champagne, the family and guests spent the afternoon enjoying this beautiful spot.  The Governor's Beach is consistently voted one of the world's top spots for a beach wedding.

This Tulsa, Oklahoma bride loves cruising, so getting married while on their 21st cruise was not really surprising, since she and her partner had been together for many years.  We had a lovely time over at Smith's Cove.  Later on this month they will be back in Grand Cayman and we look forward to seeing them.  Many of our couples drop by to say 'hi' and that's great with us.

This couple chose the square bamboo arch festooned with organza and tropical flowers, complimented by a beach aisle.

When I dressed for this wedding I didn't realize the bride's favorite color was green, so we were fortuitously complementary.

After the ceremony, the cake and champagne the couple posed with their family and friends at wonderful Smith's Cove.

This was quite an unusual day, we don't have a lot of Saturday cruise weddings.  This means I have to get a couple's Special Marriage License in advance, as the marriage bureau is not open on Saturday, Sunday or public holidays.  The advantage of this is two fold, the wedding can take place early, before it gets too hot, and also before the beach gets crowded.

Canada-Cayman Connection for this Sunset Beach Wedding

Some of my readers will know that my husband Sam, and I met at McMaster University in Canada back in 1971.  This bride works at McMaster University, so we had a little chat about how things have changed at our alma mater.  This couple were on vacation with their little daughter, and also visiting family in Grand Cayman.  They planned an elopement, no one knew they were getting married, in fact the groom's sister was told they were coming to Smith's Cove to have photographs taken.

This wedding was scheduled for 4:30 pm, and the couple were lucky to get some nice bright shots, as well as some fantastic romantic shots, which were almost sepia tone the light was so fabulous.

This wedding took place at My Secret Cove, but after the ceremony our photographer took the couple up on the little bluff  to get these panoramic shots that every body loves.  A bluff is an out-cropping of rock, near the water.

This groom planned a very special "secret dinner" for his Bride at the Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman.  This is how he decribed it to me...

"(We had) a private serving of cool, moist  towels and champagne on the beach following our pictures, and were escorted from the beach ...in our transportation decorated in purple and white (the bride's favourite colours).  Purple and white rose petals lead a path through the suite to the balcony where we had a private table overlooking the ocean. Out table was beautifully decorated with purple and white rose petals, and had a centrepiece of purple roses and orchids.

A full dinner menu created by the Groom, and prepared by one of the hotel's chefs, included amazing Angus tenderloins and the couple's favourite desserts, cherry cheesecake and bananas foster.  This was topped off with more champagne and wine..."

Altogether an unforgettable evening, and a very happy young couple!

Red Roses, Blue Water at this Grand Cayman Beach Wedding

Many of my couples have to make the decision as to whether they want a sunset wedding, with the reds, oranges and purples of a Caymanian sunset, or whether they want a palette of shades of blue and turquoise.  This couple went for the blues.  This wedding theme was red, black and white and the couple got some unusual, and striking images.

Yvette doesn't do a lot of sepia, however, I thought this one was striking.

This couple had some special touches to both their cake and the bride's bouquet of red roses and black feathers.

Together, they made a very special wedding table

This was the last of my Thanksgiving week weddings.  It has been an extraordinary week, but very enjoyable.  It was also the very last wedding we did out of our old office.  That same day we moved into premises on the water at 215 North Church Street.  Not I can look out from my desk and see the beautiful water of Whitehall Bay, and George Town Harbour.  I can alse see the cruise ships come and go, and we are very easy to find, we are just across from the Burger King drive-through.

Fun Cayman Wedding for this Arkansas Couple

Not all my couples come on a cruise, and not all come in a group.  This couple, from Arkansas travelled to Grand Cayman as a couple, and stayed at the Reef Resort in East End.  As I do with many of my couples staying at Cayman Kai, Rum Point or East End (the Reef or Morritts) I offer them the use of my Bride's Room to get dressed. This was the last Bride to get dressed in the Bride's Room at our old office.  At the beginning of this week we moved into our beautiful new office right on the water in George Town, and within easy walking distance from the cruise landing.  We are located in the One Cayman House building between Burger King and Cayman Helicopters.

If you are travelling as a couple and you take the all-inclusive package, the two adult witnesses to your nuptials are included.

Some couples want to be married in the early afternoon so they can get the deep blues and turquoise of the water at this pretty spot.  Others just want the sunset.  This couple got married at 4:30 pm and were fortunate enough to get a bit of both.

This is the 6" cake, it serves 6-8 people.  You can also take it to the restaurant where you're having your wedding dinner and have it served for dessert.

You can't beat wedding cake and champagne on the beach.  I will lead you through the Champagne Cork ceremony and the Cutting of the Cake.

This couple completed their special day by dining at the Lighthouse Club in Breakers.  Please see my page Simply Weddings Recommends for other recommendations for hotels, dining and other activities.

Attorneys wed inThanksgiving beach wedding - stunning Grand Cayman views

There were several features of this wedding I was pleased  with.  It was a beautiful day, and everything went smoothly with getting the group down to the beach in time for an early start.  This was important because the group had Joselene, our tour operator lined up for an island tour following the ceremony.

The bride requested some black and white posed images, and Yvette was quite happy to do this.

This bamboo arch was very popular this month.  We have used it with blue flowers, white flowers, but this was the first time we used it with colourful tropical flowers.

I do a lot of weddings, more than 200 so far this year.  This was probably my favourite set-up of all time.  Every element of the wedding table was in sync.

The Groom's parents were celebrating a wedding anniversary and the couple honoured them by incorporating parts of the older couple's wedding vows into their wedding ceremony.  I also added a bit to make the day special for the parents as well.

This group had specially designed T-shirts for their wedding, they even brought me one.  Here's the whole group.

There are iguanas all over the Cayman Islands.  Some of them are big enough to ride on, and very photogenic.

North Carolina Couple Are Lucky in Love at Smith's Cove, Grand Cayman

I don't often do two weddings on any one morning, but for special occasions like Valentine's Day, and 11/11/11 I will do two ceremonies as long as I think the couple won't be short-changed.  In such cases I will tell them up front, and give them a chance to have one of my associates do their ceremony.  Sometimes couples will select one of my associates because they prefer to have a male celebrant.  Whatever you want, I will work with you to be sure you are happy with our services.

This couple from North Carolina who came in by cruise ship were one of the 18 visitor weddings which took place in Grand Cayman on that lucky date 11/11/11.

I am so grateful to all the fantastic vendors that work with me, my photographers, florists, bakers, tour operators and planning assistants are second to none and in most cases have been working with me for years.  11/11/11 was one of those days when I had multiple weddings and had to call in favours, and everybody came through with flying colours.

If you're taking a package with champagne for toasting, but you have non-drinkers or children in your party we provide a chilled non-alcoholic drink complimentary.  Also remember if either the Bride or Groom are active  military, firemen or firefighters we will give you a complimentary bottle of champagne.

This Bride had a very special Tropical bouquet, made for her by Trisha's Roses.  She liked it very much, and so did I so I wanted to share it with my readers.  I called it the "Super-Tropical"

Lucky Wedding Day in Hell for Rice Lake, WI Couple

Sometimes a bride comes along, who is like a real soul-sister.  What I mean is, there is connection between myself as the celebrant, and my bride.  That's the way it was, with D'Ann from Rice Lake, Wisconsin.  She has such a huge personality, and she is so much fun that this wedding was right up there in my favourite weddings of all time.

She said she wouldn't get married again unless it was in Hell, so when she decided to marry her long-time partner, Tim, they took their friends and family and flew down to  Grand Cayman.

D'Ann and Tim are jewellers, and I was really looking forward to seeing their specially designed wedding rings.  I was NOT disappointed.

Even the wedding cake had a little devilment going on.  Champagne and cake reception was held at Blue Water Beach.

Canadians Wed in Hell, Grand Cayman

I have been quite ambivalent about performing weddings in Hell, but with my second Hell wedding this week I think I finally have the formula right. First of all, Hell is a public space and therefore it is impossible to have either a quiet, or private wedding here.  But, if you don't mind onlookers and quite a lot of people taking pictures then a wedding in Hell. Grand Cayman might be just the ticket.

This was a group of 17 from British Columbia, Canada.  They came in on a cruise ship and we transported them down to Hell for the wedding ceremony.  Since they were going on an island tour directly after their champagne reception on the beach, they did their souvenir shopping in Hell.

We made sure their Special Marriage License as well as their Registered Marriage Certificate says "Hell, Grand Cayman"

After a morning in Hell, Seven Mile Beach was pure Paradise.

This group brought a lot of memorabilia and other objects so their pictures are very interesting.

I was hot too, so I had to take off my usual hat.

Mr and Mrs Smith, married at Smith's Cove, Grand Cayman

 

Well, really the ceremony was held at My Secret Cove, but MSC is so secret we can't put it on the Marriage Certificate, so we had to put Smith's Cove.  The Smiths didn't mind, and they even got a picture with the Smith's Cove sign.

Of course I wanted to get one with me as well. Thanks to my talented photographers, like Yvette McField, photos of me (and my hats) are all over the internet)

This couple from near Norwich, UK were so easy to like, and easy to work with that we have them on our list of favourite couples of all time.

Because the morning was overcast, Yvette took them down to Governor's Beach for a double shoot since they really wanted to get the blue sky and turquoise water in their pictures.

It was a "Grand" Cayman Beach Wedding for this Baltimore Couple

By the time I met this Baltimore bride and her family, I felt that I had known her for a long time.  The thing is, she had a good grasp on what she wanted for her wedding day in Grand Cayman, and this made her easy to work with.  Although there were 24 people in the group, everything went smoothly from the beginning when I picked the Bride and Group up in the Simply Weddings SUV and took them their kids, and the Bride's three sisters back to our office to get ready.  We had to use another room as the "Bride's Room" because of the extra people, but I was happy we could do this.  We got Mari their photographer to come over and do some shots of the girls getting ready.

It was a very hot day, although technically the end of summer.  I was glad we had decided on Blue Water beach, because there were five children altogether in the group, and everybody appreciated the shade.

Dart's Park Shines for this Fun, Sunset Wedding in Grand Cayman

Earlier this month I officiated at a small, resident's wedding at the popular George Town location Dart's Park.  A couple of things made it special for me, since the family were our neighbours for many years and I watched the four brothers grow up and become fine young men.  So I was especially priviledged mto officiate at the youngest son's wedding.  I was also excited about doing a sunset wedding at Dart's Park, on the George Town waterfront.

There are many features about Dart's Park which I like.  There is seating for about 150 people in the amphitheatre.  Now that the trees have gotten bigger there is usually some shade even earlier in the afternoon.  There is a semi-circular stage for the actual ceremony, and with the sea and sky as a backdrop, you can leave it plain or decorate it.  Since you don't have to walk in the sand, ladies, including your Marriage Officer , can wear heels. :-)

Of course, the best part is that the booking fee for Dart's Park is only $10!  Truly a great community resource.

The other great thing about Dart's park is that you can get a variety of great shots around the park itself.

Sunset Beach Wedding at My Secret Cove, Grand Cayman

This couple chose my all-inclusive Sunset Beach package, despite the fact they were having a Banns wedding, that is one of the couple is a resident of the Cayman Islands.  Normally I don't offer packages for local weddings, but it was easier for them to just have me make all the arrangements.  They chose their own photographer, and these photos are by Bernardo Neri.

This bride had her heart set on a sunset wedding, and she got it.  I like to have my couples stand on this little ledge with the sea behind them.  It makes such a lovely picture.

What is an Apostille and why might I have to have one on my Cayman Marriage Certificate?

An apostille is a special stamp which is affixed to your Registered Marriage Certificate, it comes from the Cayman Islands Government and it is intended to convey the authenticity of your Cayman Islands marriage.  It is required by some countries, but just in case you are worried the USA and Canada do not require an Apostille. Neither does the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This week I had to get an Apostille for clients from Germany and Austria. Most of European countries will require this stamp.  Most of the South American countries also require the stamp.  Unfortunately there is no where on the government website or the Department of Tourism's website which even mentions an Apostille.  If you are European and you are having problems with your Cayman Islands Marriage Certificate you can write to me and I can get the matter rectified for you.

Since the Apostille is quite expensive, you might need to check with me before you order one.  If you have time before your wedding you might like to check with the authorities  in your town or city.  These days you can find most things like this out over the internet.

Registered Marriage Certificate from the public records office of the Cayman Islands

Every week I get requests from people who have gotten married in the Cayman Islands who were not given or sent their Registered Marriage Certificate.  Our Marriage Law requires visitors who are married in the Cayman Islands to have a Special Marriage License.  There is no advantage to you procuring this yourself, it is totally useless without a Marriage Officer signing off on it, and no Marriage Officer or Civil Registrar charges to get and complete it 0n your behalf, as far as I know. The government charges $250 for this license, and the cost of this should be included in your Cayman Islands wedding package, since as a visitor you can't be legally married without it.

Your Marriage Officer or Civil Registrar has to do three other things for you, with regard to your documentation.  After the ceremony he/she must give you a certified copy of the Marriage Register.  They must then file your marriage with the General Registrar.  The General Registry will then produce what is called the Registered Marriage Certificate for your marriage.  Many Marriage Officers do not tell you about this document.  Perhaps because there is an additional charge, perhaps because they think your wedding planner is responsible, but I come across couples every week who simply were not told that they needed this document, and don't find out about it until they get back home.

Every one of my Cayman Islands wedding packages for visitors, includes the Special Marriage License, the Certified Marriage Certificate and the Registered Marriage Certificate mailed to you after your wedding.  Whether you have a basic no frills package, or a customised luxury package you get the documentation that our Cayman Islands Marriage Law requires, and there are no hidden charges.  If you have no received your Registered Marriage Certificate from the Cayman Islands you can contact me and I will be able to get it for you once I have the relevant information.  If the only record you have of your Cayman Islands wedding is a hand-written certified copy then you need the peace of mind that you will only get from the official government document with the Registrar's Seal

Special 15th Wedding Anniversary Ceremony in Grand Cayman

A 15th anniversary is special any way you look at it, and this couple from Washington state made it more special by taking a Caribbean cruise.  Of course the cruise ship was in Grand Cayman on their actual anniversary and they arranged to have my husband and I do a vow renewal ceremony at Governor's beach.  It was very early in the morning. around 9am and the beach was virtually deserted.

I love to do Wedding Vow Renewals, and I will try very hard to make it work for you, and fit into your budget.  I have a basic package, and a deluxe package, but I will customise whatever you want within those parameters.  If you want to bring your own silk flowers, and your own camera for us to snap some pictures, that's fine too.  I think you deserve a day to remember in the beautiful Cayman Islands, and I will do my best to make this anniversary vacation unforgettable.

While we have special ceremonies we do for those BIG anniversaries like 25,(Silver) 40 (Ruby) and 50 (Gold)  my personal belief is that every anniversary is a cause to celebrate.  I willm help you add those little touches which convey just how special your spouse is to you.  You can request 'your' song and I will pay it on my iPad, no charge.  Just another way to make your day totally memorable.