Why cruise wedding groups choose Surfer's Beach, Grand Cayman.

So, you have made the decision to have a Destination Wedding while on your Caribbean cruise.  Even better, you chose Grand Cayman, a premier beach wedding destination for your special day.  What! All your friends and relatives want to come too!

Relax.  You are in good hands when you choose SimplyWeddings - Grand Cayman, because we are both wedding celebrants, and planners.  We do it all for you, including arranging to pick up your Special Marriage License once you have arrived in Grand Cayman.

Small beach wedding at Surfer's Beach for a family of cruisers.

Many of our couples choose Surfer's Beach because it is quiet, yet not too far away from the cruise landing.  We arrange round trip transportation by air-conditioned coach with our trusted tour operators.

Large group cruise wedding at Surfer's Beach, Grand Cayman

You can choose our all- inclusive package, or have your wedding customized to suit the event.  Joy will also write a special ceremony tailored just for you, or personalize one of the wedding scripts she likes to use.

Ruby wedding anniversary for this couple, cruising with family and friends

So whether it's a big or small group, simple or more elaborate, Simply Weddings will make your  event simply special.

A long expanse of beach at Surfer's Beach, Grand Cayman.

Surfer's Beach has a bit of everything, including a long expanse of white, sandy beach.

Recent wedding group at Surfer's Beach.

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Start planning your Cayman Destination Wedding today! 

A taste of what beautiful Grand Cayman has to offer for your intimate beach wedding, Whitehall Bay, Grand Cayman.

Add yourselves to this picture.  We are the Cayman Islands best known wedding celebrants and planners, catering to simple, elegant, weddings. Each of our packages include the legal requirements for your wedding, including the Special Marriage License.

We offer all inclusive packages for both cruise and stay over visitors.

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

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

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.

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"

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.

Smith's Cove Beach Wedding, always different, always beautiful

 

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.

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.

Simple Affordable Fun Wedding in Grand Cayman for Georgia Couple

What a perfect pair!

We really enjoyed helping this couple from Georgia have a great day in Grand Cayman.  I do a LOT of weddings, but some stand out in my mind.  Most of the time it is because of the the chemistry between the couple, and how happy and comfortable they are together.  Sometimes there are children involved, and I like to make sure they have a pleasant and positive experience.  This couple had all these things going for them, and we actually spent the whole morning just chatting and making sure they had a good time. The fact that it was the 4th July helped, because the office was closed and we didn't have anything to do but hang out and enjoy ourselves too,

They selected My Secret Cove, becaise it was a public holiday in Grand Cayman and we knew all the most popular beaches would be chock-a-block with people,

Photographer Mari Abe really got into the spirit of it and encouraged the couple to stike some interesting poses

Back at the office before they headed for the beach, to swim, snorkle and eat the rest of their wedding cake (and I hope, drink lots of Caybrew) we took tons of pictures with my iPad and for the first time, my couple of day sent off pictorial wedding announcements of their wedding to their children and folks back home.

It is very easy to have a cruise wedding in the Cayman Islands, or have a Wedding Blessing or Wedding Vow Renewal on one of our beautiful pristine beaches. Contact me today and lets get started planning your special day.

Blue Water Beach was this Colorado Couple's favourite Cayman spot.

I was thinking of doing a bucket list of places I would like to visit, and Colorado would definitely make the cut,  I have visited many of the 50 US states, and many countries around the world, but somehow I have never made it to Colorado.  Anyhow, when this couple came to town, I was going to say rode into town, but anyway, sailed into town...I wanted to show them a big slice of Cayman hospitality.  We took them down to Blue Water, although we seldom go there for a couple and prefer to use it for big groups.

Couples have all kinds of requests for their wedding location, and we try to accomodate them.  Some ask for a long expanse of beach, others for rocks, or a pier.  Yet others just want privacy, and an intimate location.  This Seven Mile Beach location captures a bit of everything, if you don't mind the 10 mile drive out to reach it.  Of course if you're doing the All-inclusive Cayman Cruise Wedding package, as most of my cruise guests do, then you don't have to worry about  about transportation.

On this particular day, the sea was choppy and we were a little concerned that the cruise-ship might leave early.  I try and have a Plan B on these occassions.

Many of my couples really love these pier shots.  Because of the rain, this beach was virtually deserted.

I strongly believe that a wedding should be lots of fun, and I encourage my couples to do some candid shots which are fun, and which they will remember.  I also like lots of kissing, in my ceremonies there are many occassions to kiss your new spouse!

Smith's Cove was the answer for this Cruise Wedding in Cayman

This Vermont bride gifted her two sons and their girlfriends with a cruise for their college and high school graduation, respectively.  At the last minute she and her fiance decided to make the trip really unforgettable, and contacted Simply Weddings to do an all-inclusive cruise wedding package.  She chose My Secret Cove for her ceremony, and Mari Abe for her photographer.  Mari gave them lots of pictures of both MSC and Smith's Cove.

You can have your cruise wedding at 10 am and still have time to take in some of the sights, or a short tour.  I took the group down to Governor's Beach, because no-one should come to Grand Cayman and not see Seven Mile Beach.

These flowers were special order, the Bride knew exactly what she wanted.  Brides often use this pewter starfish dish to keep their rings safe,

It's nice to have cake and champagne on the beach.  A 6 " cake is perfectly adequate for a group this size, but we can get them in any size to suit the size of your group.

Beautiful Wedding Day in Grand Cayman for Virginia pair and family

This couple chose Governor's Beach for their all-inclusive Cayman Cruise Wedding last week.  At first we thought we would have to move the wedding to a quieter spot, but the tour bus didn't stay long, and we had the beach to ourselves. Itry and start my weddings at 10 am, before the sun gets too hot and spots like these get too busy.

We can do most types of cakes. This one was homemade by Winsome, our wedding planner.  A 6" iced cake is adequate for a group this size.

Many couples ask for photos under a palm tree.  This coconut tree in next door to the Governor's on private property, but sometimes the photographers will get a few shots, if they're quick and respectful of the fact that the owners are accomodating for our couples.

Couples know now to ask for the Champagne and Cork ceremony, a tradition handed down to us from the British, but with a Caymanian twist.

If you live here you might take this beautiful beach for granted, but it is often the highlight of our guest's cruise adventure.

If your travels bring you to Grand Cayman, be sure to catch at least a glimpse of world-famous Seven Mile Beach, the perfect place for a cruise wedding.

Easter Monday Remarriage on Seven Mile Beach for Raleigh, NC couple

When this couple from Raleigh, North Carolina contacted me to officiate their remarriage in Cayman on Easter Monday, 2011 I had a few misgivings.  Easter weekend is traditionally camping time, and hundreds of Caymanians camp along the entire Seven Mile Beach.  Experience has taught us not to even try to do weddings on public beaches at this time.  Fortunately we have friends who manage some of the condominiums, and we made arrangements for this couple to have their ceremony at Regal Beach.

Early morning wedding on Seven Mile Beach

Simply Weddings conducts and plans weddings on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.  We make arrangements with the Governor's Office to get your Special Marriage License in advance.  Of course we can only do this if you send the required application form, and scanned copies of your documents in advance.

I structured the wedding ceremony so the couple's 10 year old son could be a part of the ceremony.  It is also possible to have children sign the unofficial record of your wedding, in addition to your official witnesses.  If you are travelling as just a couple, we can provide witnesses as part of your all-inclusive Cayman wedding package.

Our wedding photography package is second to none, with excellent professional photographers and videographers.  You own the images, and receive them on a CD mailed to you about a week after the wedding.

Children love the sparkling white sands of Seven Mile Beach, and the clear water.  Make sure you schedule some time on the beach for them to enjoy a very special experience on one of the world's great wedding beaches.

Extra Special Beach Wedding for Colorado Couple + 4 kids

This Colorado couple went on a western Caribbean cruise with their 4 kids, and stopped in Grand Cayman to be married.  It was really easy.  Once I picked them up in the Simply Weddings SUV, they could relax.  They got dressed at our office, and I kept the kids occupied painting sand-dollars as wedding souvenirs until we were ready to go down to Governors Beach.

These photos were taken by Heather Holt, part of the "all-inclusive Cayman Cruise Wedding Package offered by Simply Weddings - Grand Cayman Wedding Celebrants and Planners.

Gather friends and family for a cruise wedding in Grand Cayman

For a couple of months we weren't doing large group weddings.  For one thing I was off for a couple of months enjoying my new grand-daughter who is in New Jersey, and we were also having a settling in period for new staff and vendors.  Now we're back with customised packages for large, and small groups.  We have teamed up with an event management group and aim to give you an outstanding Cayman beach wedding experience.

 The key to a successful group experience at your Cayman cruise wedding is organisation.  We arrange transportation from the cruise landing to the wedding location, for the wedding party, and for the rest of the group.  The wedding party, in particular the Bride and Groom are picked up early and transported to our office (half-mile from the cruise landing) where they can relax and dress.  Here they will finalise the documentation for their Special Marriage License, and I will go over their wedding script with them to make sure we have captured the vows they are requesting, and that all the readings etc. are in order.  In large group weddings it is usual for a friend or family member to be involved in the actual ceremony.  They could do a reading, or there could be a Unity Sand Ceremony, perfect for a beach wedding.  If both mothers are present, I like to involve them in some way, its an important day for the parents of the bride and groom and I try to honour them.

Many people who have a large group wedding will have arranged with us for a video-grapher.  This is a very popular option if you're going to have a big party when you get back home.  Most of our packages include one hour of professional photography, a wise investment for the sake of your wedding memories.

This was a large wedding party, but large wedding parties can work for cruise weddings too.  If you want hair and make-up before your wedding let us know, it could mean we have to give you a different time slot for your wedding.  If you want to go on a tour, but you have a wedding to attend, I suggest the 11:15am half-day Stingray City trip, or a trip to the Cayman Turtle Farm.  Many tour operators will pick you up at your wedding site.  (Just bring a bag with your street clothes so you can change).

Taking your group to lunch, or to a beach bar to hang out and snorkle are popular after-wedding activities.  Ask us for recommendations, we have our favourites too.

Don't forget to look at our a la Carte list, every large group wedding is customised to suit you.  You can add chairs, arches, chuppahs, several types of music as well as wedding cake, fruit punch etc.  What we can't do is set up a bar for you, champagne is part of many of our packages but this is for toasting only.  We use mainly public beaches, so we ask our guests to respect the customs and the rights of their Caymanian hosts.  For this reason, we do not do beach weddings during the Easter weekend because this is traditionally the time when Caymanians pitch their tents to enjoy several days of merry-making along our coastlines.

Original Paintings of Your Cayman Wedding from artist John Broad and Simply Weddings

Last week I had planned surgery at George Town Hospital. Next to me at Admitting was John Broad, one of Cayman's most celebrated artists.   While we waited, we talked about life after retire  ment, as John first came to Cayman as a teacher when I was also involved in education.  John, who was born in the UK is a graduate of  Edinburgh College of Art.  In 2004 he was commissioned to create Cayman's Wall of History alongside the courthouse  in George Town celebrating our Quincentennial (500 years) Anniversary. 

John is one of Cayman's best known artists, and his work is in private collections both here and abroad.  He has taken part in one man shows and mixed exhibitions both locally and in Europe.  His speed painting, where he paints an event live has raised many thousands of dollars for various charities and institutions.  Recently he conducted a "Bottles and Brushes" event at Camana Bay, whereby guests recreated Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night painting.

He also still teaches painting as part of the National Gallery of the Cayman Island's education programme.

Now you can have John Broad paint your wedding live, or you can have him paint it from a photograph.  This is the ultimate wedding gift, to yourself or for a friend or family.  Live paintings are in water colour, but you can also order charcoal sketches, acrylic or oil paintings of the event and have them shipped to you, either framed or unframed.

You can see examples of John Broad's work all around Grand Cayman, including the Simply Weddings office at 306 North Church Street.

If you are interested in your own original painting of your wedding in Grand Cayman, just send us an email through the Contact Us page of this website.

It's so easy to have a Cayman Is Cruise Wedding...see how here

Most of my clients find me on the internet.  Many of them have the same concerns, for example, "we are travelling alone, with no witnesses", " we will only port in George Town for 5 hours, do we have enough time to get married?", "how will we find you?"  I thought I would use this lovely young couple from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to illustrate just how much fun, how affordable, and how easy, a Cayman cruise wedding can be.

When I meet you near the cruise landing in George Town, Grand Cayman on the day of your wedding, a lot of planning and organisation has already happened.  My office will already have recieved  scanned copies of your passports, divorce decrees etc. and we will have applied in advance for the Special Marriage License which you need to be married in the Cayman Islands, as a visitor.

We will have been in touch with you to recieve the deposit on your wedding ($250) and in most cases we will have sent you the script and a selection of readings so we could personalise your wedding ceremony.   To begin the process, you will have sent us an application form, which you can find on the drop-down menu of my Homepage on this website.

Most people chose my "All-inclusive Cayman Cruise Wedding Package", because it is affordable, and good-value for money.  You will be picked up, taken to our office to dress and complete the documentation (and payment) and then taken to the site you have selected for your wedding.  The most popular sites are "My Secret Cove", "Smith's Cove" and Governor's Beach.

Governor's Beach is part of Seven Mile Beach, it is a public beach and is free to use.  Some beach bars and hotels charge more than $500 to use their beach.  I use the free beaches, which save you money.  The key is to be well organised, and get to the beach early, by 10am.   If the beach is crowded, then we can choose to move on to a less crowded part of the beach.  This is one reason why I try to do only one daily cruise ceremony myself.  It is important to me that you have a fantastic wedding experience in the Cayman Is. and I want to enjoy your special day with you.

My "all-inclusive Cayman Cruise Wedding package", includes all documentation before and after the ceremony, all legal requirements including witnesses and of course the Special Marriage License, your personalised wedding ceremony, wedding florals, photography and champagne.  We mail you the Registered Marriage Certificate, your legal marriage certificate once the marriage has been filed with the government authorities.

Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman is consistently voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and a Top 10 location for a Caribbean Beach Wedding.  I hope I have shown you how much fun my weddings can be, and for questions just email me or comment below for a no obligation quote or answer to your questions. 

The best part is that you are very close to George Town, so you can be married and still have time to enjoy the town or take in a tour of one of our well-known attractions,