I think you will need to hire a wedding coordinator to pull off a wedding and reception during a cruise ship call. Also, you presumably realize that cruise ships do, for one reason or another, cancel port calls at the last minute.

Hi, Irishbride!

Congrats on your upcoming wedding! You chose a beautiful island to get married on! My husband and I were married on Magen's Bay 3 years ago and it was an amazing wedding. We are so happy we were married there. 🙂

We were not on a cruise, we just went with a wedding coordinator and then traveled there for our wedding. I can recommend Leslie with Perfect Weddings of St. Thomas, that's who we used, and she was wonderful. We had never even been to STT before and went there for the very first time a few days before we were married. Leslie handled everything (makeup and hair person, cake, flowers, limos, etc....) and what WE had to take care of (marriage license, etc.), she walked us through what to do. Their website is www.perfectweddingsofstthomas.com You can check them out, they have different packages and offer a lot. I'm pretty sure they also work with cruise brides. I know there are many other wedding coordinators on island, but I can only vouch for who we used, which was Perfect Weddings.

Another idea as well is to maybe check with your cruise line, as they have wedding coordinators who are used to putting together weddings off the cruise ships, I believe. A former co-worker of mine did just that. The coordinator with the cruise ship she traveled on helped put together her wedding in STT, at Bolongo Bay Resort. I saw some pictures and it all turned out very nice.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I can try and help out! Congratulations again and have a blast planning your island wedding! 🙂

Definitely consult a wedding coordinator. I believe you need to present yourself at the courthouse 24 hours befor the ceremony -- but I could be wrong.

I think that Linda J is right, I also heard that somewhere. What about getting married on the cruise ship and having your wedding reception and wedding photo's taken on STT?

Molly

Congratulations!
Weddings are done off Cruise ships on a daily basis! Your paperwork has to be in the court house 10 days prior to your wedding and you will stop AT the court house on the way to the sight you will be married at! In your case, since you are from Ireland, you will need a apostile certificate for your wedding to be acknowledged where you live! NO PROBLEMS! There is another thread about weddings on the first page, feel free to ck that out as well as wedding planners are already mentioned there! It is MUCH less expensive to go thru a local wedding planner than to go the thru the cruise line for your wedding and less "middlemen" involved, your planning will go much smoother! Your wedding planner can also make reservations of your choice to a nice lunch spot for you as well as make suggestions! As I mentioned on the other wedding thread, I am a coordinator for a local company, therefore I cannot mention the company I work for, I simply like to help in any way that I can! You will LOVE your Destination Wedding! (tu)

You do not need to be on Island prior to your wedding day! Your paperwork must be filed 10 days before the wedding and you will sign paperwork on Island, the day of your wedding! No problems! 😎 Our court house if VERY organized in this area! The only issue you might have is if it is a holiday, but mind you the court house DOES have Saturday and Sunday hours as well as many holidays!!!!!
Happy Planning! 🙂

What about the uncertianty of the weather in August, it is the rainy season?

Well, dang it, Sherri, I'll mention it: Weddings the Island Way! Irishbride, you will look far and wide to find someone who will take better care of you and your wedding than Sherri.

And, Irishbride - don't forget to bring an old sixpence for your shoe! I wore sandals but taped the coin to the inside sole and have to say that I've had pretty good luck in the marriage department - 34 years and still going strong!

"May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door."

Sláinte agus saol agat.

Just be sure you're comfortable with the possibility of your stop in St Thomas being canceled and losing whatever monies you've paid for your festivities in St Thomas. Weather is one of many reasons ships change itineraries. And I believe most cruise ships have stopped performing wedding ceremonies. I'm not saying you shouldn't plan this, just pointing out some of the risks.

A wedding planner is a great idea. Everything will be ready for you when you arrive. I know of one and I've mentioned them before but here it is again St thomas Wedding Services. I'm sure other posters can add to the list of on island resources.

Thanks Margyz,
As you know, I don't own WTIW, but I do take pride in this company and always try to be helpful in anyway I can!

Dntw8up, You are right in saying that cruise itineraries do occasionally change, but it is rare. If for some reason the ship doesn't make it's stop here in STT, most money's are returned to the customer. This is all in the contract as WTIW realizes these type of possibilities can happen.
All Cruise lines do weddings, but no longer does the Captain perform the ceremonies, it is all arranged by a middle man and the weddings are done either on-Island or on board ship while in port. Going through the cruise line tho, is much more expensive! Many people to take a cut, be sure to check out all of your choices!

Weather? Usually when it rains here it only rains for short periods so we simply wait them out! In cases of full days of rain, we use places that are covered such as the shed's at Magens or pavilions at other locations. Not to worry, when there's a will, there's a way! 😀 Again there is more detailed information on the web-sight Margyz gave!

Oh and yes, As vi bound mentioned, there are several on-Island resources and Islander has a list of wedding companies that advertise with this sight!
Happy Wedding Planning! This is such a wonderful, stress free place to get married!

Thanks for the education Sherri!

Hi Everybody!Thanks so Much for all the information it is really appreciated being so far away and never been a visitor to ST I have to admit I am a bit nervous!I have looked into getting married on the ship etc but to be honest I think Value is better by going through a wedding company on the island, Can I just ask what is more popular as I say I am thinking I may get married on Magens bay at maybe about 12.30-1pm and then have a lunch reception as the ship leaves as 6pm so I will have enough time to do this!I was thinking of having a lunch reception on the beach after the ceremony but I think transporting the guests to a hotel/resort for a lunch buffet may be a good idea can I have some suggestions of where serves good food and also is a nice place to have a lunch reception in that is not too far from Magens bay,I would prefer if the lunch buffet or BBQ or sit down meal ?was on an outside area in a hotel/resort any info would be great!

Oh can I just thanks to Margyz for telling me who Sherri works for that is helpful!!I love the bit of Irish aswell lol are you Irish?

Irishbride: I'm first generation "here" - my mother was from the rocky north - Kilcar, Donegal.

Sherri knows all of the venues on St. Thomas - lots of pretty beaches, including Magen's. My personal favorite is Smith Bay Beach formerly known as Lindqvist Beach - it's a very pretty smaller beach and the color of the water is amazing. Are they doing weddings there, Sherri?

Hi again, Irishbride!

I've been reading Sherri's responses to you and she seems so helpful, definitely knows her stuff, so I'm sure she can recommend some great venues for you. 🙂

This may be one she may or may not recommend, but Mafolie hotel/restaurant is where we had our wedding reception dinner. We had a very small group, 10 total, but I believe they can accomodate a group of up to 80. The view from the restaurant is absolutely beautiful and the food was wonderful. The staff was incredible, so, so nice. After speaking with them about what dishes we wanted to be on our menu, they put together a menu just for our wedding reception, and even personalized the menu as a wedding "souvenir" (example: "Tom and Jane's Wedding Reception Dinner...") and printed the menu out on parchment paper so that everyone could take it home. It is an open-air restaurant with amazing views, and if it rains, they cover a portion of the restaurant so that no one gets wet. Check their website out: www.mafolie.com and click on the Restaurant tab at the top. It isn't too far from Magens, either.

Like I said, I'm sure Sherri can give you lots of other ideas, but Mafolie was a wonderful pick for us, and we found it quite reasonable in price.

And don't worry, we had never been to STT until 3 days before our wedding, but we trusted that everything would turn out beautifully, and it did! You won't regret being married on STT! I loved having a destination wedding and Magens Bay was the perfect choice. 🙂

Hi Margyz,
Yes, Smith Bay Beach is definitely a choice for Brides to use if they like! It truly is beautiful, I can understand why you like it so much!

Irishbride,
My first suggestion for you is to take a peak at the web-sight: http://weddingstheislandway.com/ and feel free to ask all the questions you can think of! I put the link in as Margyz didn't show as a link. This is for ease of use.
As for idea's for where to have your have your lunch, you have several options, two of which you already mentioned! At the beach- after your ceremony, or moving on to another location! This is one of the nice things about this forum! Lots of people out there to offer suggestions and idea's! Once you have narrowed down some idea's, your wedding planner can make your plans for you and also can make suggestions as well!
Beach Bride, Thanks! Suggestions like yours are what vinow is all about!

Hi, Sherri!

I had such a fun time planning my wedding in STT that I try to help with suggestions if I can! It's like re-living my wedding. 😉 You are so helpful with your tips that brides-to-be can't go wrong with your expertise. 🙂 Happy to know that you love your job! Looks like you are definitely good at it!

Hi everybody thanks so much for the help!I really am so Grateful Sherri I have emailed the info email at weddings the island way so I am looking forward to some one getting back to me!I have to say I am getting very excited being from Rainy auld Ireland we don't get to see Sunshine/clear waters much so the thought of that alone is so exciting ! Ca I just ask about the actual ceremony how long does it take etc and Sherri what photographers are generally used?and what kind of live Music would be the best when I am walking up the aisle etc,sorry for all the questions!Margy Z, Donegal is fab well so I hear I have actually ever been its about 5-6 hours drive from me I am right done south but I might get there some weekend!!Thanks for the picture its looks amazing I will seriously consider that Beach is it generally quieter than Magens Bay?