Plan a Destination Wedding in the Bahamas

Ready to say “I do”? The Bahamas is beautiful and easily accessible by plane. Get married on a white sand beach or in a lush tropical garden.

Congratulations on your pending nuptials! Now that you and your significant other have decided to make the next big step in your lives together, it’s time to decide what type of wedding you would like. One excellent suggestion is to plan a destination wedding in the Bahamas. Sometimes the weather in the Caribbean can be unpredictable, but for the most part it does not really deviate from year round lovely sunshine and cool breezes. If you’re sure that that the Bahamas is where you want to have your beautiful celebration, I’ll tell you how to plan a destination wedding in the Bahamas so that you can have a perfect day filled with long lasting memories.

How to Plan a Destination Wedding in the Bahamas

Your wedding day should be one of the best days of your life that is filled with laughter, happiness and love. The Bahamas is a popular location for Caribbean destination weddings because of its warm sunshine, beautiful seas and tropical gardens. If you are planning the wedding on your own or enlisting the help of a wedding planner, these are a few tips to help you along the way.

Know Your Budget

In order to plan a destination wedding in the Bahamas, you must know your budget. The amount of money that you have at your disposal will have a direct impact on the type of wedding that you will have. Many hotels offer wedding packages with your own personal wedding planner. However, if you will be foregoing this service and planning the wedding on your own, you create checklist of your possible expenses.

Some of the more popular destination wedding expenses are:

• Airfares and accommodation
• The wedding and reception venues
• Transportation
• Catering
• Photos and video
• Flowers
• Wedding cake
• Entertainment
• Wedding outfits
• Makeup and hair
• Stationery
• Wedding favours
• Wedding bands
• The honeymoon.

The Best Time to Travel

The hurricane season in the Bahamas begins on the 01 June and ends on the 30 November of each year. During this time, there is increased weather activity and rains are heavier and more frequent. This does not mean that you can not have your wedding during this time, but it means that you should have back up plans especially if you are thinking about an outdoor wedding. Additionally, the tourist season which runs from the 1 December until the 30 May or each year is extremely busy and many people flock to the Caribbean during this period. If your wedding will be during this period, you are advised to plan your wedding in advance and book as many of your wedding venues, vendors and other details as early as possible.

Legal Requirements

Weddings in the Bahamas can be performed any day of the week, but must take place between sunrise and sunset. To get married in the Bahamas, you must be in the territory for a minimum of twenty-four hours. Marriage licences take two business days to process, so when you plan your trip to the Bahamas, please bear this in mind. Applications must be made by the parties and will not be issued to anyone on their behalf.  Some affianced couples prefer to travel with their own officiant, but please note that they will only be allowed to assist a local, Bahamian officiant in the ceremony. You are free to choose your type of ceremony, be it a traditional, religious or legal proceedings.

Select a Venue

Your selected venue should be somewhere that you love. This might be hard, especially if you’ve never been to the Bahamas. What you can do, is think of what type of wedding you would like. There are different types of weddings that are popular in the Bahamas. Popular venues are botanical gardens, historic homes, beaches, boats or private cays. Wherever you decide to exchange vows, you should also remember to assess how easy it is to get to the location; the style of wedding that you will be having and whether it meshes with the location; how many guests can the location accommodate; depending on the time of year, how the weather will affect your proceedings; any special requirements and regulations and  availability for your desired wedding date.

Perfect Wedding Attire

Before you spend hours on end searching for the right wedding attire for your destination wedding in the Bahamas, there are a few things to note. Figuring out how much you are willing to spend on your outfit is also a huge consideration. Your wedding venue will have a direct impact on what type of clothes you will need. If you’re getting married on the beach, some outfits will not be appropriate and you should avoid specific items. Your wedding attire should also be decided very early in your planning process, because you have to book appointments for fittings and alterations. The best advice that I can give you is to take your time when selecting your perfect outfit because you must be sure that it is the one for you.

The Wedding Party

Choosing the wedding party for your destination wedding in the Bahamas can be a stressful exercise. Try to focus on exactly who you want to be in your wedding. You do not have to select someone just because you were once in their wedding party . You should include the people who are closest to you – such as siblings, close relatives and friends. When selecting the wedding party, you must also consider the size of the wedding and if you want a small or large wedding party. Because you are having a destination wedding in the Bahamas, a good tip is to ask prospects very early, so that you will know who is available for the wedding.

Planning a Guest List

Creating the perfect wedding guest list can help you to plan a destination wedding in the Bahamas. Who should you invite to your wedding? The people that are close and dear to you, that you would want to share your special day with. Before you create the list confirm how many people your venue can accommodate because this will help you to determine how many people you can invite to the wedding. Family, friends, neighbours, work mates and church mates are some of the popular categories that you can find guests. If you have not spoken to someone in a very long time, you should not feel obligated to invite them your wedding just because they invited you to theirs. At the end of the process, the guest list should be balanced between you and you significant other and you should agree on who you have invited.

Wedding Favours

The wedding favours or bonbonnieres that you select for your wedding should compliment the style and flavour of your nuptials. You can align the favours to the theme of the wedding. For example, if you are getting married on the beach, beach themed favours would be appropriate. Since you’re getting married in the Bahamas, an excellent suggestion would be to use favours that are representative of the Bahamas. Favours can be edible, functional, decorative and personalised with special words, your wedding date or a photo of you and your loved one.

Best Resources to Plan a Destination Wedding in the Bahamas

Many people often take the challenge to plan their own destination weddings. But in many cases, they realise that they can not do it alone. This is especially true if you’re using service providers on the island that you are getting married in. It can be difficult to plan a destination wedding in the Bahamas over the phone or via email.

You may need help planning and coordinating coordinating travel to the Bahamas, accommodation for you and your guests, caterers, entertainment, transportation to the wedding venue if it’s not at your hotel and island activities for your guests. Here are a few resources which provide wedding planning services that can help you to plan a destination wedding in the Bahamas.

Don’t forget to schedule in some activities after you have tied the knot. It would be a shame to miss out on some of the best Bahamas activities and attractions.

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