I am aware that the laws in Aruba changed as of Jan 2002, now you can legally get married there even if you are not a Dutch citizen. My question is does anyone know if you are reqired to have the ceremony i their town hall? If anyone knows anything it would be very helpful. Thanx

No, you do not have to get married at Town Hall! Some of the larger hotels now even have 'wedding packages'.

if you go to wheretostay.com, they have an entire section on weddings in the islands.

Some friends got married in the Caribbean last year. He's an attorney and made sure they were also married in a quiet, low-key civil ceremony after they returned.<BR><BR>While they definately view the wedding in Barbados as their "wedding", he made sure to have a U.S. marriage license and legal recognoition for clarity and ease of use.<BR><BR>He did this because he he felt it would be easier in the future when dealing with things like getting a mortgage and establishing joint credit. In some legal cirmustances, foreign marriages for U.S. citizens aren't always immediately recognized. He just wanted to avoid hassles in the future.

Sounds like overkill to me. When we applied for a mortgage and joint credit, we never had to prove we were married or show any type of documentation. That was already in the records from when I changed my name for social security purposes. And the marriage certificate from the island we got married on was just fine at the Social Security Office. <BR><BR>I think you may make some people unnecessarily paranoid by making them believe they should have two wedding ceremonies to make it legit. It's just not necessary.

I am getting married in Aruba next year and yes, you are required to have a civil ceremony first at Town Hall. No big deal really, just signing some papers to make it legal. MOst brides go in a sundress and then have their beach/resort/church/temple blessing later that day or the next! Hope this helps!

I have also been doing reshearch on marriage there and yes I read you have to get married in town hall .. I found info on www.wyndham.com they do weddings and that is where we always stay so I happened across it there.. go to www.aruba.com they may be able to help you too..