I am planning on having a small wedding in the Caribbean for late October of 2006. I am unsure of what island to choose as I have never been to the Caribbean. Some islands I have considered are St. John, St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda and Nevis. Please advise.

jax:
Check out Caneel Resort on St John.It is a very nice resort with something like 7 beaches on the property..which are nice beaches.We went to St John but did not stay at Caneel.We did go to Caneel beach and we also ate at their beachfront restaurant which we thought was pretty good.The service there was good and fast.St john is a very laid back island and some of the other places are slower with service.

I think that St John would be the perfect place for a wedding.

First of all, congratulations!

As well as St John, you could try the British Virgin Islands: Tortola, Virgin Gorda or Jost van Dyke. There's quite a good website: www.bviweddings.com which may give you some ideas. A friend of mine, who lives on Tortola, attended a wedding on White Bay, Jost van Dyke and said it was beautiful - very romantic.

Best wishes on your marriage. Could you give us an idea of your budget, whether you want a church wedding or an on the beach wedding, and about how many guests you expect.

Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas/information. We plan on having a beach wedding. Our budget for the airfare, accomodations and food is probably around $5000.00. This will not include the actual wedding.

I was married in the Bahamas over 3 years back, I remember there were islands that had extremely long waiting periods to get married. I dont remember which, but its something to check on. It completely ruled out a few places for us, average is 2-3 days. Congratulations!!

P.S. $5000 is a great budget. Most big resorts will include a basic gazebo/beach wedding with a planner and someome to perform the ceremony for free. Your costs will only include flowers and any extras/decorations you decide.

I think you might find Bermuda a little too cool for a wedding in late Oct. St. John is very pretty and would give you some beautiful pictures. We're going to Nevis this winter, so I can't comment on it yet, but my research indicates it would be a good island as well.

Bermuda is too cool for swimming in the ocean; but, it is lovely for walking, biking, boating and sitting watching the world go by. I suggest you contact Ariel Sands, The Reefs,Southhampton Fairmont, Elbow Beach, Horizons and Cambridge Beaches. Give them the parameters of your interests and ask for a proposal. Also check out www.bermudatourism.com which can connect you to some local wedding coordinators (probably worth the expense).