With more and more couples opting to escape the high costs and stresses of a large and elaborate wedding, which is often expected, particularly in families that come from an Afro Caribbean background, the trend of getting married abroad is an increasingly popular one – with the Caribbean still topping the list as one of the most popular locations for an overseas wedding.
Many fall in love with the idea of the tropical setting and backdrop, which make for the most romantic of wedding photos, but on investigating the possibilities further, find they are overwhelmed on where to start in trying to arrange the kind of wedding they envisaged.
Traditionally many of the couples who travel to the Caribbean to get married have come from a European background, and have opted to travel alone or with just a couple of additional guests to accompany them, and therefore their requirements have been met perfectly by the set wedding packages that many hotels offer. These wedding packages tend to be fairly inflexible offering a set itinerary, location or menu. However, with more couples of color also wishing to join the throngs of couples marrying in an exotic Caribbean location, the wedding packages arranged through most holiday companies do not generally cater for their needs. They are looking for something a little different and more personalized.
This need has been recognized by one travel company. Culsen Travel is an independent travel company that specializes in Caribbean villa holidays. The company is owned by a couple who have had firsthand experience of marrying in the Caribbean. Two years ago they traveled to the island of Tobago along with 40 guests and enjoyed not only a wonderful wedding day but a memorable large family holiday. “Having experienced getting married in the Caribbean ourselves, we appreciated that it can be very difficult to find anyone who caters for this kind of specialist area. Many couples would like the option of taking a large number of guests with them and perhaps having the kind of wedding they would have had here, but in a Caribbean setting, and at a fraction of the cost, but most holiday companies do not cater for this kind of wedding party”, says Director of Products & Sales, Stephanie Morson.
Culsen Travel have therefore established themselves as a travel company who can recommend the perfect alternative accommodation on the island of your choice for any number of persons within your group – specialising in villas which range from 2-9 bedrooms, and having viewed each on of them personally. As a fully bonded operator, they can also take care of your flight and transfer arrangements too, but they are also able to take care of all your wedding arrangements, from the ceremony, right through to the reception – complete with all the trimmings with the assistance of their on-island personal wedding co-ordinators. “The weddings we arrange are many and varied, therefore we do not offer any set packages. Unlike most hotel wedding packages, we aim to offer a more tailor-made wedding so couples feel that their wedding day is unique and special. We also aim to cater to all budgets.”
Giving some examples of some of the types of weddings they can arrange:
For those on a more limited budget they recommend a stay in Tobago at one of their Seashell Villas. This collection of villas each sleep up to 6 persons and have their own swimming pool and daily housekeeper, and are the ideal option for accommodating wedding guests who travel out to share the couples special day. Costs start from around £658 per adult for a 7 night stay inclusive of flights and transfers for 6 persons sharing a villa. For a low key wedding, the gardens of the villa can provide the perfect setting for a private ceremony performed by a minister, followed by a barbecue or buffet reception with a selection of local dishes provided by a caterer. Or for a more formal affair, the couple can hold their wedding ceremony and reception at one of he island’s most popular seafront restaurants, The Seahorse Inn. A beachside ceremony can be followed by canapés & champagne whilst photographs are taken at sunset. Guests can then move up to the restaurant to enjoy a private reception party where a menu of their choosing is served for larger wedding groups, or for a smaller wedding party tables can be booked and guests can select from the A la carte menu. Entertainment can be provided in the form of a local band or DJ.
Based on a Wedding Packages with ceremony inclusive of all the legal arrangements, minister’s fee and services of the personal wedding co-ordinator, with extras such as a bouquet, groom & bestman’s buttonholes, photographer, and reception party for 20 guests inclusive of 3 courses and a two tier wedding cake, wedding costs start from approx £1,200.
For a more private and elaborate wedding, how about getting married in your very own villa surrounding by acres of tropical gardens. Culsen Travel have a range of villas in Jamaica that provide the most idyllic venue for a large wedding. Many of these villas permit a high number of guests for weddings, but charge a small per additional wedding guest fee for those attending wedding but not residing at the villa to compensate for the additional work that the villa staff will do, and wear and tear on the villa & grounds. Spyglass Hill is a popular choice for a villa wedding. Accommodating up to 19 persons in a beautiful property that is spread over 9 acres of lawns and tropical gardens, and has a main house with 4 bedrooms, and 4 additional bedrooms divided between two cottages situated within the grounds, the villa is fully staffed and well equipped to take care of the needs of a wedding party who wish to be accommodated together in a spacious deluxe property with a large private pool and separate plunge pool and staffed with cook, butler, maids & night watchman.
The wedding, with up to 75 guests permitted, can take place in the villas’ own bridal gazebo located within the gardens set against a backdrop of a stunning ocean. Guests staying at this villa can expect to pay from £933 per person for flights, accommodation & transfers, inclusive of staff gratuities. A budget of around £4,000 can cater a wedding for up to 40 guests inclusive of location fee, decoration of venue, floral bouquet for bride & bridesmaid, set up for sit down reception including waiting service, a 3 course meal, a local bar & DJ for the evening, plus the services a minister & photographer for the ceremony, all legal fees and the services of the wedding co-ordinator to oversee all events. However, weddings can be catered for considerably less for a more casual buffet style reception, depending on the couple’s wishes and guest numbers.
For those desiring something a little different they can also arrange wedding ceremonies in the rainforest or by the waterfall in St Lucia, at a beachside chapel in Barbados, or on top of a world heritage site in St Kitts. With 10 Caribbean islands to choose from, whatever the size of your wedding party or your vision for an idyllic tropical wedding day, Culsen Travel can recommend the island, property and ideal wedding venue to suit, and put the arrangements in place for your special day. They also have a selection of villas and hotels which they recommend for a Caribbean honeymoons. Check out their website on www.culsentravel.com, or call them 01582 729333