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Barbados / Special Interests / Weddings & Romance

By Sara Macefield

Barbados for romance

For sophisticates who appreciate the finer things in life or party-lovers looking for lots of action, Barbados offers the perfect match. The so-called “Little England” of the Caribbean is too developed to offer a true tropical getaway, though you can get a taste of its rugged beauty on the undeveloped east coast facing the Atlantic Ocean. But it is ideal for couples wanting to enjoy a gentler tropical experience, enhanced by luxurious surroundings. After all, the island’s upmarket West Coast is noted for its plush hotels and plentiful supply of swish restaurants, while St Lawrence Gap on the South Coast is renowned for its lively atmosphere and numerous bars and restaurants. There’s designer shopping amid the chic boutiques of Bridgetown, excellent golf courses on the western side of the island and a rich cultural calendar of events that runs for most of the year. Visitors can tread the populist tourist trail to the fascinating underground rock formations of Harrison’s Cave, Barbados’s top attraction, or escape the crowds and drive to Barbados’s undeveloped east coast to revel in the relative solitude and rugged beauty of Bathsheba that is like nowhere else on the island.

Wedding in Barbados

Barbados is well set up for weddings or the renewal of wedding vows. Ceremonies can be tailor-made according to your requirements. We have found consistently that the best wedding organiser is St James Travel & Tours, which has a dedicated wedding department and will cope well with small or large events.

In order to ensure that everything is just as you would wish it to be and runs smoothly, you should include your wedding plans at the same time as you plan your holiday. If you are booking via a tour operator or travel organiser, discuss your requirements with them before booking, and if you are making your own arrangements, again, make sure that you contact your hotel, villa agent or a local wedding co-ordinator such as St James Travel & Tours for advice.

Most hotels offer wedding packages, and some have dedicated wedding co-ordinators. For villa weddings, you will need to check that the villa of your choice will accommodate your wedding requests (a large wedding reception or live band may not be possible). You will also find that villa agencies and owners will require that their local manager and/or St James Travel & Tours are retained to organise and oversee the event.

St James Travel & Tours has a selection of Wedding Packages and can also arrange Renewal of Vows ceremonies, and will arrange receptions, wedding dinners etc.

As an alternative to marrying at your hotel, you might consider a variety of other venues such as: Sunbury Plantation House with decorated arch, at lunch or dinner. The Flower Forest, Orchid World and Andromeda Gardens are all delightful settings. Perhaps consider a yacht or catamaran cruise for your ceremony, or a sunset cruise for a reception before being dropped off (conditions permitting) for a wedding dinner at a beachfront restaurant. You can even marry underwater on the Atlantis Submarine, which involves a 50-minute underwater trip during which the wedding march is played in the decorated submarine. Or you can simply get married on a beach or in church, and then be swept away in a limousine, with a picnic hamper and Champagne to sustain you on your way to meet up with a photographer – at a chosen spot like The Crane, for some special shots for your wedding album.

Barbados does not have a residence period before a wedding is permitted to take place. You can simply go to the Ministry of Legal Affairs and obtain a Marriage Licence (which takes about 30 minutes) and you may then get married that same day.

Church weddings may require special documents. In the case of Roman Catholics, for instance, a letter from your priest at home is required to prove that you have had counselling. Divorced Anglicans can get married in church as long as they complete an application for Remarriage of Divorced Persons from the Diocese of Barbados.


Legal requirements for getting married in Barbados are:

Valid passports or original or certified copies of the applicants Birth Certificates.

If divorced, original Decree Absolute papers must be produced

If widowed, the Marriage Certificate and partners Death Certificate must be produced.

If either party is under 18 years of age, he/she must be accompanied by one of his/her parents.

Legal proof must be presented if either party has changed their name by Deed Poll.

A letter is required from the Marriage Officer stating that he will perform the wedding service and indicating which church (for church wedding only) he belongs to.

If getting married in the court a letter is required from the court in order to get a marriage licence. This is for marriages done by a magistrate only.

The licence fee is $200.00 BDS plus $25.00 stamp charge. Cost of the marriage certificate is $20.00 BDS.

Church Weddings require special documents for the church. In the case of Roman Catholics, for instance, a letter from your priest at home is required to prove that you have had counselling. Divorced Anglicans can get married in church as long as they complete an application for Remarriage of Divorced Persons from the Diocese of Barbados.

Weddings in Barbados by: Deana Bellamy, James Henderson

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Browse Weddings & Romance on other islands

Anguilla | Antigua and Barbuda | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada & Carriacou | Jamaica | Nevis | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad

Or read our other island guides

Anguilla | Antigua | Aruba | Bahamas | Barbados | Bermuda | Bonaire | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Cuba | Curacao | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada and Carriacou | Guadeloupe | Haiti | Jamaica | Martinique | Montserrat | Nevis | Puerto Rico | Saba | St Barthélemy | St Eustatius | St Kitts | St Lucia | St Martin/St Maarten | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Tobago | Trinidad | Turks & Caicos Islands | US Virgin Islands

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Looking for inspiration?

  1. Ride the waves at kitesurfing mecca Silver Point
  2. Drive along the breathtakingly beautiful East Coast
  3. Go underground at Harrison's Cave
  4. Hobnob with the stars watching a polo match
  5. Step back in time at the impressive Jacobean plantation house - St Nicholas Abbey

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