These 10 helpful tips for planning an intimate wedding or elopement on the Virgin Islands will have you planning your honeymoon before you know it. This article will go over some of the basics details of a beach wedding from a photographer's point of view and get you started on planning one of the best days of your life!!!!

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Decide where you are going to stay first because you might also want to have your ceremony right at your vacation villa. The reason I would start here is there are homes that have a beach on the property or a perfect garden area for your ceremony. Your wedding venue will also help you start to visualize the kind of wedding you would like. This link HERE has a long list of some of the Best Wedding Venues on St. Thomas.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I always start my research by looking at photographs to get a sense of what I like, why not start shopping for your photographer right away?! Saint Thomas has a ton of talented photographers with a wide range of styles to choose from. Each photographer has a bit of a different look to their photographs and different personalities, you should find one that is the right fit for your day. It is also important to make sure they have your wedding day available. You can view my wedding portfolio HERE.

OFFICIANT

The officiants in the Virgin Islands are amazing. They have great personalities and do so much more than just perform a ceremony. The one I mainly work with is married to a wedding planner, so you can imagine that he naturally over-deliver. The officiant will help you with the license information and can arrange the beach decor like the arch and flowers. I would highly recommend reaching out to Stuart Scott (and his cousin Arron!). If you are looking for something more traditional give Pastor Nelson a call.

WEDDING PLANNER

If you are overwhelmed at this point and feeling as though your life is too busy to keep reading this list let alone do it, or you just want guidance and personalized experience, you should call Janelle at Island Bliss Weddings. She is amazing and can take care of anything you need for your special day. I also work a bunch with Island Style Weddings. You will love the ease of just showing up and reading your vows!

BEAUTY

Brides, you should have your hair and makeup done professionally. First, you will look so beautiful, and second, you will feel pampered like a queen, and third, it is one less stress on the day of your wedding. I really love working with Julie at Jewels Beauty Box, she will come to your villa so you can step right into your wedding dress as soon as your hair is finished. Makeup by Shary is also amazing. If they are not available there is also Jazmin Isabel .

FLOWERS

I love flowers and think they are a must-have for a wedding. There are so many wedding bouquet arrangement options to choose from in all colors and sizes. A bouquet will add a pop of color to your pictures and give you something to do with your hands. I would recommend looking at Buds & Roses Flori, and East End Flower Shop for inspiration.

VOWS

Definitely write your wedding vows. Check out these wedding vow books here, they are so cute in your photos. Even if you are not a writer and don't know what to say, just take a moment and write them down from your heart. Trust me. It will be amazing, the person holding your hand as you say nice things about them, and vow to love them forever, will cherish everything you say. Michael and Stuart will have wedding vows for you to say as well, you should look over the ceremonies they offer, this will give you tons of ideas to make your vows more personal.

CAKE AND CHAMPAGNE

Even if it's just the two of you, you could have champagne and cake right on the beach. It's a celebration!!!! If you don't like sweets or alcohol then have something else, your day should be all stuff you love.

MUSIC AND FIRST DANCE

Pick a couple of songs that you love. One to walk down the aisle and one to have the first dance to. A little first dance on the beach just after getting married is romantic, even if you're just swaying back and forth. You could do something simple like a little speaker or do it up with DJ Adonis or DJ Dell. Most likely we will do some photos of you dancing in your photo session so why not take a moment and have your favorite song. It's fun!

DINNER

Even if you get married at 9 am in the morning you should have dinner planned. This way you don't have to think about it. If you want my advice, and since you are still reading, you clearly do. I would hire a private chef that can come right to your villa or deliver your dinner. I work a lot with Chef Colin, or Cooking with Habibi.

I hope this helps you get started with planning your dream island wedding on Saint Thomas!!!!

You are going to absolutely love how easy it is to get married in the Virgin Islands with these amazing vendors and some of the world's most beautiful beaches as the perfect backdrop to your upcoming picture-perfect wedding!