Guide for Planning a Wedding on St. Thomas

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!

5 Ways to Propose in the Virgin Islands!

Did you know it’s engagement season? Well, it is. It starts around Thanksgiving and lasts until about Valentine’s Day. I love engagement photos almost as much as I love wedding photos!!!

St. Thomas is the perfect location for engagement photos and better still the perfect place for a marriage proposal. I absolutely am in love with a surprise beach proposal while vacationing in the Caribbean.

Now, if you’re thinking about “popping” the question on your next trip to the Virgin Islands, I have a few tips on how to go about asking. Really, it takes just a little planning and it is easier then you think.

First—email a professional photographer, you will want to capture this special moment and share it with everyone.

Second—decide how much of a surprise you would like it to be. Will you be able to tell her about the photo shoot without her getting suspicious?  I’ve had some guys arrange a couple’s photo session and she still has no idea or they plan a family photo session and it becomes a surprise proposal. If you don’t want to tell her about the photos, then you will have to find a way to get her dressed for the occasion and to the beach.

Next—how to get her to the beach and keep it a secret. If you decide that you aren’t going to tell her about the shoot for the proposal here are my suggestions on getting the best photos for your surprise proposal:

1.     Make plans to visit the beach for a sunset walk on your way to your dinner reservations. This way you are both dressed for the occasion and it will sound natural and romantic.

2.     If you are traveling with your family or a group, arrange a family photo session or have someone in your group do a couples session as a distraction and a way to get her to the beach dressed for photos.

3. Keep things simple and plan a romantic picnic evening to watch the sunset together at the beach. Your photographer should be hiding out close by to capture you asking the big question. There are a lot of amazing locations on St. Thomas to pick from.

4.     I had one couple that planned their own photo shoot with a selfie-stick. They dressed to take photos of themselves and I was there to get it all… it worked.

5. Book a private dinner with Chef Colin right on the beach! He will set a table up on any beach and serve you champagne and dinner at your own private table, it’s as amazing as it sounds and you can find out more on his page HERE.

Now, that you have a location and a plan to get her to the beach, how are you going to go about asking her the big question? I believe life is best when you keep things simple, so I recommend simply getting down on one knee. The trick will be to get her facing the camera she doesn’t know about. This is pretty easy if you are walking in the direction of the photographer. You can also stop and look out at the ocean together… then you can take one step back from the water, get down on one knee and she will turn from the water towards you and your sparkly ring, aaannnndddddd the camera. Boom!!!! Easy, magical, and a moment you will forever cherish & remember.

If you feel like getting a little creative for your Virgin Islands beach proposal, here are a few ideas I’ve seen work well:

1. Write in the sand “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” This can be written in the sand, with sea glass, or with rose petals.

2. A wedding planner like Island Bliss Weddings can design a magical picnic spot with champagne, flowers, pillows, and candles.

3. A florist like East End Flower Shop can design a large heart-shaped out of rose petals.

4. There is also the idea of doing a mutual engagement, where you plan together.

5. My favorite and go-to is the simplest of all—you just point out over the water to direct her attention away, say something like, “Look a dolphin or sea turtle!” and get down on one knee!!!!!

6. Another idea is to ask her to marry you privately while it’s just the two of you and tell her that you have an engagement session planned the next day. This way she knows about the photo session and can pick her favorite dress and we can always recreate the proposal moment for a photograph.

7. I also love this slim engagement box that will not be noticed in your pocket!

8. A sunset sail can be romantic as well. I love working with Sail Meow.

I would love to hear if you have a creative idea for a surprise beach proposal.

The best part about doing a surprise proposal on a St. Thomas beach is that it instantly turns into your first engagement session.  Send me an email and we will get started on planning your perfect surprise proposal.

St Thomas Beach Wedding: Sapphire Beach

Sapphire Beach is a St. Thomas Beach Wedding location that is often overlooked. It's a beautiful beach on the east end with endless options for your wedding ceremony. This beach faces St. John. 

Up until recently, the beach was under-developed with decrepit buildings on its property. Within the past couple of years, there has been a lot of upgrades, including new facades on all the apartment rentals and there is a lot of progress on several pop-up restaurants, including a full restaurant by the pool, which is rumored to open in 2017. 

There is a site fee at this beach, starting at $150. There is no entrance fee for guests at this beach, and there is ample parking if needed. 

This beach is a long one compared to some of the other beaches in St. Thomas. On one end--the left--it's rocky, then it turns into the beach where everyone swims. If you keep going to the right, the beach levels out, so it's a great place for your St. Thomas Beach Wedding ceremony. This part of the beach can hold hundreds of people if you have that many guests. This is also a great place to set up a tent with some tables to have your reception! 

If you keep trekking to the right, you'll come upon Pretty Klip Point, which is a peninsula that points toward St. John. This is a great spot for weddings with the picturesque rocks and plants. This spot is great for smaller weddings. 

It's important to keep in mind that this beach can be very windy, so if you plan to wear your hair down, you may want to consider a different venue for your St. Thomas Beach Wedding. If you have flowing dresses for your bridesmaids or yourself, it's a great option for photos! 

This beach is awesome for morning and early afternoon weddings. The turquoise waters are beautifully bright! Here is another post to show what the light looks like at Sapphire Beach in the evening before sunset.