Wedding Advice and Legalities

Wedding Advice

DO be realistic about your hair & makeup options While a St Barts wedding is be a dream come true, tropical breezes, heat and humidity can do damage to hair and makeup. When planning a St Barts destination wedding, take the elements into consideration before choosing your hairstyle. Listen to the experts provided by Premium IV. For a beach or other outdoor ceremony, seriously consider an up-do. This tried and true style will keep you looking polished all night. If you are determined to wear your locks down, Premium IV's stylist will spend the day with you touching up your makeup and hair so you do not have a tangled and messy do by the time you enter the reception.

DO dress appropriately While most people cannot imagine anything but a tuxedo, anything that is black or made of woollen is not a good idea. This may look good in good in pictures, however your groom passing out. Think of more of a St Barts island feel and a lightweight linen suit.

DO entertain your guests A St Barts destination wedding is more complex than a wedding back home, you have invited your friends and family to a wedding, but they are also on vacation. Have Premium IV plan activities for them, boat trips, island tours, cocktails, meals together at restaurants.

DON’T feel obliged to plan every minute On the other hand, guests are on vacation, too. Do provide them with activity options and a short itinerary for the week so they know where to find you. However, definitely allow them time to explore the St Barts on their own.

DO be flexible Whether it is about the minister or the décor, recognize that with a St Barts destination wedding you may not have as many options when it comes to clergy, photographers, even flowers. If you are set on a Lutheran minister or an 8mm cinematographer, recognize that Premium IV may have to fly someone in to handle these tasks. Ultimately, approaching the event by being flexible will relieve stress on everyone’s part and save you some money as well.

DON’T go it alone Never plan a St Barts destination wedding on your own. In doing so, you are risking disappointments such as your cake not showing up, flowers being late, etc.. Premium IV are there to make sure everything runs smoothly.

DO trust the experts Once you’ve found Premium IV to handle your day, trust your judgment and their guidance, especially in a location where you may or may not have visited. While things like the direction of the setting sun and timing of high tide may not be of concern to you, it will definitely be on the mind of your wedding planner , who are ultimately there to ensure you have a flawless wedding day.

DON’T expect everyone you invite to attend Traveling is expensive and because of this, expect a certain percentage of your guests to decline your invite. While this can be initially disappointing, it will make for a much more intimate celebration.

DO embrace the culture St Barts life is like no other. Because of this, you would be doing your guests an injustice if you did not introduce them to the unique culture of this beautiful French island.

Wedding Legality

Nearly all of wedding ceremonies we organize on St Barts are blessings, with the couple having been previously married in their home country.

Under French law, the Mayor's Office is the only place on St Barts where you can get married, and the residency requirements are rather tough (listed below).

Organizing Blessings and Religious Ceremonies apart from the Civil Legal Wedding is quintessentially French.

Thousands get married in Church, although the religious ceremony has no legal status.

The wedding in the home country is generally a quiet civil affair with a larger event with friends and family on St Barts, which is where Premium IV come in.

Premium IV St Barts can work with the Catholic and Episcopalian Ministers on St Barts to organize your Wedding on the Island.

For spiritual, religious weddings and renewal of vows on St Barts the following protocol is generally followed.

ROMAN CATHOLIC WEDDINGS ON ST BARTS

If the couple are Roman Catholic and want to bring a minister onto St Barts, they need to seek the permission of Pere Numa. Premium IV will provide all of the contact information necessary, and will act as an intermediary, however direct contact between the couple, their Priest and Pere Numa is ideal.

Roman Catholic Church. Letter of Good Conduct (including certification of "single status").

ANGLICAN/EPISCOPALIAN WEDDINGS ON ST BARTS

If the couple are Anglican/Episcopalian and want to bring a minister onto the island, they need to seek the permission of Rev Charles Vere Nicoll, St Barts Anglican Church. Again Premium IV will provide all of the contact information necessary.

Couples coming here for their spiritual, religious ceremony have to present the presiding priest with their marriage certificate before Reverend Vere Nicoll can undertake the wedding.

For other denominations and religions, we work with both Ministers from nearby islands and with the Minister you may wish to bring to St Barts.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A LEGAL WEDDING ON ST BARTS

• Birth certificate (or copy with raised seal)
• Letter of Good Conduct (including certification of "single status")
• Residency Card (one of the couple must have resided on the island at least one month)
• Medical Certificate (including blood test) issued within 3 months of marriage
• Certified French translation of English documents.
• A "Bulletin de Marriage" is delivered at ceremony. No fee is involved.