How to make sure your Cayman Islands wedding is legal.

The question I am asked most often by visitors who want to be married in the Cayman Islands is "Will my marriage be legal when I get back home?"

Joy, a Civil Registrar, with a newly married couple, and their two witnesses to the marriage

Every so often I try and address this question, and this is what you have to do, in easy steps.

1. You have to get a Cayman Islands licensed Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer to perform your wedding ceremony, and then register your wedding with our public records office (also known as the General Registry).

2. You will need a Special Marriage License issued by the Governor's Office, which gives you permission to be married in the Cayman Islands once certain requirements have been met.

3. This Special Marriage License is issued to the Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer who must sign off that your documentation is correct.

4. The Cayman Islands Marriage Law requires your Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer to give you a "Certified Copy of the Marriage Register" at the time of your wedding ceremony. THIS IS NOT YOUR LEGAL MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE.

5. As soon as possible after your wedding ceremony, your Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer will file your marriage with the government authorities.

6. Immediately after the filing you will be able to get a Registered Marriage Certificate, which shows that you have been legally married in the Cayman Islands, and that your marriage has been registered with the public records office.

7. Your Cayman Islands Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer or your wedding planner should arrange for this document to be posted or delivered to you within days of your wedding.

8. Your know you have the correct document if it looks like this:

• the reverse has the words "Secure Copy"
• the front of the Registered Marriage Certificate has all your details, the names of your witnesses, and the name of your Civil Registrar/Marriage Officer.
• on the left hand side you will see a number and some initials eg VJB 501 This tells you that that particular wedding was number 501 for that Marriage Officer/Civil Registrar.
• the coloured Coat of Arms of the Cayman Islands is a watermark in the middle of the document.
• On the bottom right you will see the raised seal of the Registrar General.

If you have lost your Registered Marriage Certificate or if you neglected to get one from your Marriage Officer, you can email me at mywedding@candw.ky

Simply Weddings- Grand Cayman Wedding Celebrants and Planners is the company of choice for visitors and residents wishing to get married in Cayman. Our wedding packages all include the legal requirements for your Cayman wedding, including the Registered Marriage Certificate.

Cayman Islands residents must be married by Banns of Marriage, following the an interview and the completion of a document called a "Notice of Marriage". Call the Simply Weddings office at (345)949-9933 to make an appointment. Residents are responsible for obtaining their own Registered Marriage Certificate from the General Registry, Citrus Grove, Goring Avenue, GT unless special arrangements have been made with the Simply Weddings office.