This Beach Has Everything for a Cruise Wedding

White sand, a dock, shade trees, coconut palms, cabanas, a rest-room, and its always in pristine condition thanks to the government's beach cleaning programme.
Just a short taxi or bus ride to the district of West Bay, this quiet beach is a favourite for small cruise weddings. It is spectacular at sunset, as you can see from the photo above. Far from beaches that can get crowded, especially on cruise-ship days, this beach is a quiet oasis on the north-west tip of Seven Mile Beach, and right across the street from our office, which makes it a favourite of mine. It is one of our public beaches, which means there is no charge to use it. Most cruise weddings I do take place between 10am -11am, which means I get you back to George Town with lots of time to explore our capital city, and get some retail therapy!

West Bay is also home to Hell, and Boatswains Beach aka The Turtle Farm. Many people have dinner at one of the popular West Bay restaurants such as Pappagallo, or Calypso Grill. Or if you're on a cruise and want a quick lunch after your wedding, Alfresco Restaurant's patio overlooks this part of Seven Mile Beach.

Governor's Beach, Grand Cayman

Set between the Governor's Mansion and the Pinnacle Condominiums, Governor's Beach is a popular beach for weddings, and it's use is free! This is spectacular for a sunset wedding, and during the week it is not crowded at all. I don't like to use it for Saturday and Sunday weddings because it gets crowded with families having picnics, umbrellas and such...but then, some people don't mind an audience.

This beach has shade, from the casaurina and grape trees, making it a good choice for the summer months. The beach is very wide, and very clean and the location makes it an easy walk from many of the hotels and condos in the vicinity, so you can just walk down the beach to your wedding ceremony.

A few weeks ago I did a Saturday wedding here for a large group, although most of my weddings here are for smaller groups. Because they were having chairs etc set up, when I got there I realised that the sun-bathers were taking up their positions to get a good view. A couple of them called out to me and said "Hey Joy, where's your hat?" That's because I usually wear one of my 40 hats when I'm on the beach, but that particular day I had been to the hairdresser for an up-do and I wasn't wearing a hat. I went over to them to say hi, and found out I had done their wedding last year over at Rum Point!

By law in Cayman your wedding can't be behind closed doors, which is no big thing since the vast percentage of weddings I do are at outdoor locations. Sometimes couples ask for a private beach, which can be problematic since all beaches in Cayman are public below the high water mark. My solution to this is to suggest a "quiet" beach which is usually away from the touristy bits of Seven Mile Beach, on the northern end.

Valentine's Day in the Cayman Islands

The biggest day of the year for Marriage Officers is just one week away. February 14 is Valentine's Day, and it's a busy day for me with one Commitment Ceremony (25 years together), one wedding renewal ceremony, one Destination Wedding beach ceremony for a visiting couple, one cond0-beach wedding for a resident couple, and one wedding gazebo ceremony for a local couple.

The day as planned reflects our services very well, the thing they all have in common is that they have been booked weeks, if not months, in advance. This is not the day to try and have a spur-of the moment wedding!

Valentine's Day is very big in the Cayman Islands, and the florists will have hundreds of orders to fill. If you go into the offices in George Town you will see bouquets of red roses all over, as the ladies show off their tokens of love and affection. I hear that the in-thing for this Valentine's is a helicopter ride over the island, supposed to be breath-taking and affordable.

So, the champagne will be flowing...its a great day to be a marriage officer, and one thing for sure, your spouse will always be able to remember your anniversary!

Seven Mile Beach-Grand Cayman

Sometimes I wish I could capture just how spectacular Seven Mile Beach is for a wedding. Here is my Dad, Vernon Jackson OBE, JP in action.


Simplicity is the key... just you, your wedding celebrant, and the powdery white sand, and azure sea...

Why not a Cruise Wedding?

Grand Cayman is a favourite port-of-call for many cruise ships, and while visiting for the day many tourists plan a wedding or a vow renewal. Fortunately, our Marriage Law does not require a residency period. Once you land, you can be married that same day, all you need is a Special Marriage License and a marriage officer.

Your marriage officer will take care of all the details once you have supplied your passports, proof you are free to marry (divorce decrees, or spousal death certificate from a previous marriage) and your ship's landing card.

Most cruise weddings I do take place in the morning, and I have you back at the harbour by noon, giving you a few hours to enjoy George Town before you need to re-board your ship.

Many people take cruises with family and friends, who come along to witness the ceremony. This is a perfect excuse for your own private beach party, and it can be a lot of fun. When I first started doing beach weddings I noticed a lot of brides would come decked out in full bridal regalia, but these days it is more usual for cruise brides to be more casually attired.

Having a cruise wedding doesn't mean you can't have all the extras you have set your heart on, photography, bridal flowers, cake and champagne...the works. If you are being budget-conscious, I would say, if you don't have anything else, have a professional photographer. I know that most people have good digital cameras these days, but for your special day you don't want to have to worry about batteries going dead, cards being full and the disappointment that comes from not having the wedding photos you really want.

If there will only be the two of you, let us know. We will provide the two witnesses required by our Marriage Law. At the ceremony I give you a signed certified copy of your marriage certificate (suitable for framing) and later on when I have filed your wedding I send you the Registered Marriage Certificate, the legal document you need when you get back home. This is usually on it's way to you by post within 3 working days of your ceremony.

The two most frequently asked questions I get are i) will our marriage be recognised back home ii) do you have a back-up plan when it rains. The answer to both questions is YES. The Registered Marriage Certificate provided by the Cayman Islands Government is valid all over the world, and we have back-up plans for those very few days when we have inclement weather.

We use a quiet beach on the northern end of Seven Mile Beach, where you don't have to be in the middle of a hundred other cruisers. We do only one cruise wedding per day, and there is nothing of an assembly line about it...you get my FULL attention.

All about us

Exotic but accessible, Grand Cayman is emerging as a first-class, affordable destination wedding location, and Cayman Weddings will ensure that your wedding day is all you ever thought it would be. In business for 25 years, this family business has performed over 6500 wedding ceremonies , each as unique as the bridal couple

Founded in 1982 by Vernon Jackson, OBE, JP , Marriage Officer, Cayman Weddings was the Cayman Islands’ first wedding planning company, and now has three marriage officers on staff. Managed and now operated by his wife, Francine, a Civil Registrar of Marriages, the company offers weddings from an intimate beach setting to the glamour of Pedro St James Castle.

“Simply Weddings” a division of the company specialising in cruise weddings is managed by daughter Joy Basdeo, MBE, JP also a Civil Registrar of Marriages.. Cayman Islands law allows you to be married the same day you arrive on the island, making it a popular choice for cruise weddings.

Vernon, Francine and Joy perform over 300 marriage ceremonies per year for couples from all over the world. and they are the company of choice for residents in this very international community.

Each wedding includes all the legal requirements required by this British colony. A Registered Marriage Certificate , the legal document produced by the Government of the Cayman Islands which is valid internationally, is provided within 3 working days of the ceremony, and either mailed to you or delivered to your hotel.

Couples come from all around the world to experience the dream of a sunset wedding against the background of the turquoise water of the Caribbean sea. Other popular locations include the Queen Elizabeth Botanic Park, Pedro St James Castle, and even Hell, West Bay!

Your wedding ceremony should be as special as your love and Cayman Weddings have a variety of non-denominational, secular or spiritual ceremonies to choose from, all written by Vernon , a gentle warm-hearted man with a sense of romance that comes from 56 years of wedded bliss. Or you may choose to write your own vows, a personalised script of the ceremony is part of your package.

Champagne on the beach? Definitely. Our vendors are all professionals, in keeping with the integrity and personal attention which is the hallmark of our company. We can provide other essentials such as witnesses, photography, videography,, wedding florals including special order flowers, and delectable wedding cakes from our own baker.

Each of our weddings has the full attention of a wedding planner who is there throughout the ceremony. Your wedding planner can tell you about Caymanian wedding customs, and those extra touches which make your wedding day truly memorable. Wedding packages start at US$650. We also offer renewal, commitment and engagement ceremonies.

Visit our website at www.caymanweddings.com.ky or email us at weddings@candw.ky. For cruise visitors email mywedding@candw.ky See our blog at www.joyofweddings.blogspot.com for a light-hearted look at all things wedding-related from an experienced Caymanian wedding specialist. Credit cards accepted, deposit required to book your date and time.

Now accepting bookings through 2009.

The Encore Bride

Today I did a wedding for an “encore” bride who is 23 years old. That was a bit unusual, most of my brides who are getting remarried are quite a bit older, maybe in their 40’s, 50’s or 60’s, although I once did a wedding for a bride who was 82 years old, and marrying her childhood sweetheart. That was a real love story. Engaged before World War II, they had been separated, married other people, and both spouses had subsequently died. Now they were getting married with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren around them.

I must admit I have a soft-spot for encore brides. Whatever your circumstances, there has to be a lot of love and trust involved to take that big step a second, and sometimes a third time.

Whatever your age, a second wedding should be just as beautiful, and perhaps even more meaningful than even the first. For this reason, I use different vows and a different ceremony for my “encore” couples.

This weekend I did a beautiful encore wedding for a Scottish couple visiting Cayman. They were fortunate to be attended by a brother and sister-in-law, and to have a daughter, son-in-law and three adorable grandsons in attendance. Since I always have “wedding” bubbles for the children we had a great time with the bubbles, and the grown-ups enjoyed the “bubbly”.

The bride was resplendent in a champagne cocktail length dress, with a matching lace and feather bandeau for her hair. She carried a hand-tied bouquet of champagne and cream roses. She looked very elegant, and could be the poster-girl for my idea of an encore bride.

I think what struck me the most was the palpable sense that this couple had come full circle and were so comfortable with themselves and each other. They truly bore out the words of the ceremony which say “We celebrate today, the outward symbol of an inward union of hearts.”

Long life, health and happiness to all the encore brides out there…you deserve it, grab your happiness with both hands