Fairy–Tale Weddings

By Pat Cantor

When Prince William and Catherine Middleton walked down the aisle in magnificent Westminster Abbey, it was truly a fairy-tale wedding moment. Yet, as beautiful as the event was, there was something missing. Unlike a fabulous, tropical destination wedding, their wedding pictures were devoid of crystal-white sand, blue Caribbean water, magical sunsets, exotic flowers and wedding guests who had partied and celebrated with the wedding couple all week long! Wills and Kate opted for a local, hometown wedding. You don’t have to settle. If you want a real and very modern fairy-tale wedding, you should seriously consider a destination wedding on a sophisticated Caribbean island. And the perfect setting? The friendly, tropical and multi-faceted island of St. Maarten/St. Martin.

What makes St. Maarten/St. Martin a perfect wedding location is the sheer beauty of the island and the wide variety of venues available to the bridal couple, including all the events leading up to your fairy-tale day, as well as the wedding itself. Almost any style or type of wedding can be arranged and executed to your specifications. With planes arriving from France, Holland and the U.S. every day, coupled with access to the island’s highly sophisticated and resourceful wedding planners, you can have almost anything you wish. Just bring your ideas.

Another bonus is access to attractive tax-free, duty-free shopping for yourself and your home, your bridal party gifts, engagement rings, wedding bands, bride and groom gifts, and whatever else you need.

The Legal Considerations
First thing you need to consider are the technical aspects of getting married here. Even if you are not a French or Dutch citizen, you can legally get married on the island. The French Saint Martin government has updated the formerly restrictive residency laws so it is easier to legally marry on the French side. But, there are a few challenges. For the moment, you can only legally marry in a civil ceremony at City Hall in the French capital of Marigot. The ceremony is conducted in French, so you will need a translator. To acquire the proper papers, contact the mayor of Marigot.

A Dutch-side wedding is a bit easier, as your application and the entire process is in English. As noncitizens, couples must be at least 18 years of age. If you have been divorced, you will need to provide a valid divorce certificate with an Apostille stamp. Samples of what you need include original birth certificates and marital status letter, both with an Apostille stamp, plus photocopies of your passports. A letter addressed to the head of the Civil Registry requesting permission to marry is required upon submission of the original documents. All original documents must be submitted to the Registrar's Office at least one month prior to the wedding, even though the law says 14 days, so as to avail the couple of extra time should the documents not be complete. Costs for government and administrative fees are around $407.

As with the French side, Dutch-side weddings can only be performed by a government official or registrar. You will also need several witnesses to sign your wedding certificate. You cannot legally get married by a member of the clergy on either side of the island. You must have a civil ceremony first. However, your clergy member or spiritual advisor can conduct a “side by side” ceremony with the government registrar. Or you can have the legal, secular service first, either on St. Maarten/St. Martin, or in your hometown, and then a “blessing ceremony” on St. Maarten/St. Martin with your own clergy.

Even though the Dutch side is easier, it is a good idea to use a locally connected and knowledgeable wedding planner to facilitate the process, no matter on which side you hold your ceremony. It takes the stress and worry out of your planning.

Your Wedding To-Do List
Once you’ve dealt with the legal aspects of hosting your wedding on St. Maarten/St. Martin, you can begin planning your memorable, tropical fairy-tale wedding. There are so many things to consider when planning an offshore wedding. Where do you hold the ceremony? How do you entertain your family and friends before the ceremony? Keep in mind that this is a vacation for them, as well as your wedding. Where do you shop for jewels, bride and groom gifts, gifts for attendants and bridal party, and gifts for your guests? Fortunately for you, St. Maarten/St. Martin is both a laid-back tropical paradise and a sophisticated pair of countries with incredible amenities and possibilities.

Choosing the Location
Your biggest consideration is exactly where to hold the ceremony. Most couples prefer to marry on the beach and then host the reception in a romantic and memorable location. Some couples marry on the beach and rent a luxurious private villa or yacht for the reception. St. Maarten/St. Martin has excellent caterers, so it is easy to have very good food combined with a private location. Other couples opt for a beach restaurant, such as the new, very exotic Palm Beach restaurant. Situated in the peaceful end of Orient Bay, here you can marry on the beach and are steps away from the reception. The beach is very private and the food is divine. Other popular places are the five-star restaurants on the main beach at Orient, where you can go a bit crazy with a South of France atmosphere. And, if you have a favorite restaurant, you can ask if they can accommodate your reception after a beach ceremony.

Some couples choose their wedding and reception location from one of the island’s excellent hotels, combining beautiful beaches and ocean views with the convenience of hotel amenities for your stay. La Samanna is a French-side hotel with breathtaking beaches and beautiful reception areas. This elegant hotel is romantic and very private. Maho Sonesta on the Dutch side is a more traditional big hotel, but the gardens are a very popular wedding location. Maho is in a very active area filled with a wide variety of restaurants, shops and spas.

The Westin is one of the newer hotels, so everything is fresh and elegant. There are several wedding locations in the hotel that combine beach and garden facilities. The great food and service you find at this luxury resort is a big bonus. The Westin’s guest rooms and villa accommodations provide your family and friends with easy access to all aspects of your wedding. The Westin has quickly become a favorite among bridal parties and the island’s wedding planners.

For an island that is a mere 37 square miles, St. Maarten/St. Martin offers an incredible array of locations for your ceremony, parties and dining, entertainment, pre-wedding accommodations and your honeymoon.

Entertaining Guests
Once you’ve settled on your wedding and reception locations, think how to entertain your guests. One recent couple hosted a series of gourmet feasts at their favorite restaurants in Grand Case. They booked Spiga for its excellent Italian food and cozy atmosphere. The next night was Le Cottage for foie gras and Champagne. Or, you can get laid-back and book Taco Macho for divine Mexican/South American food and killer margaritas, or Sunset Beach Bar for good food, fun atmosphere and music.

Water pleasures are also popular. Pinel Island is a favorite food and adventure trip where you can enjoy the pristine beach and water sports available, as well as very fresh local seafood. You can party and play on the water with Aqua Mania. They offer great trips to the outer islands, cocktail and dinner cruises, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving, and lots of fun stuff for the kids. Their boat, Tango, caters to receptions, rehearsal outings and family fun for the entire wedding party.

For les girls, schedule a spa day for facials, massages and beauty treatments. L’Aqualigne in Pelican Resort and Good Life Spa in Maho are two outstanding examples of what the island offers. Another interesting place in St. Martin is Tijon Parfumerie in Grand Case. Entertain your guests and book a private perfume-making class where all the women can create their own personal commemorative scent under the skilled tutelage of chief perfumer and owner John Berglund. Even if you are not getting married, you should definitely visit Tijon ... it is such a unique experience! For bachelor parties, arrange deep-sea fishing trips where you can keep and cook your catch. If you are renting a villa or condo, you can grill right there or arrange for a private chef to create a gourmet meal with your own fresh fish.

A fun and productive way to entertain your guests (as well as yourself) is to go shopping! On this island, shopping is a popular attraction, especially if you want to invest in a luxury watch, diamonds and colored gems, beautiful jewelry, china and linens for your home, and gifts for your bridal party. With the island’s tax-free and duty-free status, the values are fantastic.

If you haven’t had time to shop for your engagement ring, wedding bands and bridal party gifts, a great one-stop shop is Ballerina Jewelers. Specializing in brides, Ballerina is known for its fabulous selection of diamonds in every shape from .25 to 20 carats in a rainbow of colors, from brilliant white to pastels, fancy yellow and even black. As direct importers, their prices are very favorable. So with a selection this size priced at tax- and duty-free levels, you can opt for a larger diamond!

Wedding Planners
Although you can do the planning for all the pre-wedding events and the wedding yourself, most bridal couples highly recommend working with a professional and locally connected wedding planner. It takes so much pressure off the bride. St. Maarten/St. Martin has very experienced and sophisticated wedding planning companies, including the largest and one of the most respected companies, Sint Maarten Marry-Me, a division of Artemia. They are genius at creating tailor-made fairy tales for each bride and groom.

The Engagement Ring

Often, couples who celebrate their destination wedding on St. Maarten/St. Martin have vacationed here together and fallen in love with the island. They might have even gotten engaged here. If they were smart, they purchased the engagement ring at one of the island's excellent jewelers. The values and selection are fantastic. Plus, the staff in stores like Jewels by Love, Artistic, Colombian Emeralds, Diamonds International, Majesty, Ballerina, Touch of Gold and Zhaveri are knowledgeable and can help you intelligently select the right ring. With our tax-free/duty-free status, the price will be very affordable and much less expensive than back home.

Long before Marilyn Monroe, diamonds really were a girl's best friend. The engagement ring has a long and interesting history. The Romans are believed to have been the first to introduce the formal betrothal ring, and were the first to inscribe or engrave their rings. The Roman betrothal ring was worn on the third finger of the left hand, stemming from either the Egyptian or Greek belief that the vein in that finger runs straight to the heart.

The earliest official records show that Archduke Maximilian of Hamburg gave Mary of Burgundy what is believed to be the first diamond betrothal ring. The first jeweled engagement rings were strictly for the wealthy and royalty. In addition to diamonds, other precious stones were used in engagement or betrothal rings such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Because of their rarity at the time and their enduring nature, diamonds were the stone of choice. Laws were put in place to limit the use of precious stones and other adornments to just the upper crust of society. For those who couldn't afford precious stones, simple rings with two clasping hands or hearts would have been the fashion. As the laws relaxed and the middle class emerged, precious stones for engagement rings became more commonplace, but still expensive.

With the massive diamond find in the Kimberley region of South Africa in the late 1800s, prices began to drop, and more and more people could afford bigger and better diamonds. As the price of diamonds fell, the fashion among wealthier individuals was to embellish the engagement ring by adding other precious stones to it, such as surrounding a large emerald with two diamonds, or massing the diamonds together with three to five diamonds in a row (the Princess Ring) to once again show an individual's ability to afford "the very best." When Tiffany designed its famous setting in the late 1800s, the diamond solitaire gained fashion status.

The fashion for the diamond engagement ring in the 20th century was cemented when Marilyn Monroe uttered the words to that immortal song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

The diamond engagement ring symbolizes love, romance and a woman's fantasy to be a real-life princess... just like Mary of Burgundy in 1477. Little did Mary know what a trendsetter her hubby was!

The Finale

St. Maarten/St. Martin offers you everything you could possibly need for a fabulous fantasy wedding or renewal of vows... from some of the world's top cuisine to incredible locations for your wedding to all the jewels you can possibly imagine. Best of all, amazing wedding planners with vision and professionalism give you a beautiful, exotic, stress-free wedding or renewal of vows. All you do is simply make decisions and show up!

Don't leave home without your credit card, or our shopping maps. Click here for quick guides to St. Maarten/St. Martin shopping and shopping maps.

On your tour around the island, sample the island's cuisine. Use our restaurant guide to help plan as well as a handy guide to activities and sights here.