Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.
Choosing the island and style of the wedding
Families with roots in two places, say a Bajan mother and a Vincentian father, or a Guyanese bride and a Jamaican groom, often argue for months about where the wedding should happen. Settling the country, the town and the broad style (church and reception hall, beach, hotel, or the family yard) before anything else is booked stops every later choice being reopened.
First tasks
- Write down every place with a real family claim on the wedding
- Check direct flights to each place from the cities most guests live in
- Agree the style of wedding with your partner in one sitting
- Tell both sets of parents the decision before posting it anywhere
Wedding date checked against seasons and festivals
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, Carnival and Crop Over send flight prices up, and Christmas and Easter fill every guest house and church diary. A date tested against the weather, the festival calendar, school holidays and the church's own calendar saves guests money and spares you a wedding in a tropical storm watch.
First tasks
- Mark hurricane season and the island's rainy months on a year planner
- Add Carnival, Independence and public holiday dates for the island
- Price return flights for three candidate weekends from your main guest city
- Ask the ceremony venue to hold your preferred date provisionally
Marriage licence rules for your chosen country
Every Caribbean country sets its own rules: some issue a licence the day you apply, some want a few days on the island first, some need a notice period or banns, and documents in French, Spanish or Dutch may need certified translation. Getting the current rules from the official source, not a blog or a cousin's memory of 2009, is what makes the legal part of the day certain.
First tasks
- Find the official office that issues marriage licences in your chosen country
- Email or call them to confirm documents, fees and any waiting period
- Write a dated one-page summary of what they told you
- Recheck the requirements with the issuing office until the wedding @recurring(quarterly)
