Wedding in Grand Cayman

From our travel guide

A wedding here can be a beachfront ceremony, a resort ballroom, or something as small as an intimate garden setting. People have been getting married on this island for years, and local vendors can put together anything from a ceremony for two to a weekend event for a few hundred guests. Planners, photographers, florists, caterers, musicians, and officiants all work here, often as established teams that already know each other. The venues listed below are the resorts and operators that host ceremonies and receptions, drawn from our hotels and charter listings; our guide to wedding venues in Grand Cayman compares them by capacity and setting.

Seven Mile Beach is the most popular setting, with resorts like the Ritz-Carlton, Kimpton Seafire, and the Westin selling packages that bundle the venue, catering, and a coordinator. Couples after something other than a resort backdrop can rent a private villa along Seven Mile Beach or out in the eastern districts, or use the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park on the North Side for a garden setting with lawns, a lake, and evening bookings until midnight. Some charter a catamaran instead and combine the ceremony with a sunset cruise for guests.

The legal side is simpler than most destinations. Visitors marry under a Special Marriage Licence issued by the Governor's office, which costs CI$200 (a CI$50 application fee plus CI$150 for the licence) and can be arranged the day you arrive; there is no waiting period. Both parties need a passport, the immigration card stamped on entry (or the cruise-ship embarkation card), and a certified divorce decree or death certificate if either has been married before. A licensed Cayman Islands Marriage Officer performs the ceremony in front of two witnesses aged 18 or over, and a Cayman marriage is recognised in the US, UK, Canada, and most other countries. Most planners handle the licence paperwork as part of the job, and choosing a Marriage Officer before you fly lets them check your documents in advance.

Most vendors are based in George Town and along Seven Mile Beach, though they'll travel islandwide for the right event. Book photographers and videographers early for the peak months, December through April and June. Planning from overseas usually means working with a local planner, since coordinating vendors you can't meet in person is easier with someone on the ground handling it.