"As destination weddings become increasingly popular, some couples hold back from having one because friends and family may not be able to share in their special day," says Norma Kennedy, the USVI resort's wedding director, who has planned more than 2,000 such events.
"Our Virtual Wedding Package solves this problem by bringing every element of the wedding -- from the ceremony, the champagne toast, and the cake cutting -- to the Internet to share with loved ones." The package includes:
- Email invitations sent to your guest list
- A customized Web site with a photo album of the wedding, streaming video of the affair, and a personal message from the two of you
- Visitors may add special messages to your online guest book.
- A professionally packaged keepsake CD-ROM of the wedding.
The Virtual Wedding package costs $500-650 in addition to any of the USVI resort's four Weddings in Paradise packages, which can be customized by Kennedy to be as informal or elaborate as you like.
Tropical Wedding ($550)
- Religious or non-denominational ceremony
- Clergy and two witnesses
- Wedding arrangements
- Decorated gazebo
- Commemorative wedding certificate
Deluxe Wedding ($1,058)
- Religious or non-denominational ceremony
- Clergy and two witnesses
- Wedding arrangements
- Decorated gazebo
- Commemorative wedding certificate
- Imported premium Champagne
- 72 professional photographs and a wedding album
- Two-tiered wedding cake
- Bride's bouquet and groom's matching boutonniere
Luxury Wedding ($1,260)
- All the elements of a Deluxe Wedding, plus
- Professional video
Royal Wedding ($1,525)
- All the elements of a Deluxe Wedding, plus
- Professional video
- Dom Perignon Champagne
- Two engraved Champagne flutes
- Live music
IT'S EASY TO MARRY IN THE USVI
Since the U.S. Virgin Islands is an American territory, U.S. citizens need only complete a two-page form, pay a $50 license fee, and observe an eight-day posting period. To eliminate the on-island waiting period, engage the services of a local or resort wedding planner to handle this detail. It's advisable to plan for a wedding here at least two months ahead. No blood tests are required by law.
WEDDING + HONEYMOON = WEDDINGMOON
Rather than leave the island immediately after your wedding, plan for a real weddingmoon, combining the ceremony with a honeymoon afterwards.
Marriott's Frenchman's Reef, which overlooks Charlotte Amalie harbor and Morning Star Beach, is one of many fine hotels on the island.
The resort, which has five restaurants, eight bars, 24-hour room service, three freshwater pools, tennis courts, a health club and spa, and a full list of water sports, made Condé Nast Traveler's prestigious "Gold List" in 2001.
Those who prefer more intimate quarters may prefer the property's Morning Star Resort, located directly on the beach. It recently underwent a renovation, and rooms now feature airy tropical decor, open terraces, and sliding mahogany doors.
And if you think all that's missing are the rings, don't worry. The USVI's capital city Charlotte Amalie has the Caribbean's largest number of jewelry stores. The resort's own Downtown Water Safari ferry transports guests there for duty-free shopping. At highly reputable stores such as H. Stern, Little Switzerland, Colombian Emeralds, and Diamonds International, you're certain to find wedding jewelry as dazzling as your love.
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