Bridal Trends....

AN ALL-AMERICAN CARIBBEAN WEDDING

AND HONEYMOON:  TYING THE KNOT IN THE

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

I follow trends wherever they go and the latest one in travel (and weddings) took me to the U.S. Virgin Islands. This American paradise is the trendiest place to get married and my new bride and I are now part of a growing group of newlyweds who sought an exotic Caribbean wedding and honeymoon.

A big formal wedding was not in our plans and the U.S. Virgin Islands offered the perfect place to combine an intimate wedding ceremony with our tropical honeymoon. It's the perfect place for both.

Getting married in the USVI earlier this year was surprisingly easy and enjoyable. The Caribbean marriage and honeymoon business is growing quickly and our experience shows why. Resorts and individual vendors take care of every detail involved in planning the big event, Caribbean-style. An experienced wedding and honeymoon coordinator generally comes with the package you choose. Though it's possible to find wedded bliss on many Caribbean islands, it's often easier in the USVI. Because it's a U.S. territory, the legal requirements are just like those in the States. It's simply a matter of applying for the marriage license and arranging the ceremony, all of which can be done by experts on the islands. This was all explained in a new information kit, "Getting Married in the United States Virgin Islands," which is distributed by the USVI Division of Tourism. Other American conveniences include the same currency, the same language, and no U.S. citizen entry requirements.

The USVI, dubbed "America's Paradise," consist of three islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. St. Thomas is the busiest and most-developed of the three, with a bustling cruise ship port and many elegant resorts. Nearby St. John is small and serene. Thirty-five miles to the south, the largest island, St. Croix, provides the ideal mix of her two sister islands, with two distinct towns to visit and a wide range of accommodations.

This is the perfect place for island-hopping. Many couples get married on one island and then continue their honeymoon on another. We were married on St. Thomas and stayed for a week before heading to St. John for an extended honeymoon. Our experience convinced us to head to St. Croix for our first anniversary to complete our USVI visit. All three islands feature resorts that arrange special wedding and honeymoon packages. We chose Bolongo Club Everything Beach Resorts on St. Thomas, but there are many other possibilities throughout the islands.

Bolongo offers unique wedding packages at their collection of resorts. They have a full-time Wedding Coordinator, Vida Huggins, who professionally handled all of the details before our arrival, during the ceremony, and for the rest of our stay. She says, "Weddings and honeymoons have become very popular here and the couples really enjoy the entire experience we can offer."

Bolongo's packages start at just $550, which includes: religious or non-denominational clergy, two witnesses, bridal bouquet and groom's boutonniere, a wedding cake, professional photographer, champagne, and crystal flutes.

Their $765 package adds a unique and popular video of the ceremony and celebration, as well as a large hors d'oeuvre platter. The $1225 offering includes a decorated wedding gazebo, a large wedding album and French champagne. The $1785 package features live music during the ceremony (including steel drums) and a scenic tour of the island in a chauffeured limousine. Bolongo's all-out wedding package for $2390 includes Dom Perignon champagne, a romantic dinner for two, a beautiful crystal wedding picture frame, and a trip to a deserted island by helicopter. Bolongo's offerings are typical of what's available at resorts in the USVI. Other USVI resorts with specialized wedding packages include: The Buccaneer, Club St. Croix, the Cormorant Beach Club, and the King Christian Hotel on St. Croix; Caneel Bay and the Hyatt Regency on St. John; and Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort, Stouffer Grand Beach Resort, and Sugar Bay Plantation Resort on St. Thomas.

Many companies located in the USVI, such as IPS Weddings, Weddings the Island Way, and Creative Wedding & Honeymoon Experts, can handle all of the details. Patty Wallen, owner of IPS Weddings, says, "Caribbean weddings offer an unusual and enjoyable way to get married. USVI resorts and companies make it easy to arrange the ceremony and honeymoon."

Caribbean weddings offer many exotic touches that generally aren't available on the U.S. mainland. The possibilities include: exotic fantasy settings; tropical flowers and cake flavors; romantic local Caribbean meals; and the balmy temperatures, breezes, and wide variety of tourism activities that characterize the USVI.

Several couples we met chose to invite family members and friends to their Caribbean nuptials, combining the wedding with their own vacations. We saw many large weddings and wedding parties, as well as small intimate affairs. Couples who plan a USVI wedding will find matrimonial services similar to those found in the U.S. Resorts and vendors have access to all standard wedding amenities and can meet almost any demand. Once the wedding is over, a honeymoon in America's paradise begins immediately.

A USVI wedding and honeymoon is definitely an ideal way to start a life together. The convenience and fabulous Caribbean setting are worth investigation by any couple.

SIDEBAR

CONTACTS FOR WEDDINGS AND HONEYMOONS

IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

--Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands, P.O. Box 70, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI 00801, 809/774-7325.

--U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Tourism, 1270 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, 212/332-2222 or                  800/USVI-INFO. Ask for their new information kit, "Getting Married in the United States Virgin Islands."

--Continental Airlines continues to expand their service into the Caribbean from many U.S. markets. They offer convenient      connections through their international hub in Newark into St. Thomas and St. Croix. American Airlines offers service          through a variety of gateways in the U.S.

--Bolongo Club Everything Beach Resorts of St. Thomas, P.O. Box 7337, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, 809/779-2844 or        800/524-4746.

--IPS Weddings, P.O. Box 9979, St. Thomas, USVI 00801, 809/774-4598.

--Weddings the Island Way, P.O. Box 11695, Ste. 12A, Grand Hotel, St. Thomas, USVI 00801, 809/776-4455 or             800/582-4455.

--Creative Wedding & Honeymoon Experts, Veterans Drive, P.O. Box 2849, St. Thomas, USVI 00803-2849,                    809/778-5933.