Bride Again...

AN ALL-AMERICAN CARIBBEAN WEDDING

GETTING MARRIED 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 second-time-around newlyweds who have sought out unusual, exotic, and lower-cost Caribbean weddings.

Big second weddings and big prices were not in our plans and the U.S. Virgin Islands offered the perfect place to simultaneously combine an intimate wedding ceremony with our tropical honeymoon.

Getting married in the USVI was convenient, cost-effective, and fun. 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. Your complete 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 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 Department 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. Forty 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 a St. Thomas beach at sunset before heading to St. John's Caneel Bay 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, as well as wedding coordinators and related companies that can help with every aspect of the ceremony and trip. USVI resorts with specialized wedding packages include: The Buccaneer on St. Croix; Caneel Bay and the Hyatt Regency on St. John; and Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort, the Ritz-Carlton, Secret Harbour Beach Resort, Stouffer Grand Beach Resort, and Sugar Bay Plantation Resort on St. Thomas.

Many companies located in the USVI, such as Weddings by IPS, Weddings the Island Way, and Fantasia Weddings & Honeymoons, can handle all of the details. Patty Wallen, owner of Weddings by IPS, says, "Caribbean weddings offer an inexpensive and unusual way to get married. USVI resorts and companies make it easy."

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. It makes for a unique and generally less-expensive wedding than is possible in the States.

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.

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

SIDEBAR

CONTACTS FOR GETTING MARRIED &

HONEYMOONING IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

--Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands, P.O. Box 70, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI 00801, 809/774-6680.

--U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Tourism, 1270 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, 212/332-2222 or                  800/372-USVI. Ask for their new information kit, "Getting Married in the United States Virgin Islands."

--USAir continues to expand their service into the Caribbean from many U.S. markets. Delta Airlines and American              Airlines offer service through a variety of gateways in the U.S.

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

--Weddings the Island Way, P.O. Box 11694, 100 Blackbeard's Hill, St. Thomas, USVI 00801, 809/776-4455 or               800/582-4784.

--Fantasia Weddings & Honeymoons, 168 Crown Bay, Ste. 310, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, 809/777-4529 or                    800/FANTASA.