Is a Destination Wedding Ceremony Legal?

When planning a Destination Wedding you have to decide if you want a legal/civil, religious or symbolic wedding.

Here are the differences:

Only a civil ceremony is legally recognized. A religious ceremony has no legal bearing and does not replace in any way the binding legal civil marriage. A renewal of vows or religious ceremony is a symbolic ceremony. It is performed by a non-denominational minister. (Please note that Catholic ceremonies cannot be performed outside the church). The bride and groom will receive a symbolic marriage which is not legal.

When we speak with our brides and grooms we always ask them which ceremony they will be choosing for their upcoming Destination Wedding.
There are a few requirements to consider when you are deciding between a legal and non-legal wedding so we thought we should give you some information on what you need to do in order to have a legal wedding in your chosen destination.

Mexican Legal Wedding requirements (Civil Ceremony)

• Valid passport
• Tourist Cards (blue sheets that you receive at the airport)
• Apostle certified birth certificates for Bride & Groom
  • If applicable, final Record of Divorce
  • If applicable, Death Certificate
• Health certificate and blood test provided by a Mexican Official (additional cost)
• Bride & Groom must arrive four business days prior to the ceremony (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays do not count).
• Name, addresses, nationalities, ages, occupation, relationships, copy of a tourist card and a valid identification of the 4 witnesses.

  Dominican Republic Legal Wedding requirements (Civil Ceremony)

• Birth Certificate of Bride and Groom or certified copy of Birth certificate. If parents’ names are not shown on the certificates, please indicate them separately.
• Notarized Declaration of Single status for the Bride and Groom. If previously married, submit two copies of the Divorce Decree or Death Certificate. There is a mandatory waiting period for women, 10 months before they are legally allowed to remarry.
• A photocopy of Bride and Groom’s Passport
• Photocopies of all Witnesses Passports. Cannot be family members. If necessary, resort will provide witnesses.
• Bride & Groom must be in the country 3 business days prior to the wedding.

Please note: The Dominican Republic is now a member of the La Hague Convention, please have your official documents apostatized by your Secretary of State Office.

Jamaican Legal Wedding requirements (Civil Ceremony)
 
In order to get legally married by a Marriage officer recognized by the Jamaican Government, the following documents are required to be sent via courier to the Wedding Coordinator at least four weeks prior to the couple’s arrival to the hotel:

• Notarized copies of the Bride & Groom birth certificate
• Notarized copies of Bride & Groom official ID ( Passports)
• Notarized copies of Divorce decrees or death certificates (if applicable)

Cuban Legal Wedding requirements (Civil Ceremony)

Documents required by The Holiday Place 12 weeks prior to departure:

Proof of Identity: A copy of Birth Certificate and copy of the passport which is valid for at least 6 months  upon your return.
Divorced: A copy of the original Decree Absolute stamped with the seal of the court where it was issued.
Widow(er): A Copy of the marriage certificate and death certificate of husband or wife is required.
Name Change: A copy of Deed Poll under which change has been done.
Adoption: A copy of the adoption certificate is required.

*Important Note: All documents stated above except passport and birth certificate must be translated into Spanish first and legalized at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and then the Cuban Consulate.
All original documents must be presented at the resort. 

Bride & Groom must be in the country 3 business days prior to the wedding.

Weather Patterns: Mexico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica

Hi there,

Welcome to May! just to think only one more month and we are already half way through 2012.

When planning a Destination Wedding with our beautiful brides and handsome grooms there are a few important factors to consider, such as; Weather conditions for the week they will be traveling and getting married, is their preferred wedding date available, is the price for their guests coming in within budget and so on.

We decided over the next few months we will write about these important factors when considering your Destination Wedding, cause let's face it, we all endeavor the same questions and concerns.

Here is some relevant weather information when it comes to looking at having your Destination Wedding somewhere tropical.

Mexico has a varied climate depending on the regions. The rainy season runs from May through October with the west coast vulnerable to hurricanes in September and October. While the north western region of Mexico is arid, the climate of the south eastern coast is tropical due to surrounding warm waters. Higher elevations (the central plateau) enjoy spring like weather almost year round. 


Mayan Riviera: Average Rainfall / Month

The climate in the Riviera Maya is hot and humid, but the humidity is not as high as in other areas. The average annual temperature ranges from 25 C to 30 C. Offshore water temperatures range from 

26 C in January to 29 C in August. May through November is the rainy season.

Temperature in Celsius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	27	28	29	30	30	30	30	31	30	30	28	27
Minimum	20	20	20	22	22	23	23	23	23	22	21	20
Rainfall (mm)	90	120	50	170	200	370	140	120	360	90	80	60

Puerto Vallarta: Average Rainfall / Month

Puerto Vallarta enjoys a typical tropical climate, with near constant temperature. Puerto Vallarta usually experiences 322 days of sunshine a year and average temperatures between 20° C and 30° C. Rainfall is heavier in June and October. Even during the rainy season precipitation tends to be concentrated in large rainstorms with insignificant precipitation on most days.

Temperature in Celsius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	26	26	27	27	29	31	31	32	32	31	29	27
Minimum	16	16	17	18	21	24	24	24	24	23	20	18
Rainfall (mm)	28	18	7	7	12	206	334	327	347	123	19	20

Dominican Republic

Humid tropical but still pleasant thanks to the winds coming from the North-West and mountainous rises present on the island. The water temperature is usually between 27°C and 30°C. The rainy seasons are from May to August and again later in October.

Temperature in Celsius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	29	29	30	30	30	31	31	32	31	31	31	30
Minimum	20	20	20	21	22	23	23	23	23	22	21	20
Rainfall (mm)	63	57	54	72	188	140	145	177	181	187	100	84

Punta Cana: Average Rainfall / Month

Punta Cana has a warm semi-tropical climate but is tempered by eastern winds. It rarely rains during daylight hours.

Temperature in Celsius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	26	28	27	28	28	29	29	29	29	28	28	26
Minimum	18	18	19	19	20	22	22	23	22	22	20	18
Rainfall (mm)	80	20	90	110	190	180	170	170	200	170	120	70

Jamaica

Mountain breezes and northeast trade winds create a pleasant year round climate. You will find a tropical climate at sea level and temperate climate in the interior mountainous region of the island. The average temperature oscillates between 19C and to 32C. Of course the higher the altitude the cooler it will be.

There are two distinctive rainy seasons: the first from May to June and the second from September to November. You may experience short but refreshing afternoon tropical showers all year and bring a sweater for the evening during the winter months.

Montego Bay: Average Rainfall / Month

Montego Bay's tropical climate is very pleasant however it can get colder in the mountains. The annual average temperature is 27° C.

Temperature in Celcius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	27	27	28	29	30	31	31	31	31	30	29	28
Minimum	22	22	22	23	23	24	25	25	24	24	23	22
Rainfall (mm)	60	40	50	60	140	130	70	130	150	180	130	90

Ocho Rios: Average Rainfall / Month

Montego Bay's tropical climate is very pleasant however it can get colder in the mountains. The annual average temperature is 27° C.

Temperature in Celcius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	27	27	28	29	30	31	31	31	31	30	29	28
Minimum	22	22	22	23	23	24	25	25	24	24	23	22
Rainfall (mm)	60	40	50	60	140	130	70	130	150	180	130	90

Negril: Average Rainfall / Month

Negril has a tropical climate with average temperatures varying from 25C to 28C. Afternoon showers are frequent but short and refreshing.

Temperature in Celcius	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Maximum	30	29	30	31	31	32	32	32	32	32	31	31
Minimum	20	22	20.5	21.1	22	23	22.6	26.7	22.6	22.6	21.8	20.5
Rainfall (mm)	23	15	23	30	102	86	86	89	97	178	76	36

Coconut Ice Cream

Learn to Make Coconut Ice Cream

Hi there and welcome to April!

This month we wanted to share something a little different with you, since Summer is approaching we thought you may want to get into the spirit and start making some Coconut Ice Cream!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Coconut Ice Cream! And if you’re a Piña Colada fan, you will absolutely love this yummy dessert.

Use the below recipe and learn to make this sweet treat at home and pretend you’re visiting somewhere tropical! What could be better?

Coconut Ice Cream
Combine 1 cup of milk,
One 14-ounce can of cream of coconut
1 ½ cups of sweetened flaked coconut
in a container, food processor or blender mix thoroughly.

After the mixture is thoroughly blended mix in 1 ½ cups of heavy cream.

Pour into the container of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

ENJOY!!

Destination Wedding Specialist vs Travel Agent

Welcome to March! Can you believe it we are almost 1/4 of the way through the year, where has the time gone?

This months blog we wanted to discuss the difference between a Travel Agency which specializes in Destination Weddings versus the Travel Agency who claims to "specialize" in Cruises, Travel, Corporate Travel so why not throw Destination Weddings in there too, right?

As you know your Wedding day is one of the most important days of yours and your significant others lives, so when it comes to the planning of this big day you should know how to hire/what questions to ask these "Destination Wedding Specialists" you will be working with to make sure your day is as perfect as you imagined it to be and that they will be able to assist you throughout the process.

Jane and John were recently engaged on New Years Eve and they had always spoken and dreamed about having a Destination Wedding one day especially since most of their families lived abroad.

The first thing Jane did during her wedding planning process was to go on to the internet and search "Destination Wedding Specialists, Canada" (this is where they live), up popped a list of Travel Agencies based all over Canada so she decided to start calling..........

Jane - "Hi there this is Jane I was wondering if your travel agency specialized in Destination Weddings?".......
Agency- "Yes we specialize in Destination Weddings, how can we help............?"
This is the crucial stage where you need to be well informed and prepared to ask as many questions to this agency to make sure they are appropriate and experienced enough to handle your Destination Wedding.

Your prepared questions that you will ask this Agent should look a little like this:

• How many Destination Weddings have you booked yourself this year?
• What is the average amount your Destination Wedding guests pay per person? (this will determine what kind of groups they work with e.g. high end, boutique, low costs etc)
• Do you charge any fees? if so what are they? 
• Were you a Destination Wedding Bride yourself? 
• Have you attended a Destination Wedding? 
• What do your services include? (does the agent; prepare a Save the Date invite, manage the RSVP's, booking of the actual wedding date) 
• Do you have any experience with the actual process of planning the wedding (e.g. dealing with the resort wedding coordinator, understanding the wedding packages)
• Can you give me any advise throughout the planning process to help me save money with the wedding packages? 
• Have you visited this resort that we are looking at? or have you visited the area where we are looking at having our Wedding? 
• In your experience what "should" a Destination Wedding cost per person for our guests at a 4.5 - 5 star All Inclusive resort in the "Mayan Riviera" (wherever you are choosing to go) for 7 nights in "November?" (whichever month you are considering)
• If we were to have 50 guests/adults attend our wedding, what is the "average" cost for the wedding package at a resort? (this will gauge whether this agent has any idea of the planning process).
•  What do you offer that sets you apart from other agencies, specializing in Destination Weddings?
• What Makes you a Destination Wedding Specialist?

I hope these important questions help you along the process of deciding which Travel Agency to hire when booking and planning your Destination Wedding.

At Pose Destination Weddings + Travel we do  not portray that we are a specialist at everything as we believe that defeats the purpose of being a "specialist".
We pride ourselves on being Destination Wedding experts! We keep up to date with all of the wedding trends happening, we know how to save you and your guests money throughout the entire wedding planning process, we also assist you with the planning of the wedding, if it is required.

The owner of Pose Destination Weddings + Travel was a Destination Wedding bride herself so she knows all of the tricks of the trade when it comes to the planning and she is more than happy to share her knowledge with other brides and grooms.

Please choose carefully when making your decision as it is your big day and unless you ask these travel professionals the important questions at the beginning you will not know what they truly have to offer.
Any travel agency can "pose" to be a "Destination Wedding Specialist" but the most important question you have to remember is......
"WHAT MAKES YOU A DESTINATION WEDDING SPECIALIST?" 
Just because it is advertised on their door / business card it doesn't necessarily mean it is the truth!
Is a McDonald's Big Mac combo a "nutritious meal?", you tell us.

Happy planning and remember it should be a stress free procedure if you hire the right professional.

Love and Prizes are in the air

Welcome to the most romantic month of all.......February! where we have the one and only St Valentine to thank for that, a time where lovers are spoiled with chocolates and flowers and some might even be lucky enough to receive the most precious gift of all.........a diamond!

In recognition of this romantic time of year Pose Destination Weddings + Travel decided to celebrate by hosting a competition on Facebook and give one lucky Destination Bride and Groom their chance to win $500 towards their Destination Wedding.
The competitors had to submit a story telling us why they should receive the money and the couple with the most "likes"/votes will win the grand prize of $500!
Everyone who entered did an exceptional job of getting their friends and family involved and their stories were all very touching.
Since we felt no one should go away empty handed, we at Pose decided everyone deserved to be rewarded for their amazing efforts.
So we offered the First Prize of $500, Second Prize of $100 and Third and Forth Prize $50 all towards their Destination Wedding.

Here were the results:

4th Place - Crystal with 39 votes
3rd Place - Chantal with 61 votes
2nd Place - Sami with 287 votes

and a HUGE Congratulations to our winner.......



1st Place - Maria with 327 votes!

Thanks again to everyone who participated, we look forward to our next competition........