Why get married traditionally when you could have a St. Thomas Destination Wedding?
Michelle and Neil were married at the all-inclusive Bolongo Bay Resort in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Honestly, I think that this destination wedding might just convince you to toss tradition and opt for a destination wedding in the Caribbean AKA paradise!
St. Thomas Destination Wedding at Bolongo Bay Resort
My favorite thing about this St. Thomas destination wedding was the boat ride to go swimming with the turtles. It was such a fun wedding experience that everyone can remember forever.
SERIOUSLY, THIS WEDDING IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF.
Bolongo Bay x Weddings
Bolongo Bay has its own private beach and cove which made it more private for the couple on their wedding day. They have all-inclusive wedding packages so you don’t have to worry about anything when you come and visit.
This resort is one of the only all-inclusive resorts in St. Thomas and is actually a family-owned resort.
If you are interested in hosting your wedding here, it is important to note that their wedding package includes up to a max amount of twenty guests.
Bolongo Bay is a really easy resort to get to for all guests. It’s located only 25 mins from the airport on the south/west end of the island. There were a ton of different resort options all around the resort that people stayed at which made it convenient for guests to choose where to stay if they wanted the all-inclusive deal or not.
St. Thomas does not have uber or Lyft for transportation.
The island offers local taxi drivers and all the local taxi drivers had fixed-rate pricing which meant no haggling had to be involved or getting scammed. It felt very safe getting around the island and all the taxi drivers were the nicest locals to chat with!
FOR DESTINATION WEDDING BOOKING FOR BOLONGO BAY: LEARN MORE HERE.
A Ceremony + Reception in the Caribbean
The couple had their beach ceremony right at 11 AM overlooking the ocean.
After a champagne toast and family and friend photos, we all went on a catamaran ride to Buck Island to swim with the turtles. It was a three-hour boat ride with lunch and an open bar. After the boat ride, we all went back to shower and got ready for dinner.
SWIMMING WITH TURTLES ON YOUR WEDDING DAY?! CAN WE EVEN?!
I took sunset photos of the couple on the beach before dinner. Oh, my god! These two on the beach at sunset? DROOLING.
The resort had a small banquet room where the wedding party had a private dinner with all their guests and said their toasts. Although I was convinced that that was one of the best parts, the venue brought out a live band!
Having a St. Thomas Destination Wedding: Tips, Tricks, and Everything You Need to Know
The first thing you need to know when planning a St. Thomas Destination Wedding is that the Caribbean has the best beaches in all of the world. Trust me, as a destination wedding photographer, I have experienced a lot of beaches, and the US Virgin Islands take the cake HANDS DOWN.
There is nothing like big white sandy beaches, and teal-blue, bathtub-temperature ocean water.
Besides the magical water, the next best part of visiting St. Thomas is that there are no passports needed! If you are custom to international travel, you know just how annoying passports can be!
I will say, that if you are wanting to visit the British Islands like Jost Van Dyke, you will need to bring that pesky passport. If you don’t mind dealing with it, I highly recommend taking a day trip to visit the Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay. It is easily one of my favorite places to drink at in Jost Van Dyke.
The Best Part of Having a Destination Wedding
The best part of having a destination wedding?!
All your friends and family get a vacation out of it too. Make it fun for everyone coming and plan events while you are staying.
For example, a couple of days before the wedding, you can plan a group catamaran tour, maybe one night all meet at a restaurant for meet and greet drinks, etc. You can even go all out and design an itinerary for all your guests if they need ideas on what to do and want to join in the festivities.
St. Thomas Recommendations from a Destination Wedding Photographer
If you are visiting for a wedding in this dreamy destination, you might as well make a vacation out of it and enjoy all the wonderful things St. Thomas has to offer. Here is a list of my recommendations for where to stay, what to do, and favorite beaches to check out while visiting.
Places to Stay in St. Thomas
- Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham
- Limetree Beach Resort by Club Wyndham
- Marriott Frenchman’s Cove
- Emerald Beach Resort
- Secret Harbour Beach Resort
Things to do While Visiting
- Take a ferry over to St. John
- Hiking
- Snorkeling
- Parasailing
- Scuba diving
- Relax on the white sand beaches
- Swim with the turtles
- Catamaran/boat rides
- Sunset booze cruise
- Fishing
- Jet skiing
- Kayak tours
- Coral World Ocean Park & Undersea Observatory
- World Famous Banana Daiquiri at Mountain Top
- Zip Lining
Favorite St. Thomas Beaches
- Magens Bay
- Bolongo Bay
- Sapphire Beach
- Secret Harbour Beach
- Hull Bay
- Lindquist Beach
- Coki Beach
- Brewer’s Bay
- Lindbergh Bay
I truly don’t think that there is anything better than having a St. Thomas Destination Wedding. I mean, can you pick a better dream destination to get married at?
I promise that you will fall in love with this island! The US Virgin Islands are truly paradise.
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