Caribbean Tourism Organisation director of marketing for Europe Julia Hendry said: “The Caribbean is still the mecca for weddings and honeymoons and the market is extremely strong.
“There’s increasing competition from the Indian Ocean, but the Caribbean is hard to beat. You can multi-centre easily, it’s good value, especially with the falling dollar, and it’s safe and hassle-free – exactly what you want when you’re getting married.”
For those opting to wed on Caribbean shores, the lack of red tape is a key attraction – couples need only be resident on most islands for two or three days and weddings can often be booked last minute – and then there’s the weather and the wide choice of hotels, from intimate hideaways to expansive resorts.
Kuoni special services manager Phil Boswell said: “The Caribbean is our fastest growing destination for weddings. Clients like the simplicity, the paperwork is easy, you don’t need a visa, people speak English, the climate is guaranteed and you can marry on one island and honeymoon on another.”
It’s largely down to the likes of all-inclusive giants Sandals and SuperClubs that the Caribbean is now synonymous with tropical weddings. On average 19 to 25 couples say ‘I do’ at most Sandals resorts every week, though the company denies criticism of ‘conveyor belt weddings’.
Sandals managing director UK Bobby Stewart said: “Each wedding we do is a special, customised event. We do not cater to mass-production and try to avoid being confused with mass-wedding destinations.”
Nowadays, virtually every hotel offers weddings and has on-site wedding co-ordinators, with the average price of a package around £350.
Though well-established destinations with direct airlift, such as Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia, are among the most popular for Caribbean weddings, more couples are looking to other islands. Cuba, Turks and Caicos, Tobago and, more recently, Aruba and the British and US Virgin Islands are seeing more interest.
“People are increasingly looking for off-the-beaten-track destinations,” said Boswell. “The British Virgin Islands and Grenada are on the rise. Palm Island in the Grenadines is quiet and beautiful, perfect for a wedding and we’re going to introduce Anguilla too.”
While many mass-market operators produce a dedicated brochure for weddings worldwide, Caribbean specialists tend to include details in their main programmes.
Caribtours managing director Catherine Leech said: “Because we offer tailor-made, bespoke weddings there’s little point in us offering a separate brochure, since no two weddings are ever the same.”