Can My Father Perform Our Island Wedding?

We would like to plan a destination wedding in the US Virgin Islands, Jamaica or Bahamas. My father is a licensed minister; can he perform our ceremony?

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! In both the Bahamas and in Jamaica, a locally licensed minister must perform the ceremony BUT some couples bring their home minister to assist with the service. (Basically, the legalities must be handled by the local minister.)

In the US Virgin Islands, many places we’ve found invite couples to bring their own ministers although we're not completely certain they are referring to out of territory ministers. We tried calling the office (courts office) that handles marriage licenses but have been getting a busy signal this morning. Their phone number is 340.774.6680.

Do you have some possible resorts selected? We’d recommend talking with the wedding coordinators at those resorts for their advice. Many couples choose to bring their home minister to perform ceremonies (either as the main minister or to assist with the ceremony) so we think they’ll be able to help!