Article specifically for tourists who want to have a wedding here. Organizing a wedding in Seychelles is not very complicated if you know all the nuances and resolve all issues in advance. After reading this article, you should have a general understanding and action plan, knowing where to start and what to do to organize your wedding.
Wedding in Seychelles: General Information
I’ll start by noting that I don’t organize ceremonies, conduct them, or take photographs. I simply know how weddings in Seychelles for tourists usually go and the steps involved. I’ll share my insights, tips, and recommendations.
The most important thing to understand is that there are two types of ceremonies in Seychelles:
- Official Marriage Registration
- Wedding Ceremony for tourists who got married in their home country and came to Seychelles for their honeymoon. They want to have a beach ceremony, which won’t have legal implications.
It’s essential to understand:
Approximately 99% of couples come to Seychelles to have a wedding ceremony, and the official marriage registration is not of interest to them. They have already legally married in their home country. Only about 1% want to go through the official procedure in Seychelles.
However, if you don’t have a partner with Seychellois citizenship, official ceremonies may pose challenges with legal procedures.
Official Marriage Registration in Seychelles
Here’s a brief overview:
Interesting to know:
Marriage registration in Seychelles is recognized in many countries. Check with your Ministry of Foreign Affairs in advance. If Seychellois marriage documents are not recognized in your country, your marriage won’t be considered legal at home.
- Local Civil Status Offices offer on-site registration. The ceremony can take place on any island, in any hotel, or on the beach.
- Within 30 days, you need to coordinate the registration date, send all required documents (id, passport, application, birth certificate, tickets), all translated into English and notarized (apostilled). These actions can be facilitated through a wedding coordinator at your hotel.
- Don’t forget that for an official wedding in Seychelles, you need two witnesses.
Important note:
After the official wedding in Seychelles, you’ll receive a marriage registration certificate. It needs to be officially translated and authenticated at your country’s embassy in Seychelles (if there’s one). The certificate issued by the your embassy in Seychelles will then be an official document valid in your country.
Wedding Ceremony
A symbolic wedding is simple and straightforward 🙂
Interesting to know:
Every good 5-star hotel (the list is below) has a wedding coordinator who organizes everything.
The wedding coordinator handles:
- Choosing and decorating the venue, usually a beach, as shown in the photos above.
- Photographer
- Ceremony staff
- Bride and groom preparation, bouquet, makeup if needed, dress
- Snacks, cake, drinks
Everything is coordinated in advance.
Steps to Organize Your Wedding in Seychelles
Now, here’s a plan that will help you understand where to start:
- Choose a 5-star hotel from the list. Here’s a list of hotels where there’s definitely a wedding coordinator.
- Before booking the hotel or a package to this hotel, write to the hotel in advance (one or two months before) stating that you want a wedding ceremony on specific dates. If they confirm, reserve your date, and then you can book your package or hotel.
- Check out all-inclusive packages for Seychelles.
- Find the official website of the hotel, for example, the luxurious Constance Ephelia on Mahe Island. The site should mention that they host weddings.
- Each hotel has a package with a set of services. Average prices for the entire ceremony range from 1500 euros to 5000 euros. It’s challenging to be more specific because the service packages vary, and any additional requests outside the standard package will incur additional charges. For example, if you want the bride’s bouquet to be red instead of white, add 100 euros. If you want champagne and snacks at the ceremony, add 200 euros, and so on.
- Book your chosen wedding package, coordinate all your preferences, and make a down payment, usually 30%.
- You must arrive at the hotel three days before the ceremony. Once there, finalize all details with the wedding coordinator.
- You can also sail to uninhabited islands immediately after the ceremony. Any additional desires will be at your expense. You can read about popular excursions and tours in Seychelles in the linked article.
- For those interested in a church wedding, I recommend reading an article about religion in Seychelles. In short, Seychelles is 90% Christian, consisting of Catholics and Protestants.
So:
The most challenging part of organizing a wedding in Seychelles is choosing a hotel with its wedding coordinator. But once you find one and receive confirmation from the hotel that they are ready to organize your dream wedding, everything else will go smoothly.
In conclusion, a wedding in Seychelles is pure exoticism. The emotions and memories will stay with you for a lifetime, along with the photos and videos. Yes, it might not be the most budget-friendly event, but it’s Seychelles, and that says it all. And besides, weddings don’t happen every day.
IMPORTANT: essential links to organize your dream trip to the Seychelles:
- FLIGHTS: Aviasales – direct flights and best deals.
- CAR RENTAL: Mahe and Praslin, no deposit required – DiscoverCars.
- TOURS and EXCURSIONS:
- GetYourGuide – 75+ activities on land and water in the Seychelles.
- Viator – 150 + activities in Seychelles.
- TRAVEL INSURANCE: EKTA.
- HOTELS, VILLAS, APARTMENTS:
- PACKAGES: from budget to luxury – Expedia.
- AIRPORT TRANSFER: Intui.
- INTERNET: eSIM of local telecom operator – Airalo.