I wanted to share my personal experience of getting married in Puerto Rico - and having a destination wedding. Getting married in Puerto Rico is actually quite an easy process, the hard part is choosing where to get married and getting there. That is where a travel agent, like me, comes into play, more on that later.
Getting married in Puerto Rico - Marriage requirements
You'll need a couple of key items for getting married in Puerto Rico.
An non-expired form of ID, government ID, passport, or driver's license. The ID should be current and in good condition.
Birth Certificates - You can provide the original or a high quality photocopy. If the name does not match your ID, you must provide a sealed and certified name change evidence
Medical clearance - Typically a letter from your doctor certifying you are in good health should work. Otherwise you will need to arrive to the island a few days early to get lab tests cone.
Affidavit of intention - this is an affidavit that says you are arriving in Puerto Rico to get married and you intend to return afterwards. This can be obtained from your county clerk or from a local attorney in Puerto Rico.
IRS Stamp - you need to purchase a special stamp from a colecturia (government office), which is submitted with your paperwork
Prior marriage documentation - if you were married previously, you will need a copy of your original divorce decree or spouse's death certificate
Officiant - if you will be having a ceremony and want someone to preside over your wedding, you will need to hire someone as the Officiant of Record on the legal documentation.
These requirements may change over time. Check EVERYTHING before you get started atleast a few months before heading over. You can check out the sites - Discover Puerto Rico Marriage Requirements or a Demographic Registar's Office (There is on in old San Juan)
Getting married in Puerto Rico - The Location
Now that we have the paperwork squared away and you know it's easy to get married in Puerto Rico. Don't worry, the officiant I hired assisted my wife and I along the way. When you decide on an officiant, ask what they help with. Our officiant picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the Registrar's Office and processed our paper work with us.
There are many places, the most common place is to have it at many of Puerto Rico's resorts. For our wedding we chose the Condado Vanderbilt in Condado, San Juan. The Condado is a beautiful hotel with great food. It's in the heart of the San Juan tourist area, where you have walkable access to everything.
You dont have to get married there, but the Condado Vanderbilt has beautiful views of the ocean with many locations inside and outside of the hotel. There are many locations to choose from including beaches, islands, and old churches. It's up to you to decide, I decided to have it at a hotel.
Getting married in Puerto Rico - Wedding planning
After deciding getting married in Puerto Rico, you will need a wedding planner. If you choose to do it at a hotel, you will work with a wedding coordinator. They will just help with coordination of what you do at the hotel. There will be things such as a DJ, Flowers, Cake, Hair and Makeup, photographers and more - that you will need help with. A wedding planner is WORTH IT.
We decided to secure a location first with the wedding coordinator at the Condado Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt provided us with a list of wedding planners and after a series of interviews, we decided to use Rosalina Torres. We couldnt be happier with the choice we made. Rosalina has a roster of DJs, florist, officiants, cake decorators, photographers, videographer, and stylist. She walked us through the process and is there step by step.
Getting married in Puerto Rico - Trial run
Prior to your wedding date, you will want to budget for heading over to Puerto Rico to finalize and meet with DJs, florists, officiants, cake decorators, photographers, and stylists. The DJ's playlist fit with the music we liked. Our officiant (Cory Casterson) which we talked to over the phone, was great. His personality was fun and matched ours. You want to head over to taste the cake, sample the menu, we did engagement photos with our photographer. You want to budget a few days to take care of these things.
Getting married in Puerto Rico - Rehearsal Dinner
Assuming you have read this far, I wanted to make a recommendation on a rehearsal dinner. We wanted to take care of our friends by feeding them. Your friends and family travel so far and we wanted to offset some meals. We treated everyone to a dinner at Marmalade, one of your favorite restaurants in Old San Juan. It's worth a visit, even if its just a nice dinner.
Getting married in Puerto Rico - The Costs
Having a destination doesnt necessarily save you on costs. It may save you on costs when you do it at an all inclusive. All in all not including travel costs it costs about $50,000 USD in 2017. I would add a little for inflation, two additional trips (one for your scouting and one for finalizing). This does not include costs for tuxedos, honeymoon, dresses, or hotels. Just related to the actual days. I can share a detailed budget, just reach out to me.
Getting married in Puerto Rico - How can I help?
How can I help with a getting married in Puerto Rico, a destination wedding, or a honeymoon (we had out honeymoon in Anguilla - that is another story)? Let me take that stress out of it. I can provide you contacts for various venues in Puerto Rico based on you preferences, plan your honeymoon, if Puerto Rico is not to your liking, let me help you find another destination like the Riviera Maya in Mexico or a Caribbean island.
A travel agent like me, we assist in making things easier for a couple getting planning a momentous occasion, where the occasion should be stress free and not stressful.
Contact me to have a free discovery call, to discuss your destination wedding and honeymoon needs.
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