Kansas City Wedding Articles » Wedding Ideas
A Jamaican wedding is a way to celebrate life together by starting as man in wife in a Caribbean paradise. Jamaican weddings celebrate community, brother, sisterhood, and the uniting of souls. Your Jamaican wedding can be steeped in both old and new customs and traditions and allow you to enjoy a memorable day.
To get married in Jamaica, it is advised that you apply for a marriage license at least 30 days prior to the ceremony. It is possible to have a marriage license issued on an expedited within 7 days upon request. Marriages that take place in Jamaica are recognized in the United States and other countries and only require that certain documentation be provided to show that you meet the minimum requirements.
A marriage license can be issued to any age 18 or older. You do not have to be a Jamaican citizen or resident to apply for a marriage license. It is usually best to work with a local wedding planner who can help shepherd all of the required paperwork and have the marriage license in good order prior to arriving to the island for the wedding ceremony.
There are many beautiful locations in and around Jamaica for you to have the ceremony. A wedding planning service assists you in choosing the most appropriate location for the wedding based on your needs and the size of your wedding party. Choosing a good location that takes advantage of all of the sights and vistas may be difficult to do on your own with the help of a professional.
One of the traditions of a Jamaican wedding mixes mysticism with some of the more traditional rituals. One such ritual involves the warding off evil spirits by placing Jamaican rum in a post that is placed in the ground at the entrance of the wedding ceremony. The bride is led down the aisle by both parents or the mother in a more traditional Jamaican wedding. There is not set requirement that this be done, as it is more an American tradition for the father of the bride to walk his daughter down the aisle and give her hand away in marriage to the groom.
There is traditional bread made, similar to king cake associated with the festival of Epiphany found during Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. The bread is called Korovai and it is decorated with two birds, which symbolize love. This is placed at the ends of the feast table along with a serving of goat, assorted foods and a sweet rum punch.
A Jamaican wedding is a way to mix old and new traditions and culture into your wedding. It will provide you, your spouse and your guests with a different wedding experience and allow you to begin life from a different place than a traditional U.S. wedding.