Legal Requirements of Getting Married in Mauritius

We arrived 3 days before our big day. It is strictly required for both non-citizens to arrive at least three days prior to your wedding, mainly because, to give time to process all the legal documentations needed. If you don't get a wedding & honeymoon package in a certain hotel, you have to apply yourselves, call the Civil Registrar, going backwards and forwards to the Supreme Court, etc...

However, you can eliminate all these sorts of things, to be able to have a hustle-free wedding, just obtain the wedding & honeymoon package, which the hotel takes care of all your documentations, again you pay for the legal fees (read my article "Planning A Destination Wedding"), which obviously is very common to all other countries around the world. You have your choice, to pay the legal fees and they ensure all the documentations ready or you apply and process yourself.

Take note: Both couple are still required to visit the Civil Registrar's Office for the signatures from both of you.

But when we finalized our wedding @ Le Canonnier, it was 1 month before our wedding, we were asked to forward the 2 photocopies or scanned copies of each our passports (first 3 pages) and also 2 copies birth certificates, for wedding application purposes.

Reasons why we chose Le Canonnier Hotel

Le Canonnier Hotel is located up north of Mauritius, as you can see on the map, it is located on top. It is one of the Beachcomber Hotels. I WAS THERE MYSELF. The hotel is beautiful, though you have to travel 45 minutes to 1 hour from the airport. Bordered by three sandy beaches and set in acres of well-tended tropical gardens. It has a breathtaking view of Port Louis mountain range and faces a small string of islets.


Blending comfortably with their tropical surroundings, an ancient lighthouse, the ruins of a fortress and several old cannons are to be found. In fact, Le Canonnier is the only hotel in Mauritius to be situated on such an historical site.

The hotel is close to the fashionable and bustling Grand Baie which is popular for shopping and lively night life. Le Canonnier is a friendly and relaxed resort offering lots of choice. Simply all the ingredients for a fabulous holiday. Guests can also dine at Le Mauricia sister hotel in Grand Baie.



These areas were I was exactly marching down going to beach, to meet my man. Also, their idea of the rooms, which we both love. If you sit outside, you can see the horizon, the beautiful sea. All the rooms have a private terrace or balcony overlooking the lush tropical gardens or towards the glittering turquoise of the Indian Ocean.

A once in a lifetime experience, that could happen again in 5 to 10 years time maybe, or maybe not. I am not saying that we don't want to go back there, we only wanted to experience in other place. What a stunning place!!!

Getting Married in Mauritius

Getting married in Mauritius was like a heaven for me! You know what I mean? I actually felt, that I was one of the most luckiest women in the world - of having this wonderful beach wedding in a stunning place.

Knowing that Mauritius is one of the few places left that understands and cherishes the magic of romance. To be in love and to be in this place is to be as close as to heaven as it is possible to get. Whether you've sealed it with a kiss or vows, do it all over again. A beach wedding which gave us a romantic way to begin and continue a life of wedded bliss.

Planning A Destination Wedding

Are you going to marry abroad? And planning a destination wedding? Indeed, weddings away from home is very exciting, adventurous, and complicated. But like I said before, you can have all the informations you need, just broaden your search on the net. Once you have decided the place or country, then you focus from there.

When I was planning my own wedding, which was a beach wedding in Mauritius, I did have all my ideas, all the informations I took from various websites that I liked. I collected various quotes from them, talk to these travel agents, and ask all the question you want to know like:


1) Make sure when they say "wedding fee" which includes Affidavits, Registrars Services, Supreme Court transports, Documentation & Legal Fees, etc...
2) If they offer package discounts for group bookings.
3) Some hotels, offer a night free after staying 3-4 nights or 7 nights and have an extra 2 nights, you need to be aware of their offers too.
4) if they offer family rooms, and how many people is allowed in each room, etc...


We decided the Beachcomber Hotels - Wedding & Honeymoon Package, because they make sure to only have a “one wedding per day” policy to guarantee that your wedding will receive the special attention it deserves. You can expect to be spoilt from start to finish.

How to Set a Budget for your Wedding

I have learned that getting married is one of the most expensive chapters in couples' life. Do you agree with me? Yes this is very true, especially of having a "Destination Wedding" or "Wedding Abroad".

First and foremost is you have to do research for cheap vendors, get quotations, make your own spreadsheets and take note of all you need, tick which one you got the prices, make an estimate for the quantities you need and.... SET YOUR BUDGET. Stretched as much as you can.

During my planning period, I have read in one of the websites or it has been a practice that parents of both parties may have to share with all the expenses. Well, yea in theory should be! But ours we did not ask our both parents to share. Since ours was a destination wedding, we thought that it was a like a treat to them since our both parents never been spent a holiday outside our both countries (Philippines and UK).

In short, though we have saved a lot of money in our Personalized Wedding Program, our Wedding Favors and our Unique Invitations, still we have spent a lot of money in flights and accommodations. But still I have managed to get cheap packages for both parties - group room rate packages and flights.

Choosing Your Bridal Bouquet

Having difficulty in searching and choosing your bridal bouquet?

I had the same problem too, especially that you could see loads of choices from the internet which make you even more confused as to what sort of style, color and type you want to have. I tell you what, it took me ages to decide mine... one day I decided one, and another day I saw another one and decided to have that one, and so on and so forth.. very very confusing indeed!

However, you need to set a time frame in each task especially you are planning your own wedding. You'll have to be patient sometimes and believe in your own taste.

Until one day, I decided to pull out my bouquet collections, go through all of them one by one and leave the best ones on my file. So these are the few ones which were the best for me, they were my inspirations...

Note: You have to be aware what type or sort of flowers your wedding place has to offer (especially to those having weddings abroad).

When we arrived Mauritius and had to finalized everything, (it was 2 days before the wedding), we were given an option by our wedding coordinator to choose and pick from the photographs or visit the flower shop ourselves, which we did visit and talked to the bouquet maker herself and saw all sorts of flowers and colors available that month (it was November).

and look at my gorgeous bridal bouquet, and also my bridesmaids' bouquets...

Our Wedding Website

Do you want to know all the details of our wedding?, and want to get some idea how and where to get a free wedding website?

Feel free to browse our wedding website I made months just before our big day @

www.madelynandstuart.weddings.com

Just simply copy either of these two to your web browser. Enjoy...

Determining Your Theme

First thing you'll need to do is to determine your "theme", which I emphasized on my previous post entitled "My Wedding Preparations".

Now, that you already have decided your theme, you can now then choose your color, which should compliment the venue itself. For example, if you are having a garden wedding see this image below:

Or a church wedding?

or a beach wedding?

The color is unlimited, the choice is yours...Just use varying shades of one color accented with white or cream to create a very visual and striking combination.

The Secret of a Successful Planning of Your Own Wedding

You must believe in yourself that you can do it. Let's put it like this, if these wedding planners can do and relate what the brides wanted for their wedding, how much more if you do it yourself which you know exactly what you wanted.

Got the logic? Well, that area alone gives me motivation to pursue in planning my own wedding! At least, you don't collect all those unnecessary stresses like, a typical example when you don't like the ideas your planner has been presenting to you.

I tell you what? Just spend your time to search and browse from the real weddings you can see on the net! Get the brilliant ideas from there...

For me, this is most effective way that I could recommend so far, based on my own experience.

Enjoy planning....

My Personalized Wedding Favors and Place Card Holders

Just remember it's your special day. Your special vows, your special guy, and your special friends and family all around you. So make your mark on the favors you give your guests.

I was a very busy working bride-to-be then, while planning my own wedding! Thought I couldn't really be able to make it, to organize everything we need for our beach wedding! Imagine how hectic was it for me, planning and thinking what will be an ideal favors (should be personalized), tokens, etc. to be given to our guests, whilst busy working at the same time! But I did really manage. First thing that came to my mind was, a beach bag and a towel since everyone needs it for beach hopping, just a matter of personalizing it.

Therefore, I decided to put their names on beach towels and just a simple tags on beach bags! They all loved it and here's what I did...

Actually, I went for two-weeks interruption from work (had flown all the way from Africa to Philippines) only to buy all these. I went to Cebu myself to buy all these shells and bought some ribbons & plastic to cover.. and here's the result!

and look at the actual reception tables... "Reception by the beach"...

Sometimes you just have to be very creative, put some personal touch on them, not just leaving as ease from its original figure! Try to make them look as unique as ever!

My Unique Wedding Invitation

Planning for a "BEACH WEDDING"? Wondering what sort of invitation, a unique one you are going to produce to invite your guests? Well, it is my pleasure to share mine and where you can get all sorts of styles.

I made the inserts, reply cards and these small name tags myself (again I used my expertise in Powerpoint program).


I just ordered the covers @ http://www.weddinginvitationsandfavors.com. I promise you, you can choose varieties from their designs, or you can tell them what you require and they'll do it for you.