Weddings can be really stressful… paperwork, dress code, guests list, menu, music, flowers, table setting and the list can go on.

Why not to choose a stress free wedding in Paradise where all you need it’s your passport, a plane ticket and your partner?

After almost 3 years of legal impediments in United Arab Emirates, due to the fact that me and my partner have different religions and nationalities, we decided to do a quick search on google regarding the marriage requirments in Seychelles.

In less than a month we said YES in the most beautiful place on Earth: La digue, Seychelles.

Finding the best wedding planner

Seychelles it’s a famous wedding destination and most of the agencies and wedding planners that you will find online are truly professional and know how to do their job. I found Jeanluc from Sey Romance Seychelles by chance while sending random emails and I put my trust in him even though I didn’t have any previous reccommendation. It was a great choice as Jeanluc proved to be helpful, responsive and most important… he did the best to ensure my wedding will be an unforgettable one, following my indications strictly.

*You can find Jeanluc at weddings@seyromanceseychelles.com

Wedding packages

The wedding prices are afordable for everyone, you can choose a basic package or a premium one depending on your preference and your budget. I wanted my wedding to be special reason why I chose a more expensive package and I added few extras such as: hair styling and make up, a two tiers wedding cake, a fancy gazeboo, a wedding video, the most beautiful beach in Seychelles which comes with an entrance fee plus few guests attending the ceremony.

*Be specific about your favorite flowers for the bouquet, wedding cake and all the other requirments that matter for you.. in the end you are the queen of the party. Also do a quick search about the beach locations and choose your favorite spot. Don’t forget the most important thing: everything is possible for an extra fee.

Total cost of my wedding ceremony: 2500 euro

*Weddings can be organized in any of the three main island of Seychelle: Mahe, Praslin or La digue. I have visited all those island and I can say with no doubt that La digue it’s my favorite place on Earth.

Required paperwork

The only mandatory document required for your wedding it’s the scanned copy of your passport. Your birth certificate it’s also a must but if it’s not on your possesion you can pay an extra fee (60$) and proceed with the wedding preparation. You can find the complete list of documents in the picture above.

You don’t need to worry about your nationality or legalities as weddings in Seychelles are recognized worldwide.

*Please note that copy of all documents must be send  at least 2 weeks in advance to avoid paying the emergency fee and must be translated to english or french. You wont be required to carry with you any original documents.

You will also need to have 2 witnesses which can be either friends or provided by the wedding planner free of cost. We were blessed to have 5 of our friends traveling with us and that made our ceremony even more fun and special.

*Unfortunately the marriage between same sex it’s not recognized in Seychelles but you can have a wedding ceremony if you wish to do so.

*The wedding papers will be send by DHL at your home address, few days after the ceremony or they will be handed over to you in case you decide to extend your honeymoon.

Don’ts

My wedding was a fairy tale, much more beautiful than I ever had the courage to dream of but there are few things that I would have changed if given the chance.

One of them is the make up session. The lady who did my make up could hardly be called a make up artist as her products were of really bad quality and she didn’t have the necesary skills to perform the make up for the most important event in a woman’s life. I ended up doing my own make up and using my own products and beside the 170 euro wasted I have lost something even more important: my temper.

If you still decide to book this service please make sure you check your make up artist skills before agreeing to the offer.

Another thing you might want to keep in mind it’s the right wedding dress for a wedding on the beach. A heavy dress will give you headaches once it gets wet and you will be praying for your photoshoot to be over as soon as possible. With all those, I don’t regret my choice of dress… a quick shower to remove the trapped sand and I was ready for the secons round of pictures.

*For the wedding dress I can recommend with all my heart Milanova…you can find them on instagram and text them to find out the location of the nearest store. My dress was love at first sight and I was lucky enough to find it in my home country. With few adjustment made by the tailors the very next day and I was able to return to UAE with my dream dress.

For the future brides from Romania and UAE I will leave the contact details of their shop (appointment needed as every bride will be allocated 1 h for fitting)

Bucharest: Anne’s Bridal Salon, Calea 13 Septembrie nr 162, Phone number: +40730146499

My Wedding dress price: 1700 euro

Travel requirments during Corona times

Before you travel to Seychelles make sure you check the latest regulations and requirments to avoid being denied to enter the country and transform the most important day of your life in a total fiasco.

A PCR test done maximum 72 hours before departure its a must, as well as filling the online application for Seychelles which will cost 10 euro if it’s done at least 12 hours prior your flight and 70 euro if its done closer to the departure time..

On arrival in Seychelles you will be asked by the authorities to provide a proof of your stay (hotel reservation) and a plane ticket for the way back.

I would strongly advise to book in advance your domestic flights if you decide to fly to Praslin as well as your ferry tickets between islands.

Domestic flights

Air Seychelles domestic flights- 20 minutes flight time, Ticket price:  100-200 euro one way. You can book your ticket here:

http://airseychelles.com

Ferry tickets:

Ferry tickets from Mahe-Praslin cost around 60 euro each way (duration 1h) and from Praslin to Mahe 14 euro (duration 15 minutes). You can find your tickets here:

https://www.seychellesbookings.com/cat-cocos

PCR in Seychelles

Before departure, depending on your final destination or carrier you will be asked to provide another PCR test which is quite costy in Seychelles (128-145$).

https://pcrtest.sc/

It might seem difficult to organize a wedding during pandemic but rest assured it is worthed.

If you have any other queries dont hesitate to express it in the comment section and I will be more than happy to assist you.

BONUS informations

Best beaches for your wedding in La digue

Anse Source D’argent

As I have mentioned in the beginning of my article, Anse Source D’argent the beach where my wedding ceremony had taken place it’s a natural park and has, in my opinion, the most beautiful beach in the entire country of Seychelle. It’s also the most photographed beach jn the world. The entrance fee in a normal day it’s around 9$, however for the wedding day we were charged 30$ per guest, this including the entrance fee, transportation from the hotel and champagne.

Grand Anse

Another beach that drew my attention was Grand Anse, less touristic and with a wild vibe but with less instagramable spots for your wedding pictures.

Anse Severe

The third famous beach for wedding ceremonies is Anse Severe, a nice place but less spectacular than the first two. I chose this beach for my Bachelorette party, the evening before the Grand event and we had a blast. Of course…no boys allowed.

La digue it’s a tiny island with only 10 km square which means everything is accessible by foot or by bicycle. Even though I didn’t ride a bike since I was a child, I was happy to practice my long forgotten skills in here.

Our accomodation-Villa Pasyon

We found our hotel villa in booking.com and we were pleased that we could accomodate all our guests in the same place. The villa featured 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 sitting areas, a kitchen and a beautiful garden with pool. The attraction of the hotel was definitely the 3 huge turtoise roaming around freely in the garden.

The owners of the villa were living next door and they were extremly helpful and kind. They made us feel part of the family, decorated my room with flowers and brought us champagne as wedding gift.

People in La digue are extremly kind and don’t be surprise to be greeted with a warm “Bonjour” by any local passing by. In the end of the day you must remember that it’s a tiny town and everybody knows everybody.