Getting married in the Seychelles

First off, you have the choice between “organizing it yourselves” and “having someone else organize it.” “Organizing it yourself” is, of course, a lot of work. “Having someone else organize it” is definitely more laid-back, but without my support, there’s also the risk that you’ll be disappointed on your wedding day because you don’t like the decorations or the bridal bouquet at all. The best option is probably a combination of both:

You can leave the “arrangements”—that is, the entire travel booking, including flights, your accommodations in the Seychelles, and all necessary domestic transfers—to a tour operator that specializes in the Seychelles. Even if you don’t want to use my services as a photographer: send me a message via the “REQUEST NOW!” contact form (top right of this page), let me know your desired travel dates, and—if you’d like—your planned travel budget per person. I’ll be happy to let you know within 24 hours which tour operator is best suited for you!  

This travel agency—which I’ll name for you individually—takes care of everything for you: It books your flights, accommodations, and local transfers by taxi, ferry, small plane, or helicopter, and even a rental car if you’d like, along with everything else.

The “freestyle” – i.e. all the finer details such as the exact location/beach of your wedding ceremony as well as the time you want, the exact look of the decoration, the flavor of the wedding cake (my insider tip: a mix of mango andpassion fruit!) etc. -You will then clarify all the details directly with me and the best wedding organizer in the Seychelles, face to face, live on location in the Seychelles , who will arrange the venue for your wedding ceremony exactly to your liking. I’d be happy to put you in direct contact with him once you’ve booked me as your wedding photographer in the Seychelles. Alternatively, I’d also be happy to handle all communication with the wedding planner for you at no extra charge, for example, if you don’t feel very comfortable speaking English.  

This highly recommended wedding planner will take care of everything concerning your wedding in the Seychelles! The easiest way is for you to send me the few necessary documents in advance by email or WhatsApp – i.e. photocopies of your valid passports (one page with your photo on it is sufficient), a copy of your birth certificates (you can obtain these from your birth registry office. Important: An “international version” is required, as German is not one of the official languages of the Seychelles) and – only in the event that one of you has been married before – the divorce decree, which you should then have translated into English by a translator. And that’s it for the “paperwork”!

I’ll then send everything to the wedding planner and let them know exactly when and on which beach you’d like to get married. Of course, I’d be happy to advise you in detail beforehand and, if you’d like, send you photos of the available beaches once you’ve booked me as your photographer. Important note: Once you’ve arrived on your wedding island, you can also check out the beaches in person and, if you’d like, change your mind on the spot! The wedding planner just needs to know, at least 12 hours before your wedding, which beach they’ll be decorating for your wedding ceremony. As for everything else (which bridal bouquet? Which decorations? Seated or standing ceremony? Which wedding cake? Sparkling wine, champagne, or a coconut cocktail? Background music for the ceremony? A wedding dinner in the evening, barefoot on the beach with a view of the starry sky? And much more!) you’ll sort out directly with me and the wedding planner in person on-site just 2–3 days before your wedding.

“What? Just 2–3 days before our wedding? But is that enough time?” Yes, absolutely! Trust me. In fact, it’s even enough if the wedding planner finds out the night before your wedding what your dream wedding looks like and what (special) requests you have! After reading the explanation that follows, you’ll surely understand why this is the case:  

The wedding cake is baked in just a few hours. The flowers and blooms available for both the bridal bouquet and the decorations (e.g., frangipani, orchids, hibiscus) grow year-round on the island and are cut or picked fresh just before your wedding ceremony! The champagne is always well chilled anyway, and a coconut cocktail is ready to serve in just a few moments. As for the hairstylist/makeup artist (of course, there are several ladies who offer these services), it’s enough for the wedding planner to let her know the day before your wedding that you’d like to use her services. Of course, you decide what time the stylist should come to your hotel or guesthouse. Yes, this is even possible at 5:00 a.m., provided you’d like to get married early in the morning!

I will be happy to join you on site for your preliminary talk with the super nice wedding organizer and provide you with advice and support. And if you should have a much better gut feeling if this conversation with the organizer takes place 5 or 10 days before your wedding, this is of course also feasible without any problems. You just have to make sure that you are on the island where you are getting married in good time. But as I said: It is perfectly sufficient if this conversation takes place shortly before your wedding (1 to 3 days before the wedding is the normal case). Trust me. 🙂  

If you want to organize your wedding entirely on your own through the Seychelles Registry Office and get married on-site at the registry office building in the capital, Victoria (although, to be honest, I can’t think of a single good reason why anyone would want to do it this way): The Registry Office on the main island of Mahé is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. You should inform the registrar of the duration of your planned stay in the Seychelles, your desired wedding date, and the name of the accommodation where you’ll be staying at the time of the ceremony. If the couple wishes for the wedding ceremony to take place at the Mahé Registry Office—which is, however, extremely “unromantic,” as it is merely a tiny, sparsely furnished one-person office with an “office-like atmosphere” —must appear in person with their documents upon arrival in the Seychelles. The couple must arrive at least two days before the planned wedding date (Note: This only applies, by the way, if you want to organize everything yourselves! If you’re having me or a wedding planner organize it, you can, in principle, land in the Seychelles and get married just a few minutes after leaving the airport building, if that’s what you want!) and should discuss the details at the registry office in Independence House in the capital, Victoria, on the first business day after arrival. All this hassle is eliminated if you have me or “my” wedding planner organize your wedding! For a special fee, the registry office will, in exceptional cases, perform a wedding ceremony on short notice (no sooner than two days after the required documents are submitted). As a general rule, however, there should be at least eleven days between the application (i.e., submitting your paperwork before your trip) and the wedding date.

By the way, you can get married in the Seychelles any time from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. , seven days a week! However, on Saturdays and Sundays, a “weekend fee” of 2,000 Seychelles rupees (about 140 euros) applies if you’d like to get married on a Saturday or Sunday. And if you’d like to get married at the world-famous “Anse Source d’Argent” (which I generally advise against; I’d be happy to discuss the details in person or over the phone after you’ve booked me as your photographer), there’s an additional special fee of 95 EUR. There is no fee at any of the other beaches on La Digue.