Weddings

A surprising number of our clients are married in Tobago, including ourselves, Sue and Steve, who own Castara Retreats.  We also receive regular enquires about weddings and whether this is something that we can arrange.  So we thought it would be helpful to give you a picture of what is possible in Castara.

As you can see from our website, Castara Retreats is stunningly beautiful with views of the ocean, beach, rainforest and village.  There are few places with such charm and simplicity and it is a perfect place if you are looking for a romantic setting.  Clients have been married in each and all of our accommodations and also, as we were, under the Pagoda. In the background is the sound of the ocean, sunsets are glorious, the birdsong is constant.  Some clients have alternatively chosen to be married on the beach under simple structures with palm leaf roofs to shelter from the sun or the occasional shower of rain.

Some couples have a simple ceremony with just themselves, the minister, and two witnesses.  Others invite other clients to come along, and also a few local friends that they have made.  It is almost impossible to be in Castara and not make a few friend, starting with Carrington, our gardener, who also is a very graceful dancer; or Jeanell, our local partner, who has a warm heart and a big smile; and Porridge, her man and our other partner, who always creates a warm atmosphere and gets things started.  They are often invited to join in, and when they are, you are guaranteed a special and happy time, and they do not overstay their welcome.

If like us, you have a few friends from back home who are coming to join you (we had 12) then your friends usually enjoy some local colour too!  And there are plenty more locals to join in if you want it that way, including Porridge’s mum, Ovita, who makes great speeches, and Marieta who cooks for our clients.

One client had 50 friends from around the globe, and these found accommodations all over the village.  The ceremony was on the beach, and the party was under a big canvas roof down by the sea.  There was music, and food, and plenty of fun.

The Master of Ceremonies is Porridge.  He has arranged 15 or 20 weddings, mainly small intimate affairs, but with a few special touches to make it memorable.  Depending on what you want, he can arrange most things as long as the theme is simple:

1. He can arrange for Doris to organise flowers; she charges a modest £20 for her smallest display which is quite spectacular and exotic.  We probably spent £100 on flowers, for 4 bouquets, lunch table flowers, 2 button holes, and the pagoda decked out with potted plants and cut flowers, and of course something lovely for the bedroom.
2. He can arrange a pan-man for some background music at the ceremony or a good disco for the evening, or he can bring along his own sound system if it’s a small affair.
3. Lunch or dinner is easily arranged and costs about £10 per person whether there are just the two of you, half a dozen, or a big party.
4. For the official side of things, Porridge personally looks after you.  He takes you into Scarborough tax office to complete the official paper work, and he usually manages to avoid queuing (and queues can be long in Tobago).  He also finds a minister who is available (we ended up with our third choice, and he was simply brilliant at generating a genuine and warm atmosphere).  He takes you to meet the minister so that you can discuss how you want to do things and then he drives you back.  If you want special wine or champagne he will take you to the wine merchants too.  For this he charges £300 for his time, expertise and transport, and for making the hassle side of it as easy as it is possible to be.  The minister charges £200, and the paperwork at the tax office is about £35.

All the above is local style.  It is inexpensive and simple and fun.  Porridge doesn’t do champagne flutes, or limos, or dinner jackets, or name cards, or classical music.  But he is highly reliable and competent and, just as important, he is fun to be with.

He will come by and discuss what you want and report back on progress and stay in touch until everything is agreed like the where and the when, and flowers or not, music or not, food or not, witnesses, extra local friends or not etc. and then he makes it all happen and he makes it look simple.  You then pay for the “extras” at cost price and he does not take any hidden commissions.

We have talked over what his charge should be for arranging the non-official side of things and he says that it is impossible to say a price because it depends on how much running around he has to do, and that clients should just give him something.  Usually he does more than meets the eye to ensure the food, flowers, venue, etc is all as you want so please be generous to him and fair to yourselves.  One couple who had a very quiet ceremony, that he and Jeanell witnessed and also stayed for supper, gave Porridge £100 for ensuring that everything came together and for his time.  He was happy with this.  Another couple who had a party for 30 people, flowers, music, food, and a beach pagoda constructed, gave him £300 and he was not happy with this, but never said so.  In our view, it is always best to discuss and agree everything in advance and then agree a price.  The bottom line is it all costs a good deal less that in Britain plus it is less hassle and more fun.

To get married in Tobago you need to:

1. Have your passport for the tax office visit.
2. Your birth certificate.
3. Your divorce papers (if appropriate)
4. Be resident in Tobago for three days before the ceremony.

Do visit www.myTobago.info and www.SimplyTobago.com for more information on weddings and what you need to do as the information we offer here is the best that we have, but we cannot be responsible for its accuracy and suggest that you do your own research if you want to be absolutely confident that all will be well.

We are happy to provide this information on the wedding service that Porridge offers on the understanding that you accept that we have no responsibility for the success of your day, or for Porridge’s service.  It is separate from our business and we do not charge or receive any fees or commissions.

If you want to book Porridge to arrange your wedding then contact him direct at sugartucky@gmail.com  or you can call him at 001 868 660 7702 or his mobile at 001 868 766 3656.  Please be aware that neither he nor Jeanell are in a position to send you long emails answering lots of questions as they do not have the depth of typing skill to do this.  They are most likely to say, “yes, no problem, let’s sort out the detail when you get here” assuming that you want something simple along the lines described above.  In our view all you need to check out in advance is that he will be in Castara when you are due to visit and he is free to organise your wedding.

We had a fantastic wedding in Castara.  There was a big tropical storm two days before, and there was litter and storm damage afterwards.  Carrington came back and cleaned up the garden a second time, the friends arrived, the sun shone, the minister was lovely, the Pagoda was decked out to look lovely, and we had lots of fun and very little hassle.  The photos on this page are from our special day. If you get married with the help of Porridge and want to send us some photos we would gladly include a few other examples. If you go to our Visitor Comments section you will see feedback from satisfied customers which we would love to add to. So keep us in touch.

Most importantly have a wonderful day.