Nassau · New Providence · 2026
Nassau Wedding Planner: Glenn Ferguson
One person plans the day and performs the ceremony. No handoff between a planner and an officiant, which is where most destination weddings lose time.
Glenn Ferguson is a Nassau wedding planner and Licensed Bahamas Marriage Officer with 24+ years on New Providence. He plans the wedding and performs the legal ceremony himself, prepares the marriage licence, and provides witnesses if you are travelling alone. Packages run from $1,495 to $11,995, and vow renewals from $475.
The part that decides whether a short trip works: his priority service has the marriage licence issued in one hour, against the government standard of same day or next day. With the 24 hour residency rule in front of it, that puts the soonest legal wedding at about 25 hours from landing in Nassau.
Nassau weddings at a glance
- Who you deal with
- Glenn Ferguson personally, from the first message to signing the licence. No call centre, no account manager.
- Phone and WhatsApp
- 1-242-395-8495, the same number for both.
- Residency rule
- Both of you must be in The Bahamas 24 hours before applying. Your immigration card is the proof.
- Licence speed
- One hour with priority service. The government standard is same day or next day.
- Soonest wedding
- About 25 hours from landing: 24 hours of residency, then an hour for the licence.
- Government fee
- BS$100 at the Registrar General's Department. The Ministry of Tourism quotes $120 including one certified copy.
- Witnesses
- Two aged 18 or over must sign. Provided if you are travelling alone.
- Blood tests
- None required anywhere in The Bahamas.
- Licence validity
- Three months from the date it is issued.
- Registry opening
- Monday to Friday. Closed Saturday, Sunday and Bahamian public holidays.
- Packages
- $1,495 to $11,995. Vow renewals from $475. Fixed and itemised before you book.
- Where he works
- Cable Beach, Paradise Island, downtown Nassau, Lyford Cay, and private villas across New Providence.
Want a Nassau plan in one message? Send your date, guest count and venue style. You get availability and a fixed written quote back, at no charge.
Best message format: date · guest count · venue style (beach, resort, villa) · where you are staying.
I'm Glenn Ferguson, a Licensed Bahamas Marriage Officer and WPIC-certified wedding planner. Nassau is where I live and where most of my ceremonies happen, from two-person elopements on Cable Beach to resort weddings on Paradise Island.
Most couples planning a Nassau wedding are doing it from another country, often having never been here. The two things that go wrong are always the same: a timeline that does not survive contact with the registry calendar, and a vendor nobody is managing on the ground. Both are solvable, and both are easier when the person planning the day is also the person legally performing it.
- Beach ceremonies
- Resort weddings
- Private villas
- Elopements
- Vow renewals
- Cruise port weddings
How a Nassau wedding actually works. The planning timeline, the legal steps, and what to do first if you are booking from overseas. Open the video in a new tab.
Timing, Honestly
How fast can you actually marry in Nassau?
About 25 hours from landing. Bahamian law requires both of you to be in the country 24 hours before applying for the marriage licence. With priority service the licence is then issued in one hour, so a couple landing Monday at noon can legally marry Tuesday afternoon.
Without priority service the same couple waits on the government timetable of same day or, in practice more often, next day, which can push the ceremony into Wednesday and off the end of a short trip.
| Route | Licence issued | Soonest ceremony after landing |
|---|---|---|
| Priority service, included in my packages | One hour | About 25 hours |
| Registrar General's Department, standard | Same day or next day | 24 hours to 2 days |
| Ministry of Tourism published guidance | Two business days | About 3 days, longer over a weekend |
The registry is closed Saturday, Sunday and Bahamian public holidays, and that calendar is not the American one. For a Saturday ceremony, arrive Thursday so your 24 hours is complete in time to apply on Friday. Full detail is on the priority licence page and the document checklist.
Arriving by cruise ship is the one real exception, and it works in your favour more often than couples expect. The 24 hours counts time in Bahamian waters, not time ashore, so a ship that called at another Bahamian port before Nassau has usually already satisfied it. The cruise wedding guide has the detail and the letter you will need from the Purser's Office.
The Island Itself
Where people actually marry in Nassau
New Providence is small, about 21 miles end to end, so nothing is far from anything. In practice Nassau weddings cluster in four places, and the choice drives cost more than guest count does.
- Cable Beach. The long white-sand stretch west of town. Rosewood Baha Mar and Sandals Royal Bahamian sit on it, and so do the quieter semi-private spots I use for elopements with no resort minimum to satisfy.
- Paradise Island. Across the bridge. Atlantis for scale and built-in entertainment, The Ocean Club for ultra-luxury and the Versailles gardens with their 12th century cloisters.
- Downtown and the cruise port. Twenty minutes from most ceremony beaches, which is what makes same-day cruise weddings workable.
- Lyford Cay and private villas. Rented homes on the western end, where everything gets brought in and coordinated rather than supplied by a resort.
If you want the full comparison, including Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Exuma, the top 10 Bahamas wedding venues guide ranks them, and the Nassau venue guide goes deeper on this island alone.
Time of day matters more than the month
Nassau sunset moves by more than two and a half hours across the year, from around 5:22 PM in December to about 8:01 PM in June. Golden hour is the sixty minutes before it. That single number sets your ceremony time, your photography, your dinner booking and how much shade your guests are standing in, and it is the first thing I check against a requested date.
On season: The Bahamas marries year round. December to April is the busy, dry, reliably pleasant stretch and fills first. Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June to 30 November, with roughly 96% of major hurricane activity falling in August, September and October, so a summer date is cheaper and quieter but carries real weather risk in those three months. I will tell you plainly if your dates sit in that window rather than take the booking and hope. The hurricane season page breaks it down month by month.
Money, Itemised
What a Nassau wedding actually costs
My packages run from $1,495 for a legal elopement for two to $11,995 for up to fifty guests with full production. A vow renewal starts at $475. Every quote is fixed and itemised before you book.
The government costs sit on top and are the same for everyone, so you should be able to see them separately in any quote you receive from anybody:
- Marriage licence: BS$100 at the Registrar General's Department. The Ministry of Tourism quotes $120 including one certified copy.
- Extra certified copies: about $20 each.
- Apostille, if you need the certificate recognised abroad: about $20. See the apostille page.
- VAT at 10% applies to services in The Bahamas.
Resort venues add their own costs that are quoted separately from any wedding package: site fees, and above all room-night minimums, which at a luxury property are frequently the single largest line in the whole budget. Ask for both in writing before you commit. Full pricing is on the cost page and the packages page.
What to ask before you book anyone
Not just me. If you are comparing Nassau wedding planners, these are the questions worth putting to whoever you are talking to, and the answers should come in writing.
- Are you legally licensed to marry us? A planner is not an officiant. Ask for the registration and check it with the Registrar General's Department.
- Who actually performs the ceremony? Some planners subcontract the officiant, and you meet them on the day.
- What is not in the price? Site fees, room-night minimums and outside-vendor fees are the usual gaps.
- What is the deposit and what happens if we cancel? If the terms will not go in writing, that is the answer.
- What is the rain plan for this exact spot? Not the resort in general. The place we will be standing.
- Can I speak to a couple you have married? If no, ask why not.
- Where can I read reviews you do not control? Every planner should have an answer to this one.
- How fast can the licence be issued? If the answer is vague, it is the government timetable, not a priority service.
What couples say afterwards
Source: the WeddingWire profile for Bahamas Destination Wedding, checked October 2026. These figures are WeddingWire's, not mine, and they change when couples post. No star rating is claimed anywhere in this page's code.
Reviews from couples I have married, with the venue and the kind of day each one had, are collected on the reviews page, alongside links to Google and WeddingWire, where I cannot edit a word. If you would rather hear it from a couple than read it, ask during your consultation and I will put you in touch with one who married at a comparable venue and guest count, with their consent.
Nassau wedding questions
Is there really a 24 hour rule, or is it flexible?
It is a requirement, not a guideline, and nobody can waive it. Both of you must be physically in The Bahamas for 24 hours before you can apply for the marriage licence, and your immigration card is the proof of arrival. What is flexible is everything after it: with priority service the licence itself takes an hour, so the real floor is about 25 hours from landing.
Can you handle the legal ceremony as well as the planning?
Yes, and that is the point of working with me rather than a planner alone. I am a Licensed Bahamas Marriage Officer, so I prepare the licence application, plan the day, perform the ceremony as the legal officiant, and hand you the certified certificate afterwards. There is no handoff between a planner and a separate officiant, which is where most destination weddings lose time.
What documents do we need to marry legally in Nassau?
Valid passports for both of you, and your immigration card as proof of the 24 hour stay. If either of you was married before, bring the original or a certified copy of the final divorce decree, or the death certificate if widowed. No blood tests and no medical certificate are required anywhere in The Bahamas. Mixed-nationality couples are interviewed separately as a matter of routine, which is normal. The full list is on the requirements page.
We are travelling alone. Do you provide witnesses?
Yes. Two witnesses aged 18 or over must sign the marriage licence, and I provide them if you have nobody with you. This is the single most common reason couples think they cannot elope here, and it is a non-problem. Plenty of my Nassau ceremonies are two people, me, and two witnesses. Details on the witness requirements page.
How much does a Nassau wedding cost?
My packages run from $1,495 for a legal elopement for two to $11,995 for up to fifty guests with full production, and a vow renewal starts at $475. Government costs sit on top: BS$100 for the licence at the Registrar General's Department, or $120 per the Ministry of Tourism including one certified copy, about $20 per extra certified copy, about $20 for an apostille, and 10% VAT on services. Resort site fees and room-night minimums are separate again and are often the largest number in the budget. Every price is here.
How far in advance should we book?
For a small ceremony, a few weeks is usually comfortable, and I have put legal weddings together in days. For a wedding with a venue, photographer, floral and a guest list, three to six months is the honest answer, and December to April dates go first. If your date is close, message me before assuming it is too late. The legal minimum is only about 25 hours on the ground, so the constraint is almost always vendor availability, not the law.
Can you plan weddings at Atlantis, Baha Mar or The Ocean Club?
Yes. I work at every major Nassau and Paradise Island property as the legal officiant, alongside the resort's own wedding team, or as the planning lead for couples who would rather have one point of contact than coordinate a resort from overseas. I also work at private villas and on public and semi-private beaches where there is no resort involved at all. Tell me the venue and date and I will tell you what is realistic.
We are arriving on a cruise ship. Can you still marry us?
Usually yes, and the detail that decides it surprises most couples. The 24 hour residency requirement counts time in Bahamian waters, not time ashore. If your ship called at any Bahamian port or private island before Nassau, including CocoCay, Half Moon Cay, Castaway Cay, Great Stirrup Cay, Ocean Cay, Princess Cays, Bimini or Freeport, you have usually already met it and we can marry you during your Nassau call. You will need a letter from the Purser's Office signed by the ship's captain. Send me your itinerary and I will tell you whether it works. Full detail on the cruise wedding page.
What time of day should the ceremony be?
Work backwards from sunset. In Nassau it moves from about 5:22 PM in December to about 8:01 PM in June, and golden hour is the sixty minutes before it. A ceremony that starts ninety minutes before sunset gives you the vows in good light, photographs through golden hour, and guests seated for dinner at a civilised time. Booking a midday ceremony in July because it suited the venue's calendar is the most common avoidable mistake I see.
What happens if it rains?
We plan the alternative before you pay, not on the morning. Bahamian rain is usually a passing squall rather than a lost day, and the common fix is to shift by an hour or move to a covered spot at the same venue. The backup depends entirely on where you are marrying, so ask me about yours and I confirm the plan in writing with your quote.
Will our Bahamas marriage be legal back home?
Yes. A marriage performed by a Licensed Marriage Officer under the Bahamas Marriage Act is a legal marriage, not a symbolic ceremony. The Bahamas has been party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 1976, so an apostilled Bahamian marriage certificate is accepted for official use in the other member countries without further legalisation. Recognition still runs through your own country's rules, so if you need it recorded with a home registry or an immigration authority, ask them what they want before you travel and I will order the copies to match. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice about your jurisdiction.
How do we start?
Send your date or date range, guest count, venue style, and where you are staying. You get a reply with availability, a package match, any flag about your timeline, and a fixed written quote. There is no charge for the consultation and no obligation to book. The form is here, or WhatsApp 1-242-395-8495.
Still deciding? Send the question anyway. The worst outcome is a free answer and an honest view on whether your dates work.
Licensed Bahamas Marriage Officer · WPIC-certified · 24+ years in Nassau · Licence in one hour
Sources
Legal requirements, fees and timings on this page come from Bahamian government and official tourism sources, checked in October 2026. Review figures are the review platforms' own.
- Registrar General's Department, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, for the 24 hour residency requirement, the BS$100 licence fee, same day or next day standard processing, and the three month validity.
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, for the $120 licence quote including one certified copy and the two business day published guidance.
- WeddingWire, Bahamas Destination Wedding, for the 4.8 rating, 22 reviews and 96% recommend figures.
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, for the 1 June to 30 November Atlantic hurricane season and the concentration of major hurricane activity in August, September and October.
- Hague Conference on Private International Law, for Bahamian accession to the Apostille Convention in 1976.