Planning a wedding in Mauritius? I've spent 26 years arranging them, from the paperwork to the perfect sunset ceremony. This guide covers everything you need to know, legal requirements, timelines, your wedding day, and genuinely honest answers to the questions couples ask me most often.
I've been arranging weddings in Mauritius for 26 years, and I still think it's one of the best places on earth to say I do. Warm water, white sand, and a sunset that turns the whole sky gold. That's the postcard version. The real reason couples choose Mauritius is simpler. You get married on the beach at your resort in the afternoon, and by evening you're having dinner with the Indian Ocean still warm on your feet. No church hall to book. Just you, your partner, and a handful of people who matter.
It also solves a problem a lot of couples don't see coming. A traditional UK wedding is stressful and expensive, often for a day that's over before you've had a real conversation with anyone. Every hotel I work with in Mauritius has its own wedding planner on site, and they take care of everything for you, flowers, cake, decorations, the lot, so the only job left for you is turning up and enjoying it. A Mauritius wedding folds your ceremony into your holiday. You get married, then you get to enjoy being married, on the same trip.
Every wedding we arrange in Mauritius is a civil ceremony, legally recognised the moment you land back in the UK, so there's nothing more to sign or register once you're home. The registrar conducts a short, meaningful service, and your wedding planner will help with all the personal touches that make it feel entirely yours.
Not every hotel in Mauritius is set up to host a legal wedding. It takes a resort with an experienced wedding planner, a good working relationship with the Civil Status Office, and the right facilities on site to make the day come together seamlessly. Because of that, I work with a set of selected hotels in Mauritius for weddings, chosen because I know they'll get the legal side right and make the day feel effortless. When you enquire, I'll match you to the right one for your style and budget.
Start the conversation with me as early as you can. Mauritius weddings involve some paperwork with a government office on the other side of the world, and I'll need every piece of your wedding documentation at least 10 weeks before you depart the UK, so the earlier we speak, the more time you'll have to gather everything without any last minute pressure. It also means more choice for you over your hotel, your date, and your wedding location within the resort.
I require copies of the following documents from you at least 10 weeks before you depart the UK:
• Copies of passports (picture and details pages)
• Copies of birth certificates that have been re-issued and dated within 3 months of your wedding date*
• Decree absolute or final order (if divorced) plus your previous wedding certificate, for all previous weddings
• Deed Poll (if name has changed) issued by UK Deed Poll Office
• Copies of former marriage certificate if widowed and copies of former spouse's death certificate
• Copies of adoption papers if applicable
• Non-English documentation must be translated into English and duly stamped by an official translator
• A signed copy of the Wedding Application form which I will send to you when you make a booking
• New UK birth certificates must be ordered online at: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate
*Please take care not to order too early as the date of issue must be no earlier than 3 months prior to the wedding date. To ensure we receive your documents on time, the priority ordering service must be used.
Weddings only take place Monday to Friday, and public holidays are excluded, so your travel dates need to work around that. Because we're coordinating with the Civil Status Office in Mauritius, we need your paperwork with us as early as possible, and I'd recommend building in at least three working days in Mauritius before your wedding date, just to give everything time to settle.
You'll need to pack every original document listed above and bring it with you. A civil status officer checks your originals in person, so nothing can be left behind or sent on later.
One thing couples often overlook is how airlines treat wedding outfits. Every airline flying to Mauritius has its own policy, and they do change, so speak to me before you book so I can give you the current position for your specific flight. Whatever the policy, get your outfits professionally packed and marked as fragile. It's a small cost that saves a lot of worry.
Your wedding planner will meet you shortly after you arrive at your resort to talk through the details of your day. You'll choose where on the resort you want to marry. Most couples pick the gardens near the beach, but the choice is yours. Ceremonies are held in the late afternoon. It's cooler by then, the light works better for photographs, and you'll get the sun going down over the Indian Ocean behind you as you exchange vows. Exact timing depends on registrar availability and the time of year. You'll need two witnesses, and if you haven't brought anyone with you who can stand as one, the hotel will happily provide them. Grooms can usually get a room to change in on the day, subject to availability.
There's a small piece of Mauritian law worth knowing about. If the bride has been divorced within the last 10 months, Mauritian law requires a doctor's certificate confirming she isn't pregnant. There's a charge for the test and the certificate, and I'll walk you through it if it applies to you.
Your wedding planner handles everything included in your package and can also arrange extras such as photography, videography, flowers, hairdressing or live music. If you'd rather bring your own playlist, the hotel will provide a player on the day.
If you're already married and want to mark an anniversary or simply want to say your vows again somewhere unforgettable, we can arrange a renewal of vows at selected Mauritius hotels too. It's a simpler process than a legal wedding since there's no civil registration involved, but it still deserves the same care in the planning. Get in touch and I'll talk you through what's possible.
Yes, you can still get married in Mauritius if you're not a UK citizen, though there may be extra paperwork and additional charges, even if you hold dual nationality with the UK.
If you hold a non-UK birth certificate, you'll need to contact your own embassy or consulate directly for guidance on what documentation they require. This sits on top of the standard requirements set by the Mauritian authorities, so allow plenty of time for your embassy to come back to you with country-specific advice.
• If you hold dual nationality and one of those nationalities is Mauritian, Mauritian law requires you to marry as a Mauritian citizen. That applies whether your Mauritian nationality is your first or second, and it means the process for non-citizens doesn't apply to you.
• If either of your parents is Mauritian, holds Mauritian nationality, or holds dual nationality including Mauritian, this needs to be disclosed to us, as again the non-citizen process won't apply.
• We're not able to arrange weddings for Mauritian citizens under any of the above circumstances, and we can't be held responsible if this isn't disclosed to us upfront.
• We're also not currently able to arrange weddings in Mauritius for French citizens.
Every hotel in Mauritius has its own wedding package, so prices vary depending on where you choose to marry, with packages starting from as little as £780. Get in touch and I'll talk you through the options that suit your budget.
Once you've settled on the date you want, let me know and I'll book it with the hotel while confirming your flights and accommodation at the same time. If your date is available, I'll secure everything and send you full confirmation. Wedding bookings usually carry a slightly higher deposit than a standard holiday, and I'll confirm the exact figure with you at the time of booking.
Start the conversation with me as early as you can. I'll need every piece of your wedding documentation at least 10 weeks before you depart the UK, so the sooner we speak, the more comfortably that comes together.
We'll need your decree absolute and your previous marriage certificate, for every previous marriage, sent to our UK office ahead of time, and you'll need to bring the originals with you to Mauritius. If the bride has been divorced for 10 months or less, Mauritian law requires a doctor's certificate confirming she isn't pregnant. If she's already pregnant, the wedding can't go ahead until more than 10 months have passed since the divorce.
Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
All the weddings I arrange in Mauritius are civil ceremonies.
Airline policies on wedding outfits vary and change from time to time, so check with me before you fly. With most airlines your outfit counts within your normal luggage allowance, and you could be charged if you go over it. I'd always recommend having your outfits professionally packed, as airlines won't let you hang them in the cabin.
In most cases, yes, though extra paperwork and charges can apply, even with dual UK nationality. You'll need to contact your own embassy for guidance specific to your nationality, in addition to the standard Mauritian requirements. There are exceptions, including dual Mauritian nationals, those with a Mauritian parent, and French citizens, where we're unable to arrange the wedding. Get in touch and I'll tell you honestly where you stand.
We don't arrange it ourselves, but several insurers specialise in wedding and honeymoon cover and it's worth looking into. I'd also suggest your guests take out their own travel insurance, just in case plans need to change.
Not currently. We're not able to arrange same sex weddings in Mauritius at this time.
Once your ceremony is complete, the formal paperwork moves through the Mauritian authorities, and any delay in that process is outside our control. If you hold a non-UK passport, have dual nationality, or aren't a UK citizen, it's your responsibility to confirm your exact passport, visa and marriage requirements with your embassy before you book, since extra documentation and charges can apply. And as covered above, staying less than 7 nights brings a per-supplier fee for outsourced services, while an outsourced wedding planner carries a fee regardless of the length of your stay.
Twenty six years of arranging weddings in Mauritius has taught me that the couples who enjoy the process most are the ones who start early and ask questions before they book. If you're thinking about saying I do in Mauritius, get in touch and I'll talk you through your options honestly, including which hotels I'd genuinely recommend for your day. Your holiday money is protected through my Protected Trust Services membership throughout, so you can focus on the wedding, not the worry.
