Getting married in a tropical paradise is a pretty spectacular way to make your special day even more memorable. Destinations such as the island nation of Jamaica are well aware of this, and they are happy to make it as easy as possible for you to spend your wedding budget at one of their resorts. The copy of the marriage register you're given with a flourish at the end of the ceremony isn't your marriage certificate, though. If you didn't get one of those while you were still in Jamaica, you'll need to order it afterwards through the country's Registrar General.

Before you go to the Registrar General's website, you should take time to gather the information you'll need. Most of it is pretty straightforward, consisting of basic information such as your name and your spouse's name, but you'll also need to know the name of the "marriage officer" who performed the ceremony, and which parish you were married in. That information should be on the copy of the marriage registry you were given at the time of the ceremony, but don't worry if you can't put your hand on it. The government maintains a list of marriage officers on its website, and the application form you'll use on the Registrar General's website has a drop-down menu for each parish.

Once you've gathered up the necessary information, go to the Jamaican government's website and look up the Registrar General; then click through to the application form. You'll see a number of mandatory fields and some optional ones, as well. If you fill out the optional fields, it may sometimes help Jamaican officials locate your marriage documents more quickly, so if you have that information at your fingertips ‒ the names of your witnesses, for example ‒ it's worth taking a moment to enter it. Once the form is complete, scroll to the bottom, and click the "Submit Application" button.

A new page will load, displaying the information you've entered into the form. Read it carefully to make sure all the information is correct, because any inaccuracies will slow processing. Click to go back and correct the information you've entered, if necessary. Finally, scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose your delivery option. There are two choices: Regular processing, which takes four to six weeks, and expedited seven-day processing. As of the end of 2017, the cost of regular processing for U.S. residents is $55, and expedited processing costs $85. Expedited processing requires seven business days, so it may be up to 10 days before you actually receive your certificate.