Congratulations! Hope you have a wonderful time on St. John, and a picture perfect day for your 'big day'.

1. Yes, most of the shops are open all year long. Some restaurants will be closed, but most will still be open. More will close for 1-6 weeks sometime in September. There are lots of shops to pick from, kind of depends on your budget, so I won't make any recommendations yet.

2. You can drink and eat on the beach. You are not allowed to have glass on the beach. So, if you do bring anything in glass, just make sure you have something plastic to put it in when you are on the beach. Not sure how many people you are having...but some of the beaches require a permit for larger gatherings. Just go to the National Park website for more info on that. NPS

3. There are several bars in town, and some of them have live music on different nights. August is pretty slow here, so you probably won't find a lot of live music. Best to check on that once on island as they usually don't plan very far in advance, and things change. You can pick up a copy of the ST. John Sun Times, a free paper, that has all kinds of info in it, including where live music will be played. OR, you can just do what most people do, just go to all of the bars and see what is going on. They are all really close together and you can just spend a bit at one and move on to the next until you find some place you want to stay awhile.

Have a great time!

Thank you so much for the information! I really appreciate it. I have not been to the island (some think I'm crazy for this) so any information would be helpful!

Congratulations and best wishes for your upcoming wedding. While no one can predict the weather, just want you to be armed with knowledge. As per this web site https://www.vinow.com/usvi/weather.php , it could be hot in August and it is the start of the time when tropical storm activity really gets into swing. St. John is a beautiful destination for a wedding. Just make sure you have an alternative plan that you can put into action.

Cruzan Rum now makes a mojito in a box (kind of like wine in a box) for about $20 that serves quite a few drinks. I've seen it in a few stores, but haven't tried it yet.

For unique gift ideas, I would contact St John Spice. They might be able to create spice blends with a personal label. Caribbean Rum Balls may be able to create something also. Other gift ideas might be sand dollars or something. Some people can inscribed personal messages on the sand dollars.

FL has a point... It can be pretty hot here in August. I would say that most people would prefer to have A/C's in the their bedrooms that time of year. Also, it is hurricane season, so trip insurance for the entire crew would be advisable. We haven't had much hurricane activity in August in recent years, but you never know. And if you should get 'stuck' here because of weather, trip insurance will sure help cover the financial burden of an unexpected extended vacation! Peak hurricane season is mid September, but we've been seeing the most activity in recent years late September through mid October.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. Our wedding is scheduled for August 5th, hopefully it's early enough in the month to avoid hurricane/tropical storm action.