1. spring 2008 7978 destination weddings & honeymoons
Each bungalow at
Huvafen Fushi comes
with a plunge pool.
Opposite: The resort's
main lobby; an oversized
tub at turndown.
CARIBBE AN Everything you need to know
to host your big day in paradise
B Y M E G A N P A D I L L A
Holly Morris and Thomas
Espy had a picture-perfect
ceremony at Raffles Resort
on Canouan Island.
HOW TO
MARRY IN THE
TOMMYCOLBERT

2. 80 destination weddings & honeymoons spring 2008 81spring 2008 81
GETTING STARTED
Before you get to the details like what kind of drinks to feature at
your reception, you’ll need to address some bigger issues. The best
place to start is by choosing your island. To narrow down options,
consider your head count. Couples looking for a large turnout
(50 or more guests) tend to choose easier-to-reach islands (think
Jamaica, Aruba or Puerto Rico),
which are serviced by direct
flights from major U.S. airlines.
Couples with smaller guest lists
can look to lesser-known desti-
nations (the Grenadines, British
Virgin Islands or Belize) that re-
quire multiple air connections or
water transfers. Budgets matter
too: As a general rule of thumb,
the more involved the travel, the
more expensive the airfare will
be for you and your guests.
As for legalities, you can
marry on most Caribbean isles
(though it gets trickier in the
French West Indies), but each
country has its own require-
ments regarding residency and
documentation. More than half
the couples we spoke to simpli-
fied the process by legally mar-
rying at home before traveling
for the ceremony. Note: For
the legal requirements for each
particular country, check out
destinationweddingmag.com.
When it comes to hotels, use
your guest list to help you trim
your options. Generally speak-
ing, the more attendees you have, the larger the hotel you’ll
want. Some key questions to keep in mind: Do you want all
of your guests to stay in the same hotel, or can they spread out
between a few? Would you like a variety of venues for events,
Y
ou’ve said, “Yes, I will.” Now it’s time to make it happen. For thousands of couples, there’s
no question about where they want to get hitched: in the balmy Caribbean overlooking the
sparkling blue sea. And as they quickly find out, planning a tropical wedding is easier than
you might think. With countless islands and a host of cultures, the region can accommodate
every wedding style, from casual to extravagant. It’s a crowd-pleaser too, thanks to activities galore and
accommodations to suit every budget. Sound appealing? We spoke to coordinators and resort staff on 10
Caribbean islands, along with several brides who recently married there. Read on to get inspired.
The hotel treated us like
celebrities and made it easy to
imagine our wedding day.”
— ALLISON COHEN
The historic stone chapel at
the Raffles Resort on Canouan
Island was brought over from
England. Opposite: The stately
Crane resort in Barbados.
‘‘LEFT:JOHANSENKRAUSE
or are you OK with reusing the same space? Are there enough
activities, either onsite or nearby, to keep guests entertained? Do
you prefer to pay for everything a la carte, or is an all-inclusive
more appealing, with meals and activities covered in the room
rate? When finalizing a guest list, consider who you think will
travel, but plan for a few more.
Our research shows that cou-
ples marrying in the Caribbean
receive about 15 percent more
acceptances than they expect.
(Hmm, think the locale has
anything to do with it?)
After picking an island, some
couples take a scouting trip to
find the right hotel. New York
City-based Allison Cohen, a
28-year-old Lehman Brothers
associate, and Erik Sylvin, a
31-year-old surgical resident,
visited quite a few properties
during a prewedding trip to
Jamaica, but everything clicked
when they reached The Ritz-
Carlton, Golf & Spa Resort,
Rose Hall. “The hotel treated
us like celebrities while we
were there and made it easy
to imagine our wedding day,”
says Allison. “Everyone was
so competent; I had faith they
would plan it to our tastes and
standards. Plus, there was room
for all of our guests to stay to-
gether. We’d planned for 60
and ended up with 80.” They
could have booked everything over the Internet, but what Al-
lison spent on visiting the hotel in person, she more than made
up for in stress relief.
Once you’ve picked your home base, you’re ready for the fun

3. 82 destination weddings & honeymoons spring 2008 83
stuff. To help you plan, we broke our research down into two
types of weddings: sweet and simple, and gala affairs. See which
style works best for you, or take your favorite pieces from each
and combine them to create something truly your own.
SWEET AND SIMPLE
In the Caribbean, simplicity doesn’t exclude elegance, and el-
egance doesn’t imply stress. Couples going this route often
envision a smaller guest list, equating less time on the details
and more enjoyed with their guests. They usually select a small-
er property, perhaps even buying it out entirely. Guests enjoy
lots of casual downtime rather than the slate of planned events
common at larger weddings.
Jennifer Lin, a 31-year-old public affairs consultant, and her
husband, W. Allan Edmiston III, a 31-year-old attorney, are
a well-traveled couple from Los Angeles. Their guests were
happy to follow them off the beaten path for their wedding on
Ambergris Caye, Belize. The country was new to the bride and
groom as well; Jennifer decided to wed there after spotting the
boutique-style Victoria House
hotel in a magazine. “It was
beautiful, understated and not
huge,” she says of the property,
which comprises 45 accommoda-
tions ranging from thatched-roof
casitas to plantation-style villas
overlooking an infinity pool and
the beach. “I thought it was perfect.” So did the couple’s 25
guests, many of whom came down for an entire week.
The hotel staff tended to every detail, from allowing guests
to choose their wedding entree at check-in to bringing Jennifer’s
bouquet to her room for final approval. Fewer guests meant that
everyone joined in for the informal gatherings held at the villa
Jennifer’s family rented. “It’s very rare these days that everyone
gets a family vacation together,” says Jennifer.
At 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2007, Jennifer walked down a
beach aisle lined with conch shells and fresh-cut bougainvil-
leas, provided standard by the hotel. The couple enjoyed a
short, heartfelt ceremony as guests stood in attendance; then,
everyone moved poolside to celebrate. The open-air dinner, lit
by tiki torches, featured a menu of lobster and snapper pulled
fresh from the sea. The whole thing was simple and perfect,
just as Jennifer had envisioned.
Many destination brides worry about entertaining guests. In this
case, choosing a property with plenty of built-in entertainment is
helpful. Boston-based Maura Collins, a 40-year-old accountant,
and Bill Terrell, a 46-year-old software engineer, are both avid
sailors who met on the racing circuit. Their pick: the Bitter End
Yacht Club, a family-owned eco-chic resort in the British Virgin
Islands that’s famed for its extensive water-sports program.
People think it’s hard to plan when you aren’t
there, but it couldn’t have been easier. I just told
everyone what I wanted, and they made it happen.”
— CASSIE MANCUSO
The couple timed their celebration around BEYC’s annual
Pro Am Regatta. “You get to race with some of the best sailors
in the world,” says Maura. “It’s the sailing equivalent of golf-
ing with Tiger Woods.” To kick off the couple’s wedding day
on Oct. 27, 2007, the resort organized a morning regatta for
the 30 guests at no extra charge. “At the last race, the first one
to moor their boat and swim to shore won.” When it came
time for the sunset beach ceremony, rain forced the couple
to move their nuptials to the covered Almond Walk. “With
the chairs and flowers arranged, it looked like it was meant for
wedding ceremonies,” says Maura. A nautical-themed reception
followed at the Captain’s Table, a private room
off the main dining area. The next day the fun
continued as the group got down to the serious
business of enjoying the Pro Am. “The resort
suited us to a T,” says Maura.
Kristen Freeman, a 31-year-old retail worker,
and Matt Costa, a 32-year-old general contractor,
of Reading, Massachusetts, were drawn to the Bitter End for a
different reason: They’d been there before and liked the sim-
plicity of the resort’s all-inclusive Admiral’s package, which
includes meals and activities in the room rate. Although they
had 60 guests at their Aug. 3, 2007, nuptials, “we were all
able to dine together every night simply by scheduling what
time to meet,” says Kristen. “It made it easier to plan and
budget.” The only extra costs the couple accrued were the
alcohol associated with their planned events and a per-person
supplement for the wedding meal.
Even though the resort offers a standard wedding package,
Kristen was able to customize their event with the
help of the resort’s manager, Mary Jo Ryan. This
is the case at most resorts with standard packages.
“Rather than fit our wedding into their package,
she helped us get exactly what we wanted and
gave us credits from the package toward that,”
A poolside reception at
Victoria House, Belize.
Opposite top: Cassie
Mancuso celebrated in St.
Martin with hand-rolled
cigars. Opposite bottom:
Allison Cohen had limbo
dancers in Jamaica. Continued on page 130
‘‘
TOPLEFT:KASEYLENNON;BOTTOMLEFT:ALANSMITH/SIGNATUREWEDDINGS

4. 130 destination weddings & honeymoons spring 2008 131
how to marry...
says Kristen. “We received one master bill
at the end. It couldn’t have been easier.”
You can score even more no-cost ex-
tras when you opt for an all-inclusive.
For instance, at Grenada’s Spice Island
Beach Resort, an elegant seven-course
plated reception meal for up to 30 guests
is standard in the all-inclusive wed-
ding package, and the bridal couple can
work with the chef in advance to plan
the menu. At Sandals resorts, the basic
wedding package (including the cake,
bouquet and decor options in four
different styles designed by celebrity
planner Preston Bailey) comes free with
a six-night stay in a Concierge category
or higher. At Couples resorts, 30-minute
his-and-hers massages are included in the
basic wedding package, while at Breezes
Runaway Bay, green fees and scuba-diving
courses are included with no extra charge.
The only time you may run into issues
with all-inclusives is if you have wedding
attendees who aren’t staying onsite. In that
case, paid day passes are usually available.
Philadelphia couple Patricia Beck, a
39-year-old dental hygienist, and Anthony
DeLong, a 43-year-old business manager
at the University of Pennsylvania, went
the all-inclusive route, exchanging vows
on Dec. 31, 2007, during an 11-day stay
at Sandals Grande St. Lucian. They didn’t
bring any guests. “We have a huge family,
and I didn’t want the aggravation of a big
wedding,” says Patricia. The couple wed
at 4 p.m. on the beach. “Right after our
ceremony, my husband took off my shoes,
and we did our first dance on the beach.”
That night, the bride showed off her gown
at the resort’s New Year’s Eve bash, where
the couple partied with the new friends
they’d made during their stay.
Lynn Pielow, a 48-year-old event planner,
and Robert Pizante, a 56-year-old busi-
ness owner, of Monterey Bay, California,
also sacrificed the guest list rather than
ceremony details. The couple had their
dream wedding at the historic Crane
hotel on Barbados on Nov. 29, 2007,
accompanied by only their two best
friends. “I do events for a living and
didn’t want to spend my time planning
my own wedding,” says Lynn. Limiting
the guest responsibilities allowed her to
spend time on other details, such as order-
ing flowers for her bouquet and ceremony
arch, hiring a violinist and cellist, and ar-
ranging for a dove release. “I had all the
accoutrements but not the people — and
not the stress.” Instead of entertaining a
large group, the couple spent time touring
the island with their friends and enjoying
their penthouse plunge-pool suite. “We’d
sit on the balcony with a glass of wine and
watch the moon,” she says. “It’s one of the
best memories I have.”
GALA AFFAIRS
As you might expect, couples with larger
guest lists tend to get more elaborate on
everything from the rehearsal dinner to
gift bags. They’re also more interested in
customizing details for their ceremony
and reception. After all, the more people
attending your event, the more incentive
you have to put on a show.
For most “gala” brides we spoke to,
the number-one priority was having their
guests in one place. Accordingly, couples
hosting large gatherings gravitate toward
larger hotels with more amenities and en-
tertainment options. Take Allison Cohen,
who chose the 427-room Ritz-Carlton,
Rose Hall, in Jamaica, for their May 19,
2007, wedding. “At the Ritz, everyone
was in a central location,” says Allison.
“During the day everyone hung out at the
pool bar; at night after events, we’d go to
the lobby bar, which had nightly bands.
It was a total party of the best kind. We
would have lost that if we’d been at a
smaller hotel.”
Larger hotels also tend to have onsite
wedding coordinators, which helps with
planning. Danielle Kubilus, a 26-year-
old insurance broker, and Greg Salant,
a 30-year-old attorney, both from Dobbs
Ferry, New York, hosted 105 guests for
I do events for a living and didn’t want to spend my time planning
my own wedding. I had all the accoutrements — and not the stress.”
— LYNN PIELOW
‘‘
Continued from page 83
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5. spring 2008 133132 destination weddings & honeymoons
how to marry...
their Dec. 8, 2007, wedding. They chose
Aruba for its weather and accessibility but
went with the Hyatt Regency Aruba Re-
sort & Casino, in part, for the experience
of its “romance planner,” Tita Iglesias.
“She had great ideas,” says Danielle. “We
wanted a wow factor at our ceremony, and
Tita delivered.” The onsite planner was
able to anticipate issues Danielle never
would have foreseen, including retaining
an aura of privacy during a sunset cere-
mony on public Eagle Beach. “Tita hired
10 models, who all dressed in white linen
and held palm fronds,” recalls Danielle.
“They lined the aisle, creating a dramat-
ic effect as I walked down it, and then
moved to the outside to form a private
perimeter during the service.”
Cassie Mancuso and Dan Carver, both
26, from Evanston, Illinois, ensured excel-
lent service for their Dec. 8, 2007, wedding
by booking a five-star resort. Relatively
small (only 83 rooms), La Samanna on St.
Martin caters to a high-end clientele. With
help from the resort and a local company
called Sint Maarten Marry-Me, Cassie,
a marketing and special-events planner,
and Dan, a brand manager, were able to
customize every element of their 90-guest
wedding, from mango martinis at the re-
ception to a fireworks display timed to
the cake cutting. The couple also took full
advantage of the resort’s award-winning
15,000-bottle wine cellar. “The resort’s
wine director, Thibaut Asso, joined us in
the bar each night and acted as our wine
guide, taking people down to the cellar to
examine bottles and do tastings. Guests
said it was one of the coolest experiences
they’d ever had,” says Cassie.
For the big event, the hotel created an
alternate lounge space on the beach ad-
jacent to the reception, complete with
white couches, a fire pit and a cigar roller
who finished off each creation with the
couple’s personalized cigar labels. “People
think it’s hard to plan a wedding when
you aren’t there, but it couldn’t have been
easier. I just told everyone what I wanted,
and they made it happen.”
Some brides prefer to work with a state-
side wedding planner, which can help ease
communication as you’re often in the
same time zone and have similar cultural
expectations. Holly Morris, a 36-year-old
anchor/reporter for the local Fox station
in Washington, D.C., and Thomas Espy,
a 35-year-old attorney, had a small guest
list — only 31 attendees — but great ex-
pectations for their July 21, 2007, event.
So they turned to JoAnn Gregoli of New
York-based Elegant Occasions, who spe-
cializes in destination weddings in the
Caribbean, Italy and Mexico. Gregoli
handled all the details of the four-day fete,
from recommending the location (the ex-
clusive Raffles Resort on Canouan Island
in the Grenadines) to coordinating guests’
travel arrangements and bringing down
decor materials from the States. Gregoli
worked directly with the resort to coordi-
nate a slate of events, including a welcome
dinner, a snorkel sail, a beachfront rehearsal
dinner and a departure brunch.
Holly left most of the details up to
Gregoli, so she was as surprised as her
guests when they walked into the reception
after their 5 p.m. beachfront ceremony:
Gregoli had transformed one of the hotel’s
restaurants into a chic island nightclub.
“There was draping, lighting, a dance
floor in the middle and tables surround-
ing it, all with gorgeous centerpieces. On
one end there was a couch and candles.
The elegant, multi-course dinner was
served slowly through the night so every-
one could eat and dance all night long,”
Holly says. “We were overwhelmed.” No
wonder she and Thomas remember the
event as “our fairy-tale wedding.”
For some brides, moving venues allows
them to show off more of their locale.
Monica Baussan, a 29-year-old chemi-
cal engineer living in New York, was
born and raised in Puerto Rico. When
she and Sam Hubbard, a 31-year-old
financial advisor, decided to hold their
135-guest wedding there, she wanted
to show off her home island. The wed-
ding week centered on the 525-room
San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris
Casino, located on the beach in the
Condado area of San Juan. “We want-
ed the beach location for our guests to
enjoy,” says the bride. “But Old San Juan
Holly and Thomas enjoyed
their “fairy-tale wedding”
at Raffles Resort.
TOMMYCOLBERT

6. 134 destination weddings & honeymoons
is one of my favorite places, and I wanted
to share that with everyone too.”
For the rehearsal dinner, the couple
brought their guests by bus to the his-
toric Hotel El Convento, located on the
winding cobblestone streets of nearby
Old San Juan. The guests headed back
to Old San Juan the next day for the
Catholic ceremony, then returned to the
Marriott for an island-inspired reception
featuring dishes such as a yucca cream
soup with crab and avocado salsa, and
a mix of music — an American-style DJ,
a salsa band and a local pleneros band.
Monica hired a local wedding planner
who coordinated everything along with
the Marriott planner.
While brides of all styles take advantage
of the chance to show off their locale, gala
brides like to take it up a notch, especially
with their rehearsal dinners. For instance,
Danielle Kubilus’ guests in Aruba strolled
down the beach to tiki-style MooMba
Beach Bar & Restaurant for a barbecue
on the beach, while Cassie Mancuso’s
La Samanna rehearsal dinner started
with a cocktail party on the beach and
continued with a poolside barbecue. Al-
lison Cohen’s rehearsal dinner was even
more elaborate: The Ritz-Carlton, Rose
Hall, set up a reggae party complete
with a jerk stand, rum drinks served in
coconuts split on the spot, and a floor
show featuring fire and limbo dancers
and costumed moko jumbies (traditional
Caribbean stilt walkers). The festivities
were originally planned for the beach
but at the last minute moved to a cov-
ered terrace due to rain. The bride says
they couldn’t have been happier.
Whatever their wedding style, every
Caribbean-bound bride we spoke to
shared one thing in common: the desire
to enjoy her wedding and guests with-
out being overwhelmed by planning.
Their common advice: Trust that you’re
working with good people who will get
things done. Be willing to relax and let
go. Then, just sit back and enjoy. After
all, isn’t that what weddings away are
all about? ■
how to marry...
FOR MORE INFO, SEE THE 411 ON PAGE 140.
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