Friday, October 14, 2011

Destination Wedding St. Lucia: An Oceanside Garden Wedding

Words by Courtney Kellar

Words by Courtney Cox
Photos courtesy of Swank Photo Studio

Attending other couples’ weddings is helpful in two ways: it lets you know what you like and what you don’t like! After attending several hometown weddings, Brandon and Jennifer decided that a more intimate, tropical destination wedding was the way to go for them. In the end, the couple chose a pretty distant destination by opting to say “I do” on the beautiful island of St. Lucia.

Knowing St. Lucia was a far-flung destination, Brandon and Jennifer tried to make it as easy on their guests as possible. “We gave everyone a full 12 months to save for the trip,” says the couple. “In a situation where money could have been the only obstacle, the time really allowed everyone to budget and plan to celebrate our wedding day with us.”

When it came to ensuring their guests would have a comfortable place to stay and easy transport to and from the resort, Brandon and Jennifer counted on the fabulous folks over at DestinationWeddings.com. “We used DestinationWeddings.com to book our resort stay for all of our guests,” says the couple. “Patti Ortiz, our agent, was attentive, helpful and worked with each of our guests to ensure they had everything they needed to travel.

By choosing St. Lucia for the site of their nuptials, Brandon and Jennifer locked in the tropical, oceanside wedding they were looking for. However, Jennifer always dreamed of getting married in a garden. Because of St. Lucia’s beautiful mountains and lush jungle-like greenery, the couple got the best of both worlds. They chose Stony Hill for their venue and said “I do” underneath a large mango tree overlooking a valley.

Their choice of venue was also great on the budget. Because the couple got such a good deal, they took that extra money and put it toward an open bar, a plated dinner and entertainment. Brandon and Jennifer secured their wedding coordinator through Stony Hill and she assisted the couple in finding the perfect vendors and clarifying on what they could bring along from the states.

After months of planning, Jennifer and Brandon got the tropical destination wedding of their dreams. Also, since they held a hometown reception a few weeks after getting back to the states, they got the best of both worlds: an intimate destination wedding and a hometown celebration with their friends and family.

Vendors:
Photographer: Swank Photo Studio
Venue: Stony Hill
Wedding Coordinator: Cynthia Soni
Gown Designer: Tony Bowls
Groom’s Clothing Designer: Calvin Klein