At Destination I Do we love a bride who knows what she wants and goes for it! Jessica is just that bride, considering she decided to get married on Harbour Island three years before she even met her husband Zachary!

Jessica says the idea to make the island her place to wed all started when she spotted a beach wedding during a vacation.

“This wasn’t your typical beach wedding. I was already in love with the island and seeing this set up sealed the deal. I got the name of the event company and held onto it ever since. So when I finally got engaged, 7 years later, I knew exactly where I wanted to get married,” the bride says.

However, the couple was disheartened when they weren’t able to reach the little event company whose information Jessica held onto for so long. But when she came across a few pictures online that resonated with her and reached out to a small hotel that had hosted weddings, the two discovered the little event company from seven years ago had in fact inherited the small hotel.

Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly, or so the two thought. Three months before their wedding was one of the worst hurricane seasons. Hurricane Irma, Jose and Maria were all headed straight for the Bahamas with no leeway time in between. Luckily, the storms didn’t directly hit Harbour Island and only brought beach erosion.

“The best part was when a dear friend said, ‘Jessica, if we have to watch you get married in your bathroom in your home, we’ll be there.’ That meant everything to us,” the bride recalls.

Many attendees reminisce about the duo’s wedding and compliment them for capturing a celebration that reflected their personalities in every way.

Jessica wants to leave future brides with one piece of advice she feels is the most important: take care of you. For this bride, that meant seeking out counseling to strengthen her on her walk through such an exciting and emotional life change.

The bride says, “It’s easy to get distracted by pretty dresses and photos. I will forever treasure what this work on myself gave me because the tools I learned are still with me and still being used in our relationship well after walking down the aisle.”