With Deniesha’s parents being from Jamaica and Kirk’s parents being from Guyana, a destination wedding in the Caribbean felt like a natural choice for the couple.

“We both knew that we wanted to do something different,” the bride says. “I love tropical islands and the feeling you get when you are away and out of your comfort zone.”

Since some of Deniesha’s best childhood memories happened in Jamaica, she wanted to experience the joy of getting to say “I do” there as well.

After recruiting their planner Alexia McWhinney with The Savvy Event Consultants and hand-picking vendors, Deniesha and Kirk began over-the-phone meetings to communicate their hopes, desires and vision for their destination wedding day.

“Future couples, choose your planner wisely and vendors wisely because they really help to make your day magical and professionalism matters very much that day,” Deniesha advises.

To help guide the decision-making process from afar, Alexia had the couple use an online tool called Aisle Planner – which also helped keep everyone on the same page. Perhaps one of the most valuable recommendations made by Alexia was for the couple to hire travel agent Araine with EscapeTravelPros.com.

“Araine was awesome and took care of all our travel needs. She helped us pick a hotel, negotiate our room block, book our guests, arrange roundtrip travel to and from the hotel and much much more,” the couple says.

Although, Deniesha and Kirk were able to coordinate with their vendors via telephone and email. The couple splurged on what they knew was most important to them – music, photography and the bar. The decor was initially important to the bride, but she eventually decided to cut back on spending in that area and allow her planner full creative control.

“It turned out amazing,” the bride says.

The wedding day did have its own unique challenges, like the couple’s 3-year-old peeing himself just before walking down the aisle and the intense wind bringing crashing waves up onto the reception area. However, Deniesha and Kirk decided beforehand to simply go with whatever was thrown at them, which allowed them to sit back and enjoy their special day – no matter what.

“We have absolutely no regrets and our guests are still talking about our wedding to this day. They all want to know when the next trip is,” the couple says.

Vendors: Photographer: RaeTay Photography; Second Photographer: Osbourne Chin; Ceremony/Reception Site: Pattoo Castle; Event Designer/Wedding Planner: The Savvy Event Consultants; Design, Decor & Florist: New Levels Decor; Caterer: Cole’s Island; Videography: Cakewalk Films; Makeup & Hair: In Your Face Beauty Bar & Sue the Makeup Girl; Travel Agent: Escape Travel Professionals; DJ: Jamaica Wedding DJ; Cake Designer: Abbia’s Delights; Gown Designer: Sophia Tolli; Groom’s Clothing Designer: Suit Supply; Bridesmaids’ Clothing Designer: David’s Bridal; Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Indichino; Signage: Roshena Chang Designs