Sandals Wedding Planning 101 - Everything You Need to Know For Your Sandals Or Beaches Wedding.

So if you're planning a Sandals or Beaches wedding, this is the video you have to watch. I brought— well, first off, you haven't met my wife. She's never been in any of the videos. So Lisa actually came.

I did.

Hi! So we're going to talk about weddings and special guest, we brought Wendy White. So Wendy, she gets applause.

Thanks, I love being here.

Straight out of Sandals.

Kind of the national sales manager for weddings. That's not her real title, but she knows everything.

You gotta come in a little more.

I try to know everything.

She does.

But things change, so, you know, you'll see if I hesitate, it's because something new may have occurred yesterday.

We're gonna do the best we can to bring you the most update and current information. Yeah. And we're gonna have some fun with this. It's gonna be casual.

Yeah.

We've got some topics, some questions. We're gonna go through these and I kind of have it— she doesn't know what we're gonna hit her with.

No, no, but I always like a surprise. Okay, go for it.

All right, so okay, we have to be able to see.

Yeah.

Um, okay, why choose a destination wedding over a stateside wedding?

Okay, I, I think honestly it's, it's gonna come down to each and every couple, but ultimately, um, a destination wedding is far more affordable for the couple because when they come to the resort, you've got all your venues are included. They're at the resort. The food and beverage is there. You've got, you know, entertainment built into the resort. So it is a very affordable option. But mind you, probably one of the main reasons that people do a destination wedding is the fact that they get to spend 3, 4 days with their closest friends and family versus 3, 4 hours running from table to table, right? In this case, you're having time on the beach and you're having time over a meal or a drink. Yeah, it's nice.

I remember at our wedding—

we're gonna get Quendi closer.

Wow. So at our wedding, there were people that I know I didn't talk to. I mean, it happens. You know, you're making your rounds as much as you can, but that's a good point that, yeah, you know, people are here to celebrate the couple, right? And they're at the wedding, they put some good money out, and to be able to spend time with them and actually connect, I think that I never thought about that aspect.

Yeah, because our wedding, we just like got in the car and we were gone. It was like, oh, it's over. I didn't get to see anybody. And, and the lead-up, yeah, then it's over.

I know, and you get to spend the whole week with them. You can, you know, average what I see is, is 3, 4 days, you know, everybody's together, they're, they're doing different things, maybe doing excursions, having beach party or volleyball games, things that, that bond, right?

Yeah.

And ultimately it's about creating the memories, right? So, so everything can be captured on video. Everybody's got a smartphone these days, so you're building these memories throughout the duration of your stay, and then it's opportunity to revisit all of those when you have your anniversary or just any kind of a celebration at the house, you know.

I like that, definitely. Yeah, and you nearly broke her ankle, but you are centered better now.

Okay, no worries, no worries. I'm flexible.

Okay, apparently. Um, okay, so why sandals over any other resort option that's out there?

Listen, we're the only organization that provides the services of a wedding planning team. And when I say that, from the get-go, somebody there to answer all of your questions, to take you through the planning journey so that each month you have a call with a planner and you're reviewing different parts of the ceremony or the event itself.

It's kind of hard to mess up.

Right?

We manage.

You've got lots of time, but you can think about decor, design, um, entertainment, meals, what other activities do you want to incorporate. So all of those planning sessions are helping you to build out this incredible event, celebration, wedding week, whatever you want to call it. And then when the couple is preparing to arrive on resort, the file's already been sent by email to the resort wedding team. So you have a call center team, then you have a resort team. And the resort team is, is prepared with all the components that you've requested. Now you'll meet with them the day following your arrival so that you can view the various wedding venues and you can, you know, ask any questions you might have or make any slight changes if that's the case. We can still do that.

We'll talk more about wedding coordinators, the Sandals wedding coordinators. Um, but Sandals, they're going to take care of everything. They're going to make sure there are no hiccups.

And I mean, from the moment you—

I mean, you can't mess it up.

I, I love the fact that with us everything is included. So when you come to Sandals, whether it be for a honeymoon or destination wedding or vacation, just know that we've, we've got your flight details, so we're waiting for you. We know if the flight's been delayed, we have that information. We're taking you from the airport to the resort, and then when done, back to the airport, and that's included. But I think what, what makes me happiest is when I'm on property. Yeah, I check in, I put my wallet and my passport in the safe, yep, lock it, and then I'm not carrying money. I don't need to tip anybody. I don't need to worry about losing ID. I know that everything is safe, and now I can just relax and enjoy.

And eat.

Oh, and eat a lot.

Yeah, well, there's 17 resorts. Like, when we first started looking at Sandals and we met— God, I think we met in the Bahamas a long time ago.

Oh gosh, Exuma.

Yeah, a long, long time ago. And though— so we were looking at all the resorts, we were looking at all other all-inclusives, and they just weren't standard. Like, you would go to one and it would be nice, and you go to another of the same brand and it would be like awful. But Sandals, like, across the board, they're all super nice.

Thank you, I, I appreciate that, because, you know, we really do take pride in the fact that we are constantly reinvesting in the brand. Because look, folks don't realize when you're in the Caribbean, there are factors that are going to take wear and tear. You've got different guests coming in, but you've also got sand and you've got the salty air. And knowing that these things affect a property, know that we, as the owners and operators of our own resorts, we're constantly reinvesting and upgrading and updating that matters. You've got a standard that you have set.

It can be as simple as looking at the different resorts and saying, oh, they have a Jerk Shack, and you know exactly what that means. Or for me, it's Café de Paris.

Oh, there you're talking a page out of my book. Yeah, yeah.

Which is, you know, you've got these, these restaurants that are at many of the different locations with— within Sandals and Beaches, and you've got that reliability Um, well, one of this is gonna have your favorite stuff.

One of the most important things, and, and I'm allergic to shellfish, but I will tell you, everybody wants to know, lobsters included, yes, without an upcharge. And I'm like, yeah, as much as you want. And I was there with an event, so professional people having a dinner, and we were in Nassau, and the gentleman beside me said, well, that was really great steak and lobster. 'Can I have another one?' And I'm like, 'If you want.' And he didn't believe me, so he just— I think he just wanted to test it out. 'Thank you.' Okay. And so brought the waiter over, and he would like another one, please. Do you mind? Not at all. Brings forward a second helping of the exact same meal, and the gentleman was delighted. But I know that it was primarily just to see, you know, how far can I push this? And I'm like, Listen, nobody's going to tell you no. We have all the bars, all the restaurants, ultimately as much as you want, and top-tier liquor if that's your thing. If you're looking for mocktails, we have beautiful cocktails without alcohol. Yes. For those who aren't initiated into that trend.

Nojito. Yeah.

Nojito. Love it. Yeah.

I like my nojitos.

What's the next one?

Okay, so next. I want you to talk about date and time of the ceremony. Ah, so this is going to be your platform to jump off of.

Thank you. I think this is so important for couples to understand. If you have a date in mind, maybe it's, um, sentimental, um, it's referencing the first time you met, whatever. If you have that locked in, then, you know, please ask for your advisor to make that booking as soon as you have it. You know, if you know when it is, what year, what date, let's lock it in. Because, you know, surprisingly, a lot of people are very tight on their dates. And I know the world thinks that Valentine's Day is the best day to get married. I'm just gonna say this: it's a very popular day.

Maybe have a backup plan.

I would always like, you know, do you really want that day? Everybody else is looking at that day. But for couples who are flexible, this is a better opportunity for you because if for whatever reason that particular date and time is not available at your chosen resort, then if you're willing, I can give you a different date, I can give you a different time of day, I can give you a different resort or a different island because You know, we have, like you said, 17 sandals, 2 beaches on 9 islands. More on the way, more on the way, and 9 islands. And what we offer is 1 wedding per hour per resort. Now, do we do 1 wedding per hour per resort every day? No, no, that's not realistic. So what I like to find out from the bride and groom is, you know, what is your preference? Now remember, 5 PM is going to be the last ceremony. And so of course a lot of people want that because of the twilight time slot where you're going to have the golden hour, the beautiful backdrop with the sun setting. This is important. A lot of people want it. So if that's important to you, lock it in. But be mindful, that's going to be the first one that's reserved. Always, always. If, if for whatever reason you can't get that, so guess what? 4 PM is also an option. I just, I just want you to realize that A lot of people will work with what is available to them because if, if you have to travel at a certain time of year, perhaps you're a teacher and you're, you're limited with the window of opportunity for travel. Okay, let's, let's make that happen then. But I like to suggest that if you are flexible with the time of year, look at off-peak. You're going to get better pricing, you're going to have more inventory, and you're going to have more availability of dates and times. For your wedding. So it just depends how rigid or flexible you might be.

Yeah.

Yeah, it all comes down to, do you want an open buffet of choices, dates, locations, or do you want to be, oh, this is all we have left, end of the night, we're out of prime rib. And I'm not saying you're going to get prime rib or something, but you have all these options available at the get-go. The sooner you plan, the more your options are available. And the tighter in you, you decide to lock in, you might not get what you want.

Yeah, so I guess so as soon as you know your date and time, you can get with us and we can start looking at all the different resorts because there's so many to choose from. And then you look at your budget, but like Lisa and Wendy are saying, the sooner you know that, we can kind of springboard off of that and see what's available. If you wait till the last minute, then the prices sometimes go up, the availability goes down. So the longer the runway, the better.

Good way to put it.

Yes.

I like that.

What do you got?

Okay, so we've got know the number of guests invited.

So this is very important. When you are planning to invite friends and family, you know, have that list already, you know, written out, knowing, and look at your numbers. And then I always recommend float it out there to them via email or a Zoom meeting, something. Just, you want to take sort of account of who is really all in and who may be on the fence. And so if you give them longer lead time, you'll probably have greater turnout. People have to make arrangements with time off, childcare, pet care, just financially. So we want to make sure that the people that you would like to be there are given enough notice. And I say, you know, a year to a year and a half is a fair amount of time.

Common theme, the sooner the better. All right, kids.

There's another good question to be asking.

What if it's not an adult-only wedding? There are kids involved.

I like to find out right up front, you know, and that's a very first question I like to ask. If you're inviting friends and family, Will they be traveling with children? If so, how many have children? And the reason I ask that is if you have the majority of people that are traveling as adults, but you might have a couple of siblings with a couple of kids. So we have a policy that allows up to 5 children to attend a destination wedding at Sandals.

Which is normally adults only.

Right, but they're coming in just for the wedding. And so we would have one of our team members meeting them at the front, escorting them to the wedding location, and they would be there for all the wedding events— the, the ceremony, the cocktail, the dinner— and then afterwards they would be departing. But it would be a maximum of 5. If you discover that it's more than that, so the recommendation is have the entire event at our sister property, Beaches, And we have Beaches Negril in Jamaica, Beaches, uh, Turks and Caicos, and, um, and of course when everybody is together at one resort it makes life easy because everybody can be involved, um, in all of the celebratory events. But more importantly, I do want to stress that at our Beaches resorts the kids have so much to keep them busy. Yeah. They have the kids camp for children ages 0 to 17, the water park, and all the activities designed for them. And thus the adults are finding their own things that they want to do. And there are certainly adult-only areas and restaurants. So, you know, everybody is benefiting.

Well, and earlier we were chatting and we were talking about the fact that it's not a 4-hour wedding event. You know, with reception. It's not 6 hours. It's a series of days where you're together with your friends and family, and you get to bond and experience more things and be more casual and talk and actually interact with your wedding guests.

Oh yeah.

And if you've got 20 kids at beaches and everyone's— you're separated. So having everyone at the same resort, I'm sorry, I'm going to want to see nieces and nephews and grandchildren and and I want to see the littles.

Yeah.

And so if you do it at the littles— the littles, they know what I mean. Uh, so if you do it at a Beaches, and my personal vote goes to Turks, yeah, um, problem solved.

Yeah.

So you're all going to be together, you're all going to be happy, and you've all got accommodations. And like she said, it's not like you're swarmed by kids all the time. And something you didn't mention that I think is worth mentioning about Beaches—

yes.

All the furry friends.

Oh yes, we have a partnership. We have a partnership and have had for a number of years now with Sesame Street. And so no matter the age, everybody likes to interact with the Sesame Street characters.

Cookie Monster.

Oh yeah, Elmo. There are daytime activities and nighttime activities where the children are participating with the characters, like baking cookies with Cookie Monster, marching in the parade, and the evening amphitheater with the, the Sesame Street Show. Mind you, I have seen adults request to have the breakfast with the characters. I've seen the tuck-in service with adults and Cookie Monster, so no judgment. Everybody's entitled, but lots of pictures are being taken.

Okay, so I'm pointing to Steve, and it was I'm sure it was simply, um, experiential, right?

Which one?

Cookie Monster.

Well, we had Cookie Monster for our kids, the one.

Or so you say.

Yes.

Yeah, okay, okay.

But beaches, I have videos on all the beach, or both Turks and Caicos and Negril. And Turks and Caicos, I spent like probably a whole hour walking the entire resort with the on-site wedding staff So watch for that video because that's a good one. We go to every wedding location on that property, so it shows like where it is, what the layout is, and then she gives you also more insider tips on that specific property also.

Yeah, and so we're trying to focus more on weddings here. This is all about weddings. So, uh, he's got other stuff about beaches, resorts in general, so you can look for videos on that, Sandals Resorts in general. But right now it's weddings that happens to cover beaches and sandals.

Yeah, absolutely. And the packages that we offer are consistent across the chain. So sandals or beaches, the package is the package, the price is the price.

Okay.

And it works.

So you said the price is the price, that's our next topic.

Oh, okay then.

Cost.

So what I want to be very clear about, we have—

Wendy keeps like sneaking away. Come back in.

Scare her.

I know. All right, there we go.

Okay, okay. So when it comes to cost, based on the package that you're choosing, you will see a price and the inclusions. Now, that is the wedding. The room cost is a separate entity, right? Just like if you were having stateside wedding, you would have a cost for your venue, you would have cost for maybe the church and, and all the decor and entertainment. And then you would have people who are staying from out of town at the local hotel. So remember, rooms are one rate, wedding is another. But the nice thing is when you bring it all together, we are offering, as I said, group contract will give you a much more attractive room rate because you have a group block.

Yes.

Okay. But one package that really I find speaks to the majority of people is the Bliss Wedding Package, and that's because it has— I love this, thank you.

Oh, that really helps.

Well, you can't see it, but we'll go over it.

We'll go over it.

We'll go over the highlights, and I'll put other things in the video so you guys can see this later.

Yeah, so you have wedding packages.

She needs a reference card. Look at that.

We can talk about, you know, the number of people and which package would be most appropriate. So if you're saying to me, I've got 40 people, I'm gonna suggest a Bliss package, and the price point would be $3,850. So $3,850 per person. That's the wedding.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

It's a real good deal. It's a real good deal.

This is amazing to me.

Yeah, I know, right?

How much?

$3,850.

$3,850.

And, and you can go for 50 people, that would be your price.

50 people. Yep, that's the total price, not per person.

So that, that covers what? Okay, ceremony.

Let's talk about that because I personally chose this package for my daughter's wedding. And, um, and so we have the welcome cocktail party, which is ideal. You're picking your venue, so it's a private location. You have that space for an hour where you have an open bar and you have our, our staff, our catering staff, who are serving hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, which the bride and groom would have chosen from a wide selection. So there's a lot of food. It's heavy hors d'oeuvres. So you have drinks and food and mixing and mingling, a great opportunity for everybody to come together. Maybe they haven't met before, you know, just a nice welcome, right? Now The wedding day itself will typically fall 2 to 3 days after the guests have arrived. And so we start with that wedding ceremony, and that is again a venue that they've selected previously, and we have, you know, their choice of music playing. And these days, here's what I've learned: bridal couples will have maybe 4 different songs on their playlist, so they have different songs as different people are moving down the aisle and then one as they are completing and moving back towards the audience. So, you know, just different things that I've picked up lately. And they may bring those songs on their smart device and we plug it into a speaker, or we have a selection that they may choose from. But, you know, music is a very personal thing. So now you've had your ceremony, and it can be religious or non-religious again. Dialogue that would have happened previously with your planner, legal or representative. Correct. And we, we call it vow renewal if the bride and groom have chosen to get legally wed at the city hall or the states previously for whatever reason, and then they're still having the entire celebration, and people may not even know that they got legally wed someplace else. That's fine.

Paperwork.

Yeah, it's all— it's just up to them. But if it is a legal ceremony, we handle all the documentation. We tell you what we need from you, and then it's submitted to us, and then we, we go to bat and get it all registered, and then eventually have that legal marriage certificate couriered to them in the States. Okay, so we, we take care of all the documentation. Following the ceremony, you will have a lovely 1-hour cocktail reception. You'll bride and groom are choosing their signature drink. They have an open bar. They have, um, again, a selection of hors d'oeuvres. Um, the wedding cake may be there, and they may do the cake cutting for photography. Of course, of course.

Okay.

And they have their choice of flavors— 6 cake flavors and 7 fillings.

So no, but I like the chocolate, vanilla, uh, the brownie, and the carrot cake. Red velvet, it doesn't do anything for me. I'm like, I may as well just have chocolate.

So, okay, there you go. Now, when you have the Bliss package, the one that we're referring to, mm-hmm, this is when you have a package that includes a full à la carte dining experience. So you have now another location, a private location that is set up for your group. You have the white chivari chairs, the white linens, and you have plated Dining, you've selected your menu in advance, you have an open bar, and it's beautiful, lovely 2-hour dining experience. Where I see people adding on, and this is à la carte pricing now, but I would see entertainment as an additional.

Okay.

Okay, you may wish to upgrade the photography. We do include 20 digital images with this package. You may wish to enhance that. We do give a $200 credit towards their videography package, so they may wish to add on drone footage if that's their thing. So little things. Now, design and decor is a very personal thing. Yeah, we provide an ideal brochure. It's a digital brochure that gives various design and decor suggestions, ideas, but they have been created to provide, um, a Caribbean-infused feel, right? Something that you wouldn't find in the States. It's, it's just, it's a very vibrant, uh, feel for the clients. But look, I know that a lot of people have their own idea of what their wedding should look like, and so they can submit their photos or their Pinterest board to their wedding planner, who will then endeavor to source all of these items in the destination in which they're getting married.

Nice. Okay, you can be formal fancy, you can be barefoot in white linen.

Oh yeah.

Uh, I've— there, they have so many different pictures and examples of like a vibe. Yeah. And it, it's hard to choose. Uh, I did a Facebook poll once, you know, these are 6 different themes, which is your choice. And it was all over the place because they're all awesome choices and they change them. You guys update them with the trends.

We do constantly. Thank you for bringing that up. It's important to realize that destination weddings, weddings in general, are a trend-centric industry.

Yeah.

Whereby what might have been popular 5 years ago is no longer on trend. I think the one thing that I've seen year over year that's consistent is your classic white with a lot of lush greenery. So, you know, white floral, white linen, lots of leafy greenery, and, and that has been a constant. But everything else, you know, different trends, different color palettes. Um, I have a colleague that is getting married in October, and she showed me her color palette. It's stunning. It's It's very neutral, lots of golds and taupes and browns. It's gorgeous.

Okay, yeah, excellent. So what is the— I'm going off card.

Okay, you're off card.

Off card, that's okay.

Shooting from the hip.

Yeah, cheapest wedding if you wanted to, and I would suggest, look, we offer a free wedding. Okay, now what I mean by that is If you are a small intimate group of 10 people or less, you can take advantage of our Sweetheart Package, which is, is available absolutely free should they, bride and groom, adhere to two terms. Number one, that the bride and groom are staying 7 nights or longer in a Club or Butler category, which is our elevated service.

Second, third.

And, and it makes sense because it's your, your very special time, so why not have the room service and, and the in-room bar. But also very important is the fact that if it's going to be the free Sweetheart Package, that you are getting married between Monday and Thursday, 9 AM to 2 PM. So that is our off-peak window. If we're giving you that, that time and date, everything would be complimentary. But mind you, If it is going to be that legal marriage, then there is the cost of the marriage certificate, which is out of their control, payable to the government. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Cool.

Okay, so up to 10 people total. That includes the bride and groom, correct? That includes mother of the bride, any, any groomsmen, bridesmaids, guests. So that's great for like a small intimate wedding.

Exactly.

I mean, no extra— now do you get a cake with that?

Yeah, you do. You get a 5-stem dendrobium orchid bouquet, which is very pretty.

So you get a bouquet too.

Bouquet, boutonnière, 2-tier white fondant wedding cake, the ceremony, a 1-hour cocktail, and there would not be the elegant dinner that I was describing because it's a small intimate group.

Right. Okay, but you guys can all go to dinner at Bouchon afterwards.

Sure, why not?

Easy. Here we go.

Easy.

And your butler's gonna help you get that reservation. Reservation.

Yeah, yeah, that's a nice idea, right?

Okay, now let's go the other extreme. Okay, most expensive wedding.

So what I see, and, and this would be with your large group, and so we have the Epic Package, and I'll just point it out where it is.

Yep.

And so the Epic Package is talking to the larger groups, up to 140 people. Now, do I see that very often? No. I don't see a 140-person wedding at Sandals very often. That's rare. Most of the time, the wedding groups that I see are between 50 and 80, right? So right smack in the middle, you can choose Bliss or you can choose Epic. The difference is Epic throws in a lot more extras. So yes, you're catering to a larger group of people, thus your cost will increase, but some of the extras, the obvious this. You, you're getting more bouquets. So you have the bridal bouquet, yes, but bridal attendants— 2 bridal attendants do also receive the 9-stem rose bouquet. You have a, um, the welcome cocktail party, but now you also have a private pre-wedding celebration dinner. So an à la carte plated in a nice private location for everybody. And then, you know, day or 2 later is wedding day. And you would have the ceremony, the cocktail, the dinner now becomes, well, would you like buffet or would you like plated? You get 2 hours of complimentary DJ and you have a beautiful sweetheart table for the bride and groom front and center and a 3-tier wedding cake. So, you know, there are enhancements especially to photography and videography.

Okay, okay. And, and so yes, you can go up to $140,000, but look looking at this, you can scale down the Epic Wedding Package.

Sure.

Down to 70— well, down to 26 rooms. Yeah. Which is assumably 52 guests.

And, and that makes the most sense. That's what you will see.

Yeah.

Well, and then you started telling us about the Bliss Package.

Yeah.

And it's $3,850. $3,850. And you talk about a cocktail reception. You do that here in the States that's $3,850 right there just for the cocktail, right? Wow. I mean, that's like a rehearsal type—

yes—

scenario, and you're going to be paying thousands of dollars just for that.

Exactly.

So get your whole wedding. This— it just— it makes so much financial sense, at least for the bride and groom, because—

yeah, it's great.

You know, you still have your guests that are gonna have—

and I want to address that. I want to remind you, especially brides and grooms, look, ultimately you, you want the wedding of your dreams, but you also want your friends and family there, and that's very important. And so why I, I stress, you are not just telling them to come to your wedding, but they're experiencing a Sandals Resort vacation, right?

Because it goes over many days.

Exactly. And so maybe these people have never had that opportunity in the past And now it's an experience that they would always remember. They had that Sandals vacation. They had all the meals, all the activities, all the entertainment. They had the deluxe accommodation, and, and they will hopefully be coming back.

Well, and we did have a wedding. It was a couple years ago, and the wedding was in St. Lucia, and they stayed for the wedding in St. Lucia and then hopped on over to Barbados for their own vacation.

Oh, I love that.

Yeah. So you go somewhere—

so I mean, if you're gonna pay the airfare to get Barbados, St. Lucia, make the most of it. Do another 5 days.

I love that because honeymoon hopping is a thing.

Yes.

It is a thing. You can jump around between the islands in the Caribbean. You know, from Turks and Caicos over to Nassau is a 30-minute flight and an easy win. I did my daughter's wedding at Turks. I did her honeymoon at Nassau. They went, they got on and off the plane, you know, 15 minutes from either airport and the resort, easy. Now what I do on a regular basis for work is I jump between St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, Barbados, Grenada, all of these islands. They're very close and maybe 30-minute transfer on the airplane, so it's easy to do.

Super quick.

I would—

and we can help you with that. It's It's an island airline that we know, and we can help you do the airplane little puddle jumpers.

Yeah, so you spend time with relatives during the wedding, and then you can hop to any of the other Sandals Resorts for the honeymoon extra vacation.

Okay.

Muy bien.

All right, what if Steve and I just want to go get married?

I love that. So my very favorite package that we created is called the Two Lovebirds package, and it's an elopement package, and it's ideal. For $1,300, the couple gets all the key essentials. And I mean, you know, start with the included couples massage, right? How to unwind and relax before the wedding. Start with a couples massage, chill out, and just enjoy that first day. And then you have, you know, your wedding celebration that's going to give you a 24-stem rose bouquet. And of course, we provide a bridal attendant to assist with the bride getting dressed, 2 witnesses for your legal ceremony, the wedding celebration, your 24-stem rose bouquet and matching boutonniere, 2-tier white fondant wedding cake, and then a candlelight dinner. Like, how perfect, right? You have ceremony, you have cocktail hour where you know, you'll do the cake cutting, you'll do the symbolic things if you'd like, and you'll capture it. Everything will be on film. And then go and have that romantic candlelight dinner, just the two of you on the beach. That's, to me, the perfect way to begin, right? Intimate, elegant. And, and when it is just two people, we're talking one room, this is something that we can book closer in, right? It's It's an easy—

you're not worried about inventory. Exactly.

It's an easy thing to execute, but I always say give us at least 3 months so that we can make sure all of the, the finite details, like the officiant, is available at your selected date and time, you know.

Okay, so it can be legal, um, and you still have the residency requirements.

Yes, that's a very good—

we're going to talk about residency somewhere in here, but that's you have certain days that you need to be on site for it to be legal.

Yes, each island has its own laws.

Legality is the next topic.

There you go.

Okay, so the weddings are legal.

Yeah, they are. And I want people to understand that this is, you know, something to respect, that each of the islands in which we are located, they all have their rules and regulations. And, and yes, there is documentation documentation required for a legal wedding. Primarily, you're looking for a birth certificate, and all documents should always be notarized so that they, they have been, you know, vetted. And, and then if somebody's been married in the past, now we need a copy of a divorce decree or a death certificate, and again, notarized. So, you know, those are predominantly the pieces, unless of course there's been name change in the past, then, then that document as well. But usually couples need to be on the island at least 48 hours, and I say at the bare minimum because you never know, a flight delay could derail. So at least 48 hours, give yourself some breathing room. But some islands, you know, where they specify the residency period does not include your date of arrival, That does not include weekends or holidays, so we may be talking about 48 hours, but business days. So these are the things that we provide those answers when you let us know where and when you want to get married.

Okay, the idea of a destination wedding in some opinions puts the burden on the guests. Um, the cost. How affordable is it for friends and family if they're going—

yeah, and to a Destination Wedding, it's, it's important to recognize that there are different resorts that are at different price points, that there is different seasonality that brings the price down, that when you are traveling as a group with a contract that you're getting anywhere from 10 15% off per room. And, you know, all of that brings the average cost per head down. Now, if you're going to be at Beaches, you can put 4 people in a room, which is what we did. And so it again brings the per-person price down. So there are many ways to make it a very attractively priced, um, experience. But I highly recommend that, you know, you would you let the people know well in advance so that not only are they looking forward to it, but they can save up and budget for it.

Yeah, well, and I think something that people don't consider is that if I'm invited to a wedding in New York or California, it's still a destination. It cost me a lot of money. And to them, it's not a destination wedding, but for me, I have to fly out to California from Atlanta, I have to get a hotel, and honestly car. Yeah, and then you're paying for your meals, and then you're paying for the meals, and you're doing all this for a quick one-day event. And you know, when you do it as a destination wedding and you're attending, it's like, oh, I get to go to Barbados? Are you kidding me? Um, and it becomes— I don't want to say a vacation because, you know, you didn't choose the destination or anything like that, but it is more enjoyable and pleasant. And it's more bang for your buck.

And it is about the fun factor, and I don't want to misrepresent— listen, a wedding is a serious thing for a couple, but at the end of the day, it's a fun experience for everybody. We want everybody to have the time of their life. We want those memories to get them talking about it. Like, you know, I was so consumed with, you know, my daughter's wedding for a year, building it out, and worried that everything should go perfectly. And, you know, I heard so many people that said throughout, "This has been the best wedding I've ever been to." Yes. And that's all I needed, you know. It made me happy. But then when I heard my daughter say, "This has been the best week of my life," I was like, "Okay, my job is done," you know, because because you just want everybody to have a great time. And that reaffirmed it for me that when people are there, it's stress-free. What's not to be happy about, right?

Well, you're going to be packing your jacket and your tie anyway, but now you get to throw in your sandals and your swim trunks.

And frankly, you know, most of the time the guests are much more relaxed and lightweight clothing because you're on the beach, it's Caribbean, it's heat. So it seems to be a lighter mood. Exactly, exactly.

Yeah, everyone has something to do.

Yeah, you're not all wearing—

you're not all doing the same things.

Navy blue suits and, you know, long tight dresses. And you're, you're flowy and cottony.

And we just said, you know, Caribbean vibe, dress code Caribbean vibe, whatever, whatever makes you happy. And so it becomes very colorful. And great for photography.

Oh, that's true too.

Yeah, that's, you know, okay, back to the cards. Uh, we kind of touched on this too, but specifically, uh, we talked about what's included, um, and we talked about extras. Are there any extras that we didn't touch on? Catamaran perhaps?

Ah, let's talk about the excursions because I think that's a very important part of the overall experience for everybody, the togetherness Yes, you know, you are visiting an island that perhaps nobody's ever been to before. Why not go off property and have an experience that incorporates something local, that, that gives you a taste, a feel of the destination, that I'm not just in, in Georgia where we live, but, you know, I'm, I'm in the Caribbean. And so, for example, I might do an excursion in Jamaica that's climbing the Dunn's River Falls. And, and to me, there's nowhere else on the planet like that. And, and everybody's like a chain link, everybody's holding hands and they're climbing.

It's a bonding experience for all.

Yeah, yep. But you know, like you said, the catamaran is something that, that can work in almost every destination. And our partners Island Roots, they do a beautiful job because you, you can do the entire catamaran yourself, your group. You have food, you have drinks, so there's open bar, there's lots of food, music, music, the dancing vibe. They put down the, uh, the anchor and everybody's, you know, jumping off or, or snorkeling or swimming, and it's just a ton of fun. Yeah, so I, I highly recommend involving that excursion as a part of the overall itinerary.

Yeah, options.

Yeah, you get the whole group together, cuz normally you— cuz everything else at Sandals is included, so like all-inclusive closes. So you can do sailing, paddle boarding, but they're not like big group things. But if you wanted to do— you can do scuba diving, golf, things like that that are included. But yeah, for a big group, that's perfect.

Yeah, it's, it's an extra.

So, so all the Sandals Resorts, the nice thing is, is they're all these small, tiny boutique-type hotels. They're not like 20-story, right, high-rises across the highway from this stretch of beach. They're like— some of them I have walked out of my back porch and like 10 steps to the, to the water, right? So they're beautiful, tiny, quaint, like amazing little experiences.

Yeah.

Okay, um, minimum nights or minimum cost for a stay, is there such a thing?

So with us, we have a policy, 3-night minimum stay at any Sandals or Beaches resort. We have different room categories: our Luxury, our Club, and our Butler. So if in fact, if cost was important, that they were trying to minimize overall expense, my recommendation would be, okay, we can start you off slowly and introduce you to the brand. And I would suggest 3 nights at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort resort in Jamaica as an entry-level price point. And you, you certainly, you know, you can stay for, for 3 nights or longer in a luxury category knowing that you would spend maybe $3,500 for the two of you. So a room rate is based on two people sharing, and so it's all based double occupancy. And what does that get you? It gets both of you all your food, all your drinks, all your entertainment, all your activities, anytime snacks, and your transfers, tips, and your accommodation. Yeah, it makes sense when people fully understand what they're getting for the money.

One nice thing about Ochi is, uh, it's great for a, a beginning resort, but some people really want the butler. This is a great way to try a butler. Yeah, uh, cuz affordable and, you know, butlers. You can work that butler.

Lots of, lots of mongoose. The mongoose are adorable. Like, up on the hill there's always little mongoose that run around, like, in the evening. They're super cute. Okay, Speakeasy.

Yes.

Oh yeah, Speakeasy is so good.

And, and on the beach side, have you ever been to that beach club at like midnight? The music is thumping and everybody's dancing, and then you go swimming in the water, right? So you can find the party. Like, a lot of people think, oh, if it's all couples, everybody go to bed early. No, no, you can always find the party. But if you're looking for the peace and serenity and quiet, I can direct you there too. You know, every property has both. You just need to let people know what you want.

Right, I see. And how do I get my guests, my wedding guests, to commit?

Okay, so I really believe that one thing that can be done, and we talked briefly about, you know, gather everybody together, whether be in person or via Zoom, and you give everybody an overview. What is this? You know, where am I going? What will I be doing? Tell them because they don't know. You've said you're getting married at Sandals Ochi. Great.

What does that mean?

What is this? So you need to give them the lay of the land, and that's why I love working with travel advisors like yourselves, because you can deliver a comprehensive presentation to all the people and explain every single thing that will occur, and that they should not worry because you've got it all figured out. All they need to do is come up with the $400 deposit, and that's per room, so not per person. You know, when you think about that, if $400 is put down for that securing room, fantastic. When is final payment? 60 days before. Okay, and we're done.

Now, something to note, it doesn't have to be just the two payments, deposit and final. You can make incremental payments along the way if that helps you pay it and absorb the cost into your budget. So there, there are options that you can—

I think we even have a flex pay program now available for the rooms, and, um, and this is something you guys can set up on behalf of your clients. And, and so if you're giving people a year to a year and a half notice, it allows them to make those, those incremental payments without really breaking the bank.

Yeah.

Okay, um, this one's gonna be kind of fun. Okay, so ceremony locations. When, when I think about, uh, a beach wedding— yeah, I think of a beach wedding, or, you know, an island wedding, a destination wedding, let me say. So I'm thinking, okay, you're going to be on the beach. What other options are there?

Oh, listen, so many Brides have said to me over the lifetime, well, you know, I, I like to have the beach in the background, but I don't want to wear my heels in the sand. And I'm like, I, I wouldn't either, but we have options. So if you decided to have that beach wedding, then we, we do have like a boardwalk that we can place down, and then you would be marching down that aisle. However, in the instance of, of my daughter's wedding at Turks and Cacos, I said, I have the perfect location. And, and Schooners has that deck. And so in front of the restaurant is a beautiful patio area with room for, you know, 100 seats. And they have tiered steps where the bridal party comes down, and then just behind them, beach and beautiful blue water. So ideal for photographs. Now, most properties have some kind of vantage point, whether it be you're on greenery or you're on concrete, but the beach can be in the background. Mind you, you know, there are also people like me personally, I would always opt for a garden wedding because I like privacy. And if I'm back in the gardens, most people are out, you know, in the daylight having fun on the pool, at the pool, on the beach, what have you. 'But I'm going to be back in the gardens, very quiet, maybe have a violinist, you know, simple,' right? Now thinking that way, I do want to point out we have an abundance of gazebos based on the size of the group. We have overwater chapels, which are highly sought after, and those do come at an additional fee of $750. We have the—

'Droppin' the bucket when it comes to a wedding.' Oh yeah, that's the whole price for the venue.

That's crazy. That's crazy.

Over-the-water chapel.

Unbelievable. And how many can that hold?

Well, most— we have 6. Most of them average size 50, right? The largest one at Nassau is now 64. And so there's also one at Sandals St. Vincent, which is seating 46. So it's a nice size as well.

I like that one.

Yeah, we have videos on all those too. And then they've got the, the glass floor. Oh yeah, you can like see the fish, you can see the water. Yeah, they look amazing.

And, and it's like the bride's literally walking on water. You're moving along.

Okay, we kind of touched on this too, so we've been very thorough.

Good.

Well, we go on tangents, so that's great. Um, walk me through working with a Sandals wedding coordinator.

Okay, so, so it's nice because first off, um, Pixie has a travel advisor who's going to work with the clients and they're going to make the initial contact. They're going to pick up the phone and book that date and time and resort and room category, and then appointment would be scheduled between the planner and the clients. So what is suitable? We would ask, you know, what date and time would be convenient to schedule a a planning session. Would you like to have it in the evening, in the daytime? Um, you know, typically a planning session is, is going to be booked anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks from the time of booking. Okay, so planning sessions will occur every month, every other month, depending on how elaborate you would like to get with the design and decor of your wedding, right? The choices are so If I wanted to go nuts with, you know, floral, I would want different floral arrangements, and I would want different colors for my napkins and my tablecloths, and I might want a little more upgraded pieces. Exactly. Holy cow, you know, it depends on the person, right? So you could get very elaborate, and each and every call between the planner and the clients can be also attended by the wedding planner for— a part of me, travel advisor representing the clients if they wanted sort of an advocate or, or somebody that they could talk to about it afterwards.

I think it's good to be in the loop too.

I would be, yeah, yeah. And so, you know, it's just knowing that this is available to you. But the planners, you know, first of all, they're very well trained and, and they've been to the resorts and they know the product and they know this side of the business. This is all they do, and they've done specific wedding training too. Of course, with Wendy.

Yeah. So I guess the, the beginning or the stages are— so you work with the travel agent to start with, so you work with us over at Pixie Vacations. Then the planner is with Sandals or Beaches, and they're helping you through the stages to get on site.

Correct.

They pretty much have a checklist. Yeah, we have to go over this and this and this.

Yeah. And then when you get on site you have an on-site—

you have a meeting.

Yeah, coordinator who's like, knows the property, knows everything, knows yourself.

This is where you're going.

Yeah, they take you holding your hand to all that.

Yes. So it's all set up every, every step of the way. So they are going to review every detail but then also handle every event. So if I have a welcome cocktail party, there is my person overseeing all of it. And if I say, you know, I, I thought about it and I'd like to add some music, and if, if there's time, we're going to add that element, right? So you have those people there to execute every single aspect of all events throughout your wedding week. And, and that's where we shine, because our people are very well trained and they're experts on that resort and in managing the expectations of the guests. Because look, sometimes, you know, people are very anxious and they have, you know, a little bit more of an excitable personality, and our planners are very astute at managing that.

Questions?

So, oh, we're wrapping up. If you're interested in booking a wedding or honeymoon, so We come back to these videos all the time, so leave a comment in the video. I try to go in there all the time, even years later, and answer the comments. Um, and then I'll put a link to how to contact us over at Pixie Vacations, as well as our contact information. And I'll put links to like all the latest wedding packages and things like that. So again, have a fantastic vacation. Thank you.

Of course.

Thank you, Wendy. It's been at least 10 years, at least be at least another 10 more. Yeah, we'll still be doing—

you don't get to retire.

I, I love, I love working with you guys. I love what I do, and, and it's such a delight to be able to network with the brides and grooms. So, you know, if you actually see me on property, come up and say hello.