GRAB GELATO & GO

On 1.7.23, I married my best friend. Andrew is the man of my dreams, so it was only fitting to have a wedding of our dreams. A breathtaking destination that doesn’t require a passport? Say less.

I only spent 6 months planning this wedding, which is unheard of in the wedding world. This was truly a full time job. On top of that, we planned it during hurricane season, so hearing back from the locals was almost impossible from September-November. The USVI required me to hire a wedding planner, otherwise I would never have had one. I told her everything I wanted, from the restaurant I wanted to cater the reception to the exact bouquets, and she made it happen. We planned the most unforgettable weekend for our wedding. I like to think the island gifted us beautiful weather (including rainbows) and luck for our special days.

Day 1 (1.5.23): Arrive in St. Thomas. Taxi to Red Hook and ferry to St. John. Welcome party at Beach Bar.

Day 2 (1.6.23): Underwater shoot with our videographer. Beach day at Maho Bay with wedding guests. Wedding rehearsal at the church. Sunset sail.

Day 3 (1.7.23): Wedding day! Ceremony at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Church. Cocktail hour on Trunk Bay. Reception at Drink.

Day 4 (1.8.23): Brunch and beach day at Hawksnest Beach. Sunset at Windmill Bar. Goodbyes to guests.

Day 5 (1.9.23): Start of our Honeymoon! Lovango Resort.

Day 6 (1.10.23): Trunk Bay Beach Day. Dinner at Morgans Mango.

Day 7 (1.11.23): Sail to Jost Van Dyke, BVI.

Day 8 (1.12.23): Flight back home. Start the rest of our married life together.

Ceremony: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Priest: Anthony Abraham

Cocktail Hour: Trunk Bay. Open air taxi to and from: Starfish Tours

Reception: Dr!nk; Dinner: Greengos Mexican Cantina

Photographer: Brooke Heikkila

Videographer: Sina Films

Wedding Planner: Island Bliss Weddings

Hair/Makeup: Sugar and Spice Salon

Sunset Sail: Kekoa Sailing

Brunch: Hawksnest Beach, Catered by Sam and Jacks

Getting ready Villa: Grande Bay Resort

TLDR: The above itinerary worked well for our wedding group of 30. Guests stayed in Cruz Bay so it was easy to grab taxis (next to the ferry dock) and we could all be close. Everyone was responsible for their own taxi/transportation except for the wedding day. I would not recommend Drink if you have more than 40 guests due to the size, but it was an amazing venue for our group. I would not change a thing with the itinerary. No one needed a passport, but got to experience the most beautiful beaches. No issues. The weather was perfect. It will always rain- but for usually no more than 15 minutes. And you get beautiful rainbows after. As long as you don’t plan your wedding during hurricane season, don’t worry about the rain! Don’t just day dream- make it happen. St. John is the place to do it. Bring cash for taxis and budget about $8 per person each way from Cruz Bay to the beaches. If you want ideas for bridesmaid gifts for your destination wedding, check out my other blog.

Day 1: Welcome to Paradise

Andrew and I had an early flight and slept for 2 hours (maybe) before leaving for the airport. This is no time to forget anything. Our connecting flight joined us with half of the wedding, so the plane was full of familiar faces. We all arrived at the tiny, full of character, St. Thomas airport with rum shots waiting for us. To our left, friends were waving us down. Taxis are lined up to take vacationers to Red Hook to catch the ferry. Andrew and I had a private driver through our wedding planner, so we said goodbye to our guests as they hopped in a separate taxi.

The taxi ride is a full 30-40 minutes full of hills, beautiful views, stories about the islands from our driver, and anticipation as to what’s to come. The ferry is unloading passengers as we arrive, so we buy our tickets and head on. Of course there is a bar at the dock if you need a painkiller!

Even more beautiful than the taxi ride, the ferry is 360 ocean views, showing BVI in the distance, and even Epstein’s island if you look close enough (a story from the taxi driver). Approaching St. John, we spot our Grande Bay Villa, our reception venue called Drink, and other familiar shops along Cruz Bay.

First stop is checking out the beautiful ocean front villa and unpacking, making sure we have everything for the wedding. We forgot that there was an hour difference between the USVI and Pennsylvania, which is insignificant to us, as we are on vacation! My family, my fiancé and our friends, and my soon to be family, all get ready for the optional Beach Bar Welcome Event. Not everyone has arrived yet, but we wanted to spend as much time with guests as possible.

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Beach Bar– the famous beach front drunken spot in Cruz Bay. I saw some of my friends and family for the first time on the island here. We had dinner (I tried raw tuna for the first time ever) and of course, painkillers, rum punch, you name it.

My brother was 19 for my wedding, which is legal to drink in the VI! We cheers to that.

The bar had a back room that we took over, so it felt like I arranged it to be a private event and worked perfectly. We could stand, dance, sit, eat, drink, all the things in this private area. I was able to sit at a table with my parents, sister, brother, BIL and his family, and a few of my friends. The bridal party took shots together, which is the start to a perfect weekend!

After, we checked out the reception venue, Drink, for the first time. Our villa was visible from Drink and we could crawl back if we needed to. So a perfect way to end the night.

Day 2: Beach & Sunset Sail

Andrew and I got up at sunrise to meet our videographer at Cinnamon Bay for an underwater video shoot. This was an al a cart option with him, and we figured there would never be another time we’d have this opportunity. We were running late, so we RAN to meet him by the taxis. My hair was still wet from my shower, but the open air taxi would dry it, right? We had a blast filming and loved having the beach to ourselves. We grabbed a taxi to Maho Bay and met our friends and family for a beach day.

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Maho Bay was a great choice for our day since they have food, drinks, floaty rentals, and bathrooms. Plus, the water is gorgeous. My bridesmaids laid on their custom made beach towels that I got them as a gift, and we all gathered like old friends, despite some of them never meeting. What a blast- having 2 families and friends all merge so well. Our time was cut short on Maho since we had to get ready for the rehearsal and sunset sail.

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Everyone looked beautiful for the rehearsal. I met the day of coordinator for the first time, and it didn’t seem like there were many church weddings on the islands. They figure, why not on the beach? Andrew and I try to prioritize God in our lives, and every other event was beach front. It ended up being perfect since it rained during our ceremony, and we were inside. We had our first glimpses of standing at the alter, dedicating our lives to each other this night. Can’t say I wasn’t nervous, or maybe it was just from the beers from Maho?

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I chose Kekoa for our Sunset Sail. I agonized over which company to go through, and I think I made the right decision. They were great to work with. There were amazing drinks and some food. This was in place of the rehearsal dinner, so I hoped for food, but I ended up not eating anything but a couple grapes because I was having so much fun. We were hulu hooping, dancing, and taking beautiful pictures. Andrew and I even shot a cannon upon arrival back to Cruz Bay and got to keep the shell.

Day 3: The Wedding Day

I wake up at 3 am. I forgot to write my letters to my soon to husband, all my bridesmaids, and my parents. I write them, emotionally because it was my wedding day and I was delirious at this hour. A couple hours later, I wake up and have an almost normal morning.

The hair and makeup women (Sugar and Spice Salon) arrived earlier than they told me they would. I can’t say I recommend booking them. My brother was still asleep on the pull out couch (near where they would be working.) We cleaned up quickly while they waited in the hall. My sister was the first to have her makeup done, and one of my bridesmaids started with hair. It was 9 am at this point. We had a beautiful view of the ocean and were gifted a rainbow this morning. We were full of laughs, singing to great playlists, and reminiscing. When we were all finished, we took pictures on the balcony–turned out to be some of my favorite pictures from the day.

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Andrew was at a different villa nearby with his groomsmen. I don’t know when they started getting ready, but I’m sure it was hours later.

The photographer started with the men and worked her way over to the bride.

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We left shortly after to walk to the church, which was only about a 3 minute walk, and half of it was along the water. The photographer had an idea for my dad and me to hold hands and walk together to the church. This is what they do it New Orleans- walk hand in hand (bride and dad) to the church in the street. I loved this idea.

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In the church, I saw Andrew had his back to the entrance so he couldn’t see me enter. I saw the groomsmen laughing, patting the groom on the back, and having fun. My bridesmaids and my parents went upstairs with me to wait, but we did have a view of down below so we could still watch what was happening with the guys. I found out after that it was the priest who wanted Andrew’s back to the entrance and could only turn around once I was walking down the aisle. I liked that idea.

As I walk down the aisle, I see my soon to be husband with tears in his eyes. This is a moment that girls dream of, hoping their groom is emotional and ready for a lifetime together. He was all of it. I see my whole life ahead of me with him. I hug my dad and he tells me I have a good one here. I take my grooms hand and he spins me around the chairs we have in front of the alter.

I don’t remember much from the ceremony except for my grooms face looking at me with love. We prayed, and said our vows with total commitment. And then we kissed.

We walked down the aisle together and went up the stairs for some privacy as our first moments as man and wife.

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I hired a local musician to play both the piano and the steel drums for the ceremony. My bridesmaids walked down the aisle to Can’t Help Falling in Love on the piano, but had the steel drums for the exit and signing of the documents (I told him to play whatever). I loved it. (P.S. our MOH and BM signed the documents during the ceremony. I have never seen this happen at other weddings, but it is what they do in the VI!)

We had only met the priest the night before, but he made the ceremony feel so personable and had everyone from our bridal party and our parents give us a piece of advice.

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Our ceremony ended way earlier than we expected, so my husband and I walked around Cruz Bay with our photographer and videographer for pictures. Beautiful.

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When it started to rain, we ran inside. It was about time for our open air taxis to pick us up at the church and take us to Trunk Bay for cocktail hour and pictures.

The wedding planner set up cocktail hour exactly how I described. There was a steel pan, a cooler of beers, snacks I ordered off amazon, chairs, and pillows and blankets to sit on. We got right to pictures, but guests got to relax and enjoy the music and sunset. By the end of the hour, all the snacks were gone and 2 beers remained. Back on the open air taxi to our reception venue, Drink.

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Drink was an open air bar along the water. I had a taco bar catered by Greengos and dessert catered by Sam and Jacks. It was delicious and beautiful.

We had the groomsmen and our fathers change into Hawaiian style shirts for the reception. The shirts were gifts from Andrew to the guys.

When we arrived to Drink, it was still light enough out to see the water. As the night went on, it did get dark, especially in the pictures. However, we could hear the water and smelled the fresh Caribbean smells.

The bridal party did their hilarious entrances, then we had our first dance to “I Do” by Alan Jackson. Our first dance was something I have looked forward to my whole life. It was just my husband and me together. When I look back at all of the pictures, all eyes were on us, but I didn’t know that at the time.

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The bridal party dance was one of my highlights, as we danced to my sister’s wedding son, Amazed. My father gave his speech with pictures of me as a baby and dancing, then my sister (matron of honor), then my brother in law (the best man), and then the groom’s father for a prayer before we eat. (Greengos catered a taco bar with chicken and shrimp!)

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A few minutes I waited for my whole life for was when I danced with my dad to And Then They Do. Instant tears.

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My sister gave her MOH speech; Matt gave his best man speech; my dad gave his speech; my new FIL prayed before our taco bar dinner.

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And we danced the night away with extravagant drinks, including bushwackers with writing on the top and lavender lemonade. The bartenders let me pop a bottle of champagne and drink it at the end of the reception!

Day 4: Brunch & Windmill Bar

Andrew and I wake up in our private villa excited to be married. But, we’ve got things to do! We wake up way earlier than we wanted to and grabbed a taxi to Hawksnest Beach. We needed to be the first ones there to set up our morning after brunch. We had it delivered from Sam and Jacks and rented a beach front pavilion through the National Park.

Our brunch was a feast. It consisted of Sam and Jacks Brunch Package: Fresh Fruit Platter; Wild Mushroom & Swiss cheese Quiche; Baked Brie With Strawberry Compote; Home Fries with Peppers, Onions, & Chipotle Ketchup; Assorted Jams, Jellies, Cream Cheese, Butter, and Peanut Butter; Assorted Fresh Baked Blueberry Muffins, Pastries, Croissants, & Toasted Bagels. We grabbed some lemonade and water separate from the catering menu and brought our own plates and utensils. It was delicious. This was a highlight of the trip for me.

We claimed our spots on the beach and had a full beach day with a lot of food to spare.

This was the end of events that I planned for guests.

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My husband, my family, and some of our friends went to Windmill Bar for dinner and drinks to watch the sunset. The view was gorgeous! It was packed so I would recommend arriving early. We lucked out and grabbed picnic tables in the grass that were large enough to fit our group.

Day 5: HONEYMOON: Lovango

My husband and I reserved beach chairs on Lovango Resort. I wasn’t sure how much I would like this resort, but we booked it for the day and for dinner, so we were going to find out. They have a boat that picks you up by the Visitors Center. Beautiful ride!

I was truly impressed by this resort. We felt like we were the only ones on the island. We had a server bring us drinks (after our complimentary rum punch) right to our beach chairs. These chairs were waterfront, but not “beach” front. After a couple drinks, we hiked over to the beach, which gave us a workout in our flip flops. It was hilly and gave beautiful views! We were the only ones on this rocky beach. I wouldn’t recommend going for the beach, because the water was a lot rougher than others and there wasn’t much sand, but it was a nice addition to the experience.

Day 6: Honeymoon: Trunk Bay Beach Day

Andrew and I decided to have a beach day in the exact spot we had our cocktail hour. Our feet were touching the same sand we felt during our wedding pictures! We love it there. Trunk is great because they have food, drinks, bathrooms, and a snorkeling trail. Our first round included pina coladas. Our second was a bucket of local beers. Then off to snorkel and spend some time in the warm water.

Dinner was at Morgans Mango, one of the highly recommended restaurants in Cruz Bay. Make sure you have reservations-they are always busy! We needed a break from alcohol so we ordered our favorite…Diet Coke. We slipped our coke with an appetizer called ceviche. I ate vegetable paella and Andrew had seafood paella for dinner. It was good, but I am not sure I would say it’s the best on the island.

Day 7: Honeymoon: Jost Van Dyke, BVI

We booked an excursion to Jost Van Dyke for the day. The boat ride was early in the morning and included breakfast and an open bar. My biggest tip- become friends with the bartenders. They’ll make sure you get your moneys worth.

We docked in Jost Van Dyke after about an hour ride and after customs. We grabbed ourselves a drink from Soggy Dollar, I ordered a lavender lemonade, and I throw my stuff down on orange chairs to go swimming. The water is warm and you’re surrounded with boats. It’s not a very large beach, but there is enough to do for the day. The sun was shining and it was so beautiful. I didn’t want to leave.

Amanda Aumen