We went to see the church on Wednesday, so we knew what to expect with regard to the church, but we didn’t get to meet the priest, so we were excited to meet Father Reggie. We all grabbed couple of taxis (note: their definition of what size cars would fit 14 people is slightly different from what was comfortable for us) and took the twenty-minute ride to the church.

The church was locked when we got there, so I walked around the back. A gentleman dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with huge smile on his face came up to me and extended his hand. I introduced myself and he said “I’m Father Reggie.” He didn’t look like any priest I have ever worked with, but he was absolutely delightful! He ran to his office, changed into some pants (kept the t-shirt) and the rehearsal began.

The rehearsal went really well. Father Reggie introduced us to a few new traditions which Andrea and John happily kept in the ceremony (more on that in the wedding day post).

After the rehearsal, we squeezed back into the taxi and drove back to the hotel. When we arrived, the buses to the rehearsal dinner were waiting for us. Our drivers, David and Smitty were so friendly and excited to see us. Below are Andrea and John in front of the bus.

Note: The hospitality here in Freeport has been incredible. The hotel staff always calls us by name, Father Reggie was so friendly and outgoing, the drivers were warm and outgoing and the staff at the Junkanoo Beach Club (who you will see below) were so hospitable. Everyone who we have been in contact with has been overwhelmingly helpful and friendly. It is a perfect atmosphere for a destination wedding.

We all jumped on the bus and drove to the Junkanoo Beach Club. One of the club’s staff was waiting for us at the entrance to welcome everyone. The venue was beautiful and the sunset over the beach was gorgeous. The food was fantastic. John and Andrea both commented that is was way beyond their expectations. The group ate, drank and socialized for hours. Then it was back to the hotel where some went to rest up for tomorrow and others went to the casino across the street.

If you have any questions regarding a destination wedding, or anything wedding-related, please post here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your Partner in Perfect Planning,

Susan

Yesterday was a very busy day. We met Andrea and John at 9:30 a.m. to take a ride to the Registrar’s office to obtain their official marriage license. Here they are in front of the Registrar’s office.

My contact at Pelican Bay arranged for a notary to meet us there, so the process was very quick and smooth. Below are Andrea and John with the notary signing the register then signing the license.

Destination Wedding Tip: It was very useful having someone familiar with the policies for getting a marriage license here in the Bahamas. It relieved a lot of stress and uncertainty. If you happen to be getting married in the Bahamas, you will need to have your divorce decree, passport, an additional form of id and you will need to be on the island for at least twenty-four hours before you can apply for your license. Andrea and John wanted to be married in the Catholic Church, so they also needed papers filled out from their home church and sent to the priest here in Freeport. I suggest researching the marriage license process well in advance of your wedding date if you are getting married internationally.

Tomorrow I will post the photos and information from the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Both were great fun!

If you have questions about a destination wedding or anything wedding related, please post it here, or email me directly at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your Partner in Perfect Planning,

Susan

I am taking a short break from the budget discussion to write about my wedding this week. As I prevously mentioned, I am in the Bahamas with my couple, Andrea and John. Everything has been fantastic. Here they are with their welcome baskets.

Andrea and John purchased beach bags and filled them with sunscreen, beach towels, water and a weekend agenda – all the essentials for fun on the beach.

Destination wedding tip: The couple brought the beach bags and their contents disassembled. This made it easier to carry. They also distributed the contents amongst friends who were flying with them so they weren’t charged for checking the extra baggage. They purchased the bottled water once they got to the Bahamas. If you are going to carry welcome gifts to your destination, make sure to check your airline’s policies for checking baggage. You may have to pay a hefty fee.

Once we delivered the bags to the front desk, we did a walk through of the reception site. Below is a “before” photo. I will share pictures of the area once it is setup tomorrow.

Then we went to look at the church.

Overall, Andrea and John were quite happy. Andrea even commented that the church was better than they had expected.

Now all their guests are here at the hotel. They enjoyed a fish fry on the beach on Wednesday night and a pub crawl last night. This morning we went to the registrar to notarize the license. (I will share photos from that adventure tomorrow.)Later we have the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. It is gorgeous outside and there is no rain in sight, so all is well.

If you would like more information on planning a destination wedding, check out this article on perfectweddingguide.com. If you would like to ask a question about destination weddings or anything related to planning your wedding, please post here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your Partner in Perfect Planning,

Susan