The Most Magical Wedding in St. Thomas

The imposing sun was beating down on my face. A bead of sweat started to roll down my back…

…slowly…

…purposefully.

It paused at the small of my back, and before it could decide to continue falling, I shifted quietly in my chair, smothering it. Nothing was going to distract me from this moment: not the intense heat and sweat, not the iguanas slowly creeping closer to my bare feet, nor the kids cannon-balling off of the waterfall into the pool. “Ich lass für dich das Licht an” by Revolverheld began to play and my eyes were fixated on the most magical wedding in St. Thomas.

2 years ago I was in Southern Germany about to tour one of Crazy King Ludwig II’s castles, Neuschwanstein. Before our tour started, my friends Kevin and Megan and I raced up to Marienbrucke (Queen Mary’s Bridge), which flies high over the Pollät gorge and offers unobscured views of the Neuschwanstein Castle. The morning mist created an ethereal atmosphere. It was the perfect setting for my friends to get engaged.

I was so glad to witness/record this romantic moment. I may or may not have started singing a Disney song…

Fast-forward 22 months to a villa on a mountaintop of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Alison, my new friend who I had met only days prior, and I were struggling against the heat to get ready. For the first time since arriving, we were actually trying to blow-dry our hair and attempting to straighten it. After a few attempts, we concluded that we were at least presentable and headed down to the venue, The Sugar Bay Resort.

All smiles and sweat on the resort shuttle…which had no doors!

We pulled up to the first all-inclusive that I’d ever been in before. I mean, I’d seen them on TV and in movies (most recently in “Blended”), but that doesn’t count. We assembled with the rest of the wedding party and migrated down to the actual spot of the wedding…which happened to be a private beach just past the pools.

The bride and groom had requested that no photos be taken of them by the guests. Sounds crazy, but it was actually a brilliant move and I am so happy they actually came out and said it. It’s simple: the couple hired a photographer. He was going to be running around getting shots of everything while we were free to focus on the ceremony, without worrying if our lenses were smudged, or if the low-quality phone pictures were out of focus.

We were free to actually “be” at the wedding and enjoy the moment. Even though the sun was burning up, the sand felt like fire, and losing 5 pounds of sweat, I had chills running down my spine when I saw Megan walk down the aisle. Tears, even. I will never forget it. Simply mesmerizing.

You can’t really tell, but I’m standing in ankle-deep water…it’s so clear!!

Side note: I was honored to be an official witness to the wedding. Megan and Kevin were so sweet: since I had been a witness to their engagement, they thought it would be perfect if I signed their marriage license as an official witness, almost like I was bookending their engagement. Honestly, it has been one of the highlights of my life.

After the wedding, we headed back up to the resort main lobby and onto a private patio. Seriously, it was like we were royalty. There was a steel drum trio setting the scene with enchanting melodies; there were delightful place-settings for those of us who were giddy with the heat, the cutest guestbook (a map to sign our names where we met the couple…GERMANY!), and a killer view.

I thought about brightening up the picture (above), but I just love the colors of the water behind me! No editing has been done, believe it or not!

When it came around to the toasts, I started to worry a bit. I wanted so badly to participate in the traditional raising-of-the-glass to the new couple, but I am a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and don’t drink. Stroke of genius: I quickly asked for a glass of sparkling water. Sweet!

Another win: the bar was stocked with Pepsi!

Remember how I said that we were treated like royalty? The bride and groom are some of THE most giving and truly genuine people I know. They announced that since we all had traveled so far to be a part of their day, they charted a private boat for a few hours to cruise between the islands. Oh. My. HEAVENS! This is what people do in the movies, no?

Okay, so I need you to think back to the last couple of wedding/receptions that you’ve been to. How many times did you interact with the bride or groom? Probably once in the dreaded, traditional “receiving line,” maybe once more if they made it to your table after. OR maybe there was a 3rd time if you caught the garter or bouquet? You considered yourself lucky.

Lounging on a boat in the Caribbean sunset, complete with drinks (Coca-Cola this time), snacks, unbelievable music, and the occasional sea turtle, was an extraordinary experience. Here I was, surrounded by new friends and family, the smell of the sea, actually able to talk to my friends who just got married. I’ll let the pictures do the rest.

My hair was a mess, knotted to the point that a brush couldn’t run through. I had sweat for 12 hours straight. My feet were burnt and barking. I had spilled a Coke and my hands were sticky. Even after all this, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to experience the wedding and meet so many wonderful people.