‘Rum Away with Us’ to Sandals Royal
Barbados
Jennifer &
Greggory
Jennifer and Greggory pop up on my screen, radiating in that way newlyweds always seem to. That ethereal, cliché “honeymoon glow” bouncing off their tans as they smile while reflecting on the series of events that brought them to the Caribbean on the biggest day of their lives.
My pre-interview notes give me the basics: a couple from Jacksonville, Florida, a big wedding party with friends and family, a week in Barbados followed by a honeymoon in Saint Lucia.
But within minutes of talking, the outline begins to fill in with the surreal beauty of their week. It was one of overflowing love, adventure, and island ease capped by an intimate, sun-soaked honeymoon. I start the interview with the obvious: why Sandals? There are a million wedding venues in the world, so why here?
- “I’ve always associated romance and vacation with the sea,
and my parents always came back from Sandals so relaxed.
I wanted that same feeling — just in white.”
- The answer comes easy. Jennifer’s parents are Sandals regulars; she grew up hearing stories about turquoise water, delicious food, scuba dives, and the peculiar joy of doing nothing at all on the world’s prettiest beaches. “When it came time for our wedding, it just felt obvious,” she says. “I’ve always associated romance and vacation with the sea, and my parents always came back from Sandals so relaxed. I wanted that same feeling — just in white.”
- Greggory’s take is more pragmatic. “We looked at the price at the end and it made complete sense,” he says. “Once you add up all the costs of what it would take to get married back home, Sandals just works out better. And our guests get a complete vacation out of it.”
- Here’s where it gets funny. Turns out one of my childhood friends had attended their wedding and I’d already seen snippets of it through her Instagram stories. There were lots of tropical colors, crisp suits, coral dresses, everyone sun-kissed and laughing. It’s a strange, full-circle moment now, seeing the couple from those clips sitting in front of me, still glowing.
- When we start talking about the actual wedding and the preparation process that went into it, Jennifer starts laughing at herself. “Okay, so,” she says. “I had a forty-five page plan of how I wanted the ceremony to go. I gave copies of it to everyone involved in the wedding process.”
- She’s not exaggerating. This comprehensive, time-stamped document detailing the logistics of her perfect wedding had everything — florals, seating charts, backup plans.
- The Sandals wedding planners read every word and then, somehow, made her stop worrying. “It was the strangest thing,” she says. “I’m the planner in every situation, but at Sandals, I didn’t have to be. They already knew.” Copies of the wedding-day game plan were handed out to all team members involved in the execution of the celebration, and they took care of it down to the smallest details. Planning a wedding is no easy feat. The amount of logistics, details, and last-minute decisions all add up, unfortunately, meaning that most of that stress falls on the bride and groom. But the combination of Jennifer and Greggory’s planning mixed with the Sandals wedding team’s experience meant that everything was executed to the minutest detail with no stress on the wedding party.
- After smooth arrivals on the island of Barbados and a short private transfer to the resort, guests checked into their suites to drop off their luggage, grab a quick bite, or order in-room dining as they got ready for the first event of the wedding weekend. A tiki-lit welcome party on the beach featured steel drums, a fire-eater, a beer canoe (yes, a literal canoe filled with beer, Greggory confirms) and nearly eighty guests who quickly realized this wasn’t going to be an ordinary wedding. “We wanted everyone to have fun,” Greggory says. “That first night set the tone.” After the welcome party, everyone slipped into smooth island time. All that was left was to organize outfits, finalize a few plans if needed, and let Jennifer and Greggory’s celebration unfold exactly as they had dreamed.
- Guests were immediately impressed by their suites — perfectly clean, spacious, and awash in island hues that blended seamlessly with the tropical backdrop. The resort’s design made it easy for everyone to connect. Everything was close enough to feel together, yet private enough for guests to enjoy their own slice of vacation all while being part of Jennifer and Greggory’s love story.
During the day before the welcome dinner, guests were free to do whatever they wanted. New family and friends got together by the pool, some slept in, others were relaxing on the beach or playing a pickup game of pickleball. Since everyone was in the same place, groups came together and dissolved naturally, without any extra planning needed by the couple. The next evening slowed everything down: an elegant plated rehearsal dinner with acoustic guitar, candlelight, and personalized turtle-shaped place settings — an inside nod to the couple’s shared love of the ocean. I can almost hear the forks clinking, expectant laughter, guests already showing off fresh tans from a day in the sun.
By the time the big day arrived, every detail had fallen into place. The flower-covered altar and seating were prepared, vows rehearsed and perfected, the coral and linen palette mirrored the island sunset, and a violinist covered some of Jennifer and Greggory’s favorite songs. “It was like they’d stepped inside my Pinterest board,” Jennifer says. “Except better — because this one came with a rum bar.”
- March 1, 2025. The date is printed in gold on their invitations, but when Jennifer tells it now, it’s more of a moment than a schedule. “The light that morning,” she says, pausing, “it didn’t even look real.” The island seemed to wake up perfectly on cue. The sea went glass-still, the air shimmered with violin notes, and the breeze lifted her veil just enough for the cameras. “People kept asking how I was so calm,” she laughs. “It’s hard to stress when you’re surrounded by turquoise water and everyone keeps bringing you mimosas.”
The ceremony played out in soft, cinematic rhythm — the waves syncing with vows, seventy-five guests holding their breath in unison. When they kissed, the applause rolled like thunder, tears like summer rain.
- “Our butlers had this perfect timing. You’d think about wanting something, and five seconds later, it was there.”
- Then came another crescendo: cocktail hour on the Sky Terrace with a saxophonist and seafood bar, dinner under a clear-top tent, and a reception that turned into an island festival. Fire dancers, a rum bar, sparkler fountain timed to the first-dance dip, which they rehearsed with the team beforehand. After speeches from Jennifer’s dad, her maid of honor, and Greggory’s best man, the tone was set for a night of fun, bottomless drinks, and the whole resort to enjoy. Tears were wiped aside, and the dance floor was ready for a party beneath the island moon.
By the time they start talking about the morning after a night full of celebrating with their wedding party, I can almost hear the waves behind them through the screen. “It was so quiet,” she says. “Like the island knew we needed a soft landing after the big day.”
They woke to sunlight spilling through the curtains of their Skypool Suite — coffee waiting, breakfast floating toward them on a heart-shaped tray. Their butlers, experts in polite invisibility, appeared only when needed. “Our butlers had this perfect timing,” Greggory says. “You’d think about wanting something, and five seconds later, it was there.”
The next few days of unwinding after the official ceremony looked like scenes from a travel postcard: in-suite breakfasts, swimming and floating in their balcony pool, and the complete disappearance of time. “I remember thinking, this is what calm actually feels like,” Jennifer says.
- Then came part two — a jet set to the Sandals Resorts collection in Saint Lucia for their honeymoon, an easy handoff from one paradise to another. They split their honeymoon between Sandals Regency La Toc and Sandals Halcyon Beach, two resorts they describe like siblings with different moods. “La Toc was all drama and cliffs,” Jennifer says. “Halcyon was whisper-quiet and peaceful.” Somewhere in between, there was a private speedboat picnic and a green monkey making an appearance during a massage that, frankly, sounds scripted.
The island of Barbados, where the couple hosted their wedding, is world-renowned for its long, level stretches of sand and sea, setting the scene for a picture-perfect island escape. Just to the east, Saint Lucia offers a dramatically lush landscape, overflowing with jungle interiors and its signature twin Piton peaks rising above the water, ripe for adventure. Despite their geographic separation, Barbados and Saint Lucia share a distinctly Caribbean warmth and a similar approach to hospitality: attention to detail, easygoing in spirit, and defined by the suspension of stress that makes island life famous.
Away from family and friends, on their own personal escape, Jennifer and Greggory let the serene Caribbean sun set the pace. After years of planning for the big day, they finally took a well-earned honeymoon break in the islands, just them two. And like that, the wedding came and went, leaving them free to share memories in peace while enjoying the all-inclusive lifestyle they sunk into in Barbados, friends and family sending envious texts wishing they were still on the islands with them.
Waking up with the rising sun, they’d scroll through their camera rolls and relive every micro-moment from their wedding, step out for a dip in the sea, send thank-you texts, and share memories with family back home. All while the pampering continued. Their Butler Suite in Saint Lucia took care of every need and craving, ensuring their fairytale kept writing itself — right there in the sand.
Without family and friends around, Jennifer and Greggory were completely free to focus on their own schedules, which did include catching up on well-earned rest. Afterwards, they reconnected with couples massages, an off-resort speed-boat excursion, and lots of tanning under the sun.
I asked them what it was like to come back home to their normal routine after being in an all-inclusive paradise for nearly two weeks; getting back to chores, dishes, alarm clocks, places to be, no more butler team bringing them their favorite drinks, cleaning the room, and anticipating their every want and need. The answer? Rough. “We were driving at sunrise a week later,” Greggory says, “and I told Jennifer, I’d trade anything to be back on that island.”
When I asked if they would change anything, the answer was simple, “to slow down and enjoy it as much as possible.” Their advice for couples planning a destination wedding in the islands? Start early. Give guests at least a year to secure flights and take care of passports.
Do your own research so you know the type of look and feel you want, then share that vision clearly with your wedding planning team. And most importantly? Let go and relax. They’ll bring your vision to life to the smallest detail.
Just like that, the couple who met by chance at the University of Alabama during a late-night outing forever tied their futures beside the sea — and now have the photos, memories, and keepsakes to prove it. The friends and family who supported them every step of the way were there not only to witness it, but to enjoy a true vacation of their own. They laugh while recounting one moment in particular: spotting a relative at the Loyalty and Travel desk — mid-stay — trying to extend his trip before it even ended. “He didn’t want to leave,” they say, still laughing.
Hearing them tell it, I realize their story isn’t really about logistics or decor. It’s about that rare, steady feeling of being looked after on the most important day in a couple’s life. Sandals gave them just that, and helped turn their wedding into a memory that lives forever.
Without family and friends around, Jennifer and Greggory were completely free to focus on their own schedules, which did include catching up on well-earned rest. Afterwards, they reconnected with couples massages, an off-resort speed-boat excursion, and lots of tanning under the sun.
I asked them what it was like to come back home to their normal routine after being in an all-inclusive paradise for nearly two weeks; getting back to chores, dishes, alarm clocks, places to be, no more butler team bringing them their favorite drinks, cleaning the room, and anticipating their every want and need. The answer? Rough. “We were driving at sunrise a week later,” Greggory says, “and I told Jennifer, I’d trade anything to be back on that island.”
When I asked if they would change anything, the answer was simple, “to slow down and enjoy it as much as possible.” Their advice for couples planning a destination wedding in the islands? Start early. Give guests at least a year to secure flights and take care of passports.
Do your own research so you know the type of look and feel you want, then share that vision clearly with your wedding planning team. And most importantly? Let go and relax. They’ll bring your vision to life to the smallest detail.
Just like that, the couple who met by chance at the University of Alabama during a late-night outing forever tied their futures beside the sea — and now have the photos, memories, and keepsakes to prove it. The friends and family who supported them every step of the way were there not only to witness it, but to enjoy a true vacation of their own. They laugh while recounting one moment in particular: spotting a relative at the Loyalty and Travel desk — mid-stay — trying to extend his trip before it even ended. “He didn’t want to leave,” they say, still laughing.
Hearing them tell it, I realize their story isn’t really about logistics or decor. It’s about that rare, steady feeling of being looked after on the most important day in a couple’s life. Sandals gave them just that, and helped turn their wedding into a memory that lives forever.
