5 days ago
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From a Little Joke to a Dream Wedding in Jamaica
This wedding story started as a little joke between Kirsten and Connor.
Imagine us. Getting married on a Caribbean island at Sandals. Haha. Yeah, right.
“We still laugh whenever we talk about how this all happened,” Kirsten says.
In front of her is a wedding box. She has a hard time believing this is her wedding box. In it are mementos, little reminders this is no joke. She and Connor really were married at Sandals Ochi in Jamaica, along the world’s most beautiful ocean with the world’s friendliest people.
Kirsten closes her eyes.
The Magic of Sandals Ochi and Jamaica’s Warmth
“I think of our wedding and it’s impossible not to be happy. We’re back in Jamaica with the smiles, the joy, and the most comforting voices we’ve ever heard. We just never expected any of it. Us?”
Photograph by Jessi Casara Photography at Sandals Ochi.
They never expected to be married in an overwater chapel. They never expected a destination wedding to be so easy and affordable. And they certainly never expected it to turn into a two-week Caribbean celebration.
“As a type-A person, you strive to make the perfect wedding happen,” Kirsten says, “but the truth is, you can’t make it happen. It either happens or it doesn’t. Ours happened.”
Photograph by Jessi Casara at Sandals Ochi.
Breaking Tradition: From Alabama to the Caribbean
For most of her life, Kirsten envisioned a wedding near her home in Alabama. The ceremony would be on a pretty bluff. The reception would be in the backyard.
“The thought of a wedding on a tropical island never crossed my mind,” she says. “I assumed that kind of event was for other people, not for simple people like Connor and me.”
They laugh again when Kirsten says, “By the way, our story leading up to Sandals is not romantic.”
On the night they met, Connor liked Kirsten so much that he asked if she wanted to go duck hunting the next day. For their first “real” date, they ate chili on a hot Alabama night with Connor’s parents. Even the proposal was down to earth. With shrimp skewers on the grill, Connor walked onto the patio holding the same box Kirsten had seen earlier in the backseat of his car.
Ready to seal the promise of forever at Sandals Resorts. Photograph by Jessi Casara.
“He did get down on one knee,” Kirsten says.
Her “yes” instantly kicked the wedding process into motion. At a time when most brides-to-be begin to visualize flower petals and blue skies, Kirsten, a CPA, saw numbers. The price of a local venue and caterers added up to nearly $25,000 before she could account for décor, music, or guests.
“We know people who spend small fortunes on their weddings and all they remember later is what went wrong and being stressed out. All for one night? It doesn’t make sense.”
With the dollar figures for a basic wedding adding up, Kirsten jokingly said to Connor, “Heck, we could get married at Sandals and spend a lot less.”
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Connor said, joining the sarcasm.
Haha. Haha. Ha … wait a minute.
Why Sandals Ochi Became the Perfect Choice
For fun, Kirsten looked at pictures of Sandals and saw with fresh eyes why her parents had fallen in love with the place and the people during their own vacations there. She looked at prices, too, and that’s when everything changed.
“Actually,” she said to Connor, “we can do this.”
The two of them turned serious. Kirsten ran the new numbers. For less than the cost of a wedding at home, they could be married at Sandals and enjoy two weeks in paradise. “Two weeks!” Kirsten says, reliving the moment when she realized the practicality of an island wedding celebration. “And we’d also have money left in the budget to pay for two friends who otherwise couldn’t afford to come.”
No more joking. No more questions. This would be Kirsten and Connor’s beach wedding. And it would be at Sandals Ochi.
Photograph by Jessi Casara.
A Celebration to Remember: Inviting Friends and Family to Jamaica
The two of them knew it would be a big request of friends and family, even with the cute wording on the invitations: It would Jamaica us happy if you could come …
Come spend a week along one of the world’s most gorgeous beaches, near Jamaica’s lush mountains, with all meals, activities, and drinks included, and a Sandals team that literally sets the standard for hospitality.
Do whatever you want, whenever you want. Just come if you can.
Turns out, **nearly 40 people had always wanted to vacation** in Jamaica. Kirsten and Connor’s wedding gave them another excuse to do it. “They thanked us,” Connor says. “No one complained — not once.”
Planning a Stress-Free Wedding with Sandals Specialists
Kirsten admits there did come a brief moment during the planning when she began to mentally formulate a million questions. How do I pick décor? What if nothing looks like I imagine? She called Christina, her wedding specialist at Sandals Ochi, and heard a voice as soothing as a lullaby.
“Let me show you a video of what you have in mind, Miss Kirsten.”
Kirsten clicked the “play” button and saw a wedding setup — her wedding setup — that a few weeks earlier would have seemed a million miles out of reach.
“A minute into the call, Christina had me excited about my own wedding,” Kirsten says.
“That’s the only feeling we had through the planning and the entire celebration: excitement. I tell everyone the people of Jamaica are my favorite people in the world. They’re genuine. They love life, and they want everyone around them to feel the same way. They make it impossible to be anything but happy.”
Kirsten and Connor made the rhythm of Jamaica clear to every guest, “You’re free. Go. Have fun.” They’d see friends at the pool or family members in the same restaurant, but it was never planned.
“Everyone who came to Jamaica tells us it was the greatest vacation they ever had,” Connor says.
The serene Caribbean Sea at Sandals Ochi.
An Unforgettable Ceremony in Paradise
They also remember it as the most beautiful wedding they’ve ever seen. Kirsten walking along a glass runway to the overwater chapel. She and Connor standing in front of a Caribbean sunset. The Jamaican tradition of blending sand to represent blending lives. The Sandals staff showing up because they love happy beginnings.
“It’s hard to believe we’re talking about our wedding,” Kirsten says.
The entire Sandals property seemed to be there just for Kirsten and Connor. After a Caribbean-themed dinner reception, the party moved into the Ochi-exclusive speakeasy. The bartender poured special drinks. Dozens of hotel guests offered congratulations. The dance floor got busy. The party spread like the stars overhead.
“Nothing went wrong,” Kirsten says, “but if it did, no one remembers. We were all in pure bliss.”
Sand Ceremony - Photograph by Jessi Casara.
A Two-Week Caribbean Wedding and Honeymoon Experience
The bliss lasted fourteen days. After seven days at Sandals Ochi, Kirsten and Connor flew to Sandals La Toc in St. Lucia for another seven days. That’s half a month — a complete Caribbean wedding escape.
“And those two weeks cost us 30 percent less than a one-day wedding near home would have cost,” Kirsten says with her CPA pencil out.
“I never could have imagined this.”
She and Connor look into the wedding box as a way of pinching themselves. Inside are handwritten notes from Sandals team members, recipes from their butlers, vials with sand from Jamaica and St. Lucia, and a wood carving from a driver who became like family.
Memories to Last a Lifetime
“It all takes us back to the happiest time and happiest place on earth,” Kirsten says, “and they will always be part of our lives. I’m smiling right now, just thinking about it.”
Weddings at Sandals - Photograph by Jessi Casara.
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