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At first, you might think it's a wonder that 96 people traveled all the way to Sandals Royal Curaçao for Chanda and Forrest's Sandals Royal Curaçao vow renewal. The more you get to know the two of them, however, the less you wonder. Friends like to be around Chanda and Forrest because this couple understands why it's important to celebrate each day — and each other — as a gift. And yes, people like to be around Chanda and Forrest even more when they happen to be on a beautiful Caribbean island.
"We try to create positive memories every day of our marriage," Chanda says.
It isn't as if their days are easy breezy either. Chanda works the nightshift as a maternity nurse at a hospital near Philadelphia.
"It's tiring," she admits. "I'm not a morning person, unlike this gentleman over here."
Chanda arrives home from work at 8:30 a.m., by which time Forrest has been up and dressed for more than three hours. While Chanda heads for bed, he tends to the French bulldogs that he breeds.
"I come home from babies," Chanda says, "and am welcomed by more babies."
Collectively, she and Forrest have seven grown babies (the human kind) and three grandchildren. With all of these moving parts, you can still sense a tangible happily ever after in their marriage. Chanda has a secret.
"Sharing fun experiences," she says. "It keeps relationships strong."
This relationship secret applies to friends who five years ago began to travel with Chanda and Forrest to Sandals. It applies to the blended family that would load up all three rows of the SUV and travel to siblings' ballgames on weekends. Most of all, the power of shared experiences applies to their marriage. And that's what led them to a vow renewal at Sandals — where friends and family could experience views, luxury, and love — and be stronger for it.
"We all have a choice," Chanda says. "We can choose work to be the narrative that our family remembers, or we can provide while also making special memories together. We've come to realize there's no better place to do that than Sandals."
Their first wedding was certainly an experience to remember. Late summer in Mexico. Playa Del Carmen, to be exact, and hot.
"In front of more than 100 guests," Chanda says.
"On a rooftop," Forrest adds. "It rained."
They'd planned every detail, except the weather, and arrived in Mexico with trunks loaded with DIY wedding items. The week was hectic and wet.
"We kept it in perspective," Chanda says. "A wedding is for a day. Marriage is intended to last forever. That's what we invest in forever — the forever part."
She and Forrest began to believe more fervently in the power of travel when they were among 158 guests at a friend's wedding at Beaches Negril. They later celebrated the same couple's Caribbean vow renewal experience at Sandals South Coast, where the personable staff and tropical beauty awed them. Every few months, they would travel to another Sandals destination with friends to, as Forrest says, "refuel our marriages."
The first time they visited Sandals Royal Curaçao, they celebrated the engagement of a couple who'd traveled with them and then toured the resort's wedding venues with their friends.
"We decided to renew our vows there two years later," Chanda says. "We liked the idea of introducing family and friends to a new location, next to the breathtaking ocean and a little off the beaten path."
The two-year cushion gave their travel agent, Shedia Cary, time to coordinate the vow-renewal specifics with the Sandals staff. It also gave Chanda time to dream up micro-experiences that would strengthen the friendships and marriages of all who came:
- Bring airbrush outfits for a 90s party.
- Everyone please wear white to the ceremony.
- Men pack royal blue swimwear. Women pack yellow. (Chanda and Forrest would wear white to the pool and complete the colors of the Curaçaoan flag.)
At the resort, she would give guests matching hats to protect them from a week's worth of sunshine and matching cups to emphasize their bond. The underlying message was clear: Let's invest in forever, all of us.
The guests kept arriving at Sandals Royal Curaçao. If you spotted Chanda during the week, you might have seen her taking pictures on the beach with classmates from 5th grade. "Our 'turning 50' moment," she says, explaining all the gold outfits.
You might have also found Forrest and his buddies relaxing around a firepit with cigars. "Our brotherhood, and the perfect place to talk about how we plan to take care of the next generations."
All 90-some people enjoyed unabated Caribbean vow renewal experience moments while the Sandals wedding team quietly arranged the oceanside venue the way Chanda had envisioned it.
"Better than I envisioned," she says of the flowers, the chairs facing the sea, and her youngest daughter dressed as a ballerina. Of all the unforgettable mood-builders, this one stands apart for Forrest: The sound of a saxophone soloist accompanied by the chorus of waves pushing against sand and rocks.
"It was like something out of a magazine," he says.
By now you should know that their walk down the aisle, even in an island paradise, represented just one fabulous step among a lifetime of fabulous steps for Chanda and Forrest. The "I do" to the promise of cherishing was also "I do" to the promise of more bonding experiences. They've already made plans to take the grandkids to Beaches Turks and Caicos when the new Treasure Beach Village opens. They'll attend a wedding at Beaches Negril, and in 2027 they'll meet more than 40 couples for a destination vow renewal with family and friends at Sandals St. Vincent.
"We share dinners to pray and draw strength from each other," Chanda says. "Every so often we take it to another level and create another special experience because we know this to be true: When we invest our time in each other, it's good for all of us."
If you’re dreaming of your own chapter like this, the Sandals wedding team is here to help you bring it to life. Begin your journey on our inquiry page
and start planning your impactful vow renewal in the Caribbean.
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