The Love: St. Lucia, A Wedding Story

If you've been keeping up you already know that I have a serious love affair with St. Lucia. My hubby is from there and I consider myself an "honorary" Lucian. I experienced my first taste of local living there and will be heading back this summer so that my little one can get his feet wet in the sparkling waters of his other homeland (and experience the same local life). 

In September 2011 though, my love and I were there to tie the knot. We spent a good two weeks prior to the wedding on the island pampering ourselves (I needed to be a nice shade of bubblin' brown sugar for my wedding photos!). This would be my dream wedding.

On the day of the wedding I remember walking to the gazebo from the golf cart (that picked me up from my room) and looking out at the ocean on the horizon, the beach off in the distance and the lush greenery surrounding it all and thinking how perfect everything was. I couldn't have been happier; it was my wedding day and I was getting married to the love of my life in the tropics. 

The most perfect day 

I was probably the most easy-going bride. All I really wanted was a nice day and for folks to enjoy themselves. I wasn't worried about the particulars; the cake, the tablecloths, centerpieces - none of it! (I remember the wedding coordinator asking me when did I want to cut the cake and I said, "I don't know, when do you people usually do it?" Ha!) I really didn't care about that stuff. My husband and I really just wanted to make sure the music was on point (which they actually messed up; they played the wrong song for our first dance) and that our guests enjoyed themselves. 

It was truly a great day; time really flew! It felt like the shortest day of my life and I didn't want it to end. We had planned to go out and party after the reception but our poor feet told us otherwise which was just fine. Staying in and reading our guestbook and opening up our cards made the evening even more special. Our loved ones had so many beautiful and insightful gems to share with us which we still cherish to this day. 

Married!

The Love: St. Lucia

Beyond the award winning views of the pitons, beautiful beaches and lush countryside, St. Lucia means so much more to me than what aesthetically meets the eye. The love of my life is from there and we have a child who also has the beat of St. Lucia running rampantly through his veins. A real true soca baby.

I met my husband on MySpace (remember that?) in 2006. After emailing and chatting for about a month we finally met around our birthdays (mine is August 28th and his is August 30th). From August 31st on, life was never the same for either one of us as we quickly became inseparable.  

Fast forward to 2008. I spent my first Christmas holiday in the islands living locally. We stayed at a family member's quaint and cozy home in the village he grew up in. There was no AC, no hot water, the roosters woke me up at the crack of dawn and I could hear waves crashing somewhere off in the distance. I never felt more at home.

We spent Christmas Day walking along the beach. Coming from the big city this was a new experience for me and I absolutely LOVED it. The beach on Christmas?! Life couldn't get any better!  

We stayed through to New Year's Eve and attended a party at one of the all inclusive resorts nearby. We watched fireworks by the pool at midnight. I was in heaven.

After two years of dating exclusively I knew then in that moment he was definitely the ONE.  

I've been back to St. Lucia countless times since that first visit in '08 and each time I go back I seem to fall deeper and deeper in love with this man who I now call my husband.

Some sun and sand will make everything all right. I'm telling you! 

Quality in Travel

I've been traveling all my life. I was seven when I went on my first cruise to Bermuda. My aunt liked to take me along; we were either cruising the tropics or flying down south somewhere. I'm thankful for those experiences because they made me appreciate and want the finer things in life. I recently mentioned this in an IG post: I could care less about designer clothing, bags or shoes. Since becoming a mom in 2015 I can't even remember the last time I dressed up! And that's okay with me. I just need access to the Caribbean several times a year and all is well in my world.

This leads me to my next point: I want quality when I travel now. In the past, I constantly wanted "cheap"; trying to find the cheapest flight and settling on decent 3 star hotels were satisfactory to me (there are still many great 3 stars out there though). Cheap flights can be good but they aren't always great and can be quite draining. For example, I was able to find a "cheap" flight to Providenciales but I had THREE layovers. It was horrible. I told myself "never again". 

I can easily say that at the age of 36 I now don't mind paying for quality when traveling; especially if I'm given an option to pay over time. I've come to appreciate travel agents for this very reason. I'm also in the process of setting up my OWN agency to provide this exact service. 

Because everyone deserves to experience a little luxury from time to time. 

Stick with me!

Wes

PureLuxe: A Chocolate Lover's Dream - Jade Mountain, Chocolate Festival in St. Lucia (10/10 - 10/14)

If you love chocolate AND luxury then Jade Mountain in St. Lucia has got you covered in both departments. The uber-luxe establishment is offering five full days of chocolatey goodness in October (10th to the 14th). Each day is packed with (what else?) CHOCOLATE! Enjoy a chocolate enthused cocktail party, chocolate dinner and a chocolate spa delight - just to name a few of the choclativities.

In case you don't know about the sexiness and splendor that is Jade Mountain, see below... It is a TRUE haven of luxury and nature. I've never stayed there but it is certainly on my bucket list. 

The Star Infinity Pool Sanctuary (yes, that is an OPEN WALL with a priceless view!) 

The Moon Infinity Sanctuary 

The Galaxy Infinity Sanctuary 

Happy Travels!!