Jacquie & Manny: Little Hiccup

Jacquie and Manny's wedding was absolutely beautiful. I'd like to say that there were no hiccups, but I'd lie. After all, every wedding has hiccups. Fortunately, these hiccups were only little and were barely noticeable. That is, AFTER the power came back on.

One Big, Happy Family (the night before the wedding)

Yes, AFTER the power came back on. The wedding was scheduled for 4:00pm. At about 2:30pm the power went off. It came back on pretty quickly in my building, but was out for a little while in the other two buildings. Ingrid and I were leaving to head to Jacquie's room and to meet the photographer anyway.

Mine & Ingrid's Room-- 5316

In Jacquie's room, her future sister-in-law Patty was applying her makeup. I sat on the couch with her other SIL Tess. Ingrid went to get Jorge, the photographer. None of us used the bathroom or tried to get any water. Jorge and Ingrid arrived, and he wanted to take pics of the wedding details-- rings, dress, flowers, etc. Tess called her boyfriend J.R. and asked him to bring over the rings.

The Lovely & Talented Ingrid

So, J.R. came to the room with the rings and I answered the door. he asked me, "Do you guys have running water?" I thought it was an odd question...but, I didn't know the answer. So, I flipped on the faucet. It gurgled, but no water. The guys were in building one, Jacquie was in building three and our room as in building five, so I suggested that I head over to my room to see if we had running water so that the guys could shower. J.R. thanked me, I handed the rings to Jorge and off I went to our room.

No tenemos agua!

Well, we didn't have any water, either. It was a resort-wide issue. NO WATER. None. Well, except for the pool and the ocean... I even stayed in my room with the faucet on for 10 minutes to see if it would turn back on. No dice. I headed back to Jacquie's room at 3:30. The guys improvides and washed hair and whatnot with bottled water. Fortunately, the women didn't have to deal with it. And you know what I always say... A happy bride means a happy wedding!

No water here, either...

Still, the guys made it to the ceremony on time. So did all of the guests. So did the bride and everyone else. More on the ceremony soon...

Candice Cain is the owner of the Candy Cain Travel Co. She is a Certified Sandals Specialist and a Destination Wedding Expert. Please feel free to email her for help with your destination wedding!

Jacquie & Manny: Rain, Rain Go Away!

When Ingrid and I landed in the DR yesterday, it was cold (well, for the Caribbean), windy and overcast. Immediately, we were nervous about the weather for the wedding. But, this isn't supposed to be rainy season in the Caribbean, much less the Dominican Republic, so we weren't that worried. The people that helped us with our transfer (with VIP Travel Services) told us not to worry-- Tomorrow would be raining in the morning, but would clear up after noon.

Overcast when we arrived to Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana on 3/7/12

Well, they weren't kidding. Ingrid and I woke up to what looked like a hurricane. Everything was SO wet everywhere! Men with squeegees moved the water around, trying to push it into the grass from the walkways. It was POURING. Ingrid and I went to breakfast when there was a break in the rain, but it was so windy. At least we won't have to worry about sunburns, eh?

Windy!

Yesterday at 4:00, there was another wedding (which I did not plan). Know what? The weather was BEAUTIFUL. Everything was set up perfectly and the bride looked fantastic. They say that rain is good luck on your wedding day... We're good with that, as long as it doesn't rain DURING the ceremony and reception!

Yesterday's wedding at 4pm

A beautiful & happy bride

 

Candice Cain is the owner of the Candy Cain Travel Co. She is a Certified Sandals Specialist and a Destination Wedding Expert. Please feel free to email her for help with your destination wedding!

Jacquie & Manny: Greetings From The Dominican Republic!

A wedding set up the day we got to the DR

I have sent many clients to the Dominican Republic. I have had many weddings there, too-- including one of my independent agents, Jessica, last month. However, I have never had a client request for me to attend their wedding in the D.R. You see, everyone who plans a wedding with me has the option of having me attend their wedding. The ones that want to cut corners don't have me go, and my job is done before they leave. The ones that want to make sure they have me in their corner throughout their wedding ceremony and festivities usually know that they are going to bring me along immediately.

Such was the case with Jacquie and Manny.

First and foremost, I want to say that Jacquie should get the Bride of the Year award. Seriously-- I'm not pulling one of my sarcastic moments here Jacquie is amazing. Her husband, Manny, is one lucky dude. (That being said, Manny is also a terrific guy-- They're the perfect match.) Jacquie has been absolutely wonderful since starting planning her wedding in February 2011. She has been nothing less than wonderful... And she has actually apologized for being a Bridezilla! (We had a talk about what a bridezilla really is.) Jacquie even sent me a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake before she left for her destination wedding.

The first snag I hit was that NONE of the people that I usually travel with and use as my assistants were able to go. Ebony has a new baby she doesn't want to leave yet, Kira had a prior commitment, I'm using Christine next week in Vegas... The list goes on and on. So, I contacted the AFWPI (Association for Wedding Professionals International) and let them know that I would be happy to take someone to the D.R. with me if they wanted to learn how to do destination weddings firsthand.

Fortunately, Ingrid Wiggberg of The Party Makers sent me a private message pretty much immediately sent me an email saying she wanted to go. I knew Ingrid because she already took the AFWPI Destination Wedding Specialist Certification Course that I created and taught (and still teach). I was delighted that she was able to come. She even met me at the airport, and we flew together-- with an upgrade to first class!!

Candy & Ingred while checking in at Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana

Well, speaking of my fabulous assistant, she just informed me that she wants breakfast. So, off we go to the bufffet here at Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana. More coming soon!

 

Candice Cain is the owner of the Candy Cain Travel Co. She is a Certified Sandals Specialist and a Destination Wedding Expert. Please feel free to email her for help with your destination wedding!