STAR Awards 2010: At Sandals Whitehouse

So, here I am at Sandals Whitehouse in beautiful Jamaica. I'm absolutely exhausted. I've been awake for nearly 24 hours. I'm still awaiting Mechelle's arrival-- She should be here any minute.

Tonight was a beach BBQ and buffet. It was really nice. I met a lot of people, including the president of Sandals. I'm so excited to be here.  I'll have some photos and video tomorrow!!

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!

Heading to the Sandals STAR Awards

 I am so excited! Tomorrow, I am hearding to Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica for the Sandals STAR Awards. My best friend (and publicist) Mechelle will be attending with me. We plan on blogging, taking photos and filming as much as we can. We'll get everything up as soon as possible!!

Happy holidays!

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!

Penny's Take on Grenada

Grenada, The Spice of the Caribbean, certainly lives up to its name, but the wonderful assortment of spices that are readily available is not all it haves to offers. Grenada is rich in culture, history and traditions and stands apart from any place I've been too. With it's blue waters and whites beaches you would think it would be just another resort area, but it's not. Grenada has everything your looking for... you just have to ask. 

If you want to go for a dive, many resorts have dive shops on there property. Looking to explore the rainforest, take a tour or drive yourself. If you drive your self and get honked at, don't worry-- it's just the Grenadians' way of saying "hi" or my favorite, "You can't see me because I'm around a bend and I don't want to bump you."

Spend your Saturday at the local farmers market and check out local fruits, vegetables and spices. If you are not looking for an adventure, choose a place with a beach-view yoga center and spa. How about a private room with your own pool and a view of the ocean? Sound like paradise? Believe me when I tell you that it is. If you are traveling with children and need a sitter, simply choose a resort that offers on-site babysitting. If you are getting married, you can stay at one resort and have your wedding at another. There are places that can hold up to 100 guests or, for more intimate weddings, you can  choose a small and secluded place.

If you are really looking for something different, you can get married on a sail boat. Are you all about the food, Grenada has some amazing restaurants and while you are there, you have to try callaloo (local vegetable) and lambie (local shell fish). Grenada really has everything you are looking for.

I was very fortunately to be able to experience the beauty and hospitality of Grenada. It was thanks to the Association For Wedding Professionals International that I was able to take this trip and represent Candy Cain Travel. I look forward to my next one!

 

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!

Meet Penny: A Visit to Grenada

 Penny Wehner is one of the newest additions to the Candy Cain Travel family. A travel and event concierge, Penny works directly with Candy to create training courses and presentation to educate others about destination weddings. Penny had the opportunity to visit Grenada with the Association For Wedding Professionals International.



Penny at Miami Airport (11/3/10)

 Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Penny Wehner and I'm an Event and Travel Concierge with Candy Cain Travel. I was an Account Executive with a website company for many years and in 2009 made a change to the Travel Industry. Being involved in the travel industry, I've had opportunities to meet amazing people and business owners from around the world. I have gotten many opportunities to visit and tour locations most people only dream to visit. Today I have embarked upone one of those trips.


My current destination is Grenada, known as the Spice Island in the Caribbean. It's located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This mountainous island is covered with rare tropical flowers and fragrant spice trees, and is surrounded by beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters. It appears to be the ideal location for destination weddings, vow renewals and honeymoons. I can't wait to find out for myself!

I will be staying at the Flamboyant Hotel & Villas located in the capitol of Grenada, St. Georges. At the Flamboyant Hotel & Villas, kids are welcome and baby-sitters are available on request. Dad can go golfing and Mom can have a massage. Then, later the family can go scuba diving. With all inclusive packages available, why not go? I know I'm looking forward to it.

I have never been to the Caribbean before, so this is a real adventure for me. I loved Mexico when I went last month. I can't wait to see what Grenada is going to be like.

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!

The End of Jackie's Blog Entry

The wedding of Eric and Amy came and went. The day was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous, and everything went off without a hitch. It was a lot of fun, and really made me think about having a destination wedding in the future... Should I ever find that special someone!

I really had a great time on my first assignment with Candy Cain Travel, and I can't wait until my next one!

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!

Jackie's Live Wedding Blog: Amy & Eric - The Set Up

Today was such a busy day, but we got so much done! This morning we went to the Hemingway House to take a tour and I’m not gunna lie, I thought it was going to be so boring... but it wasn’t at all!

We had a blast and it was actually really interesting to learn about one of the greatest writers in history. I didn't realize that so many famous authors lived in Key West. After all, we were staying at Author's Guesthouse! There were tons of cats all over the property -- not to mention our tour guide looked like a legitimate pirate. Hilarious.

Setting up for the wedding was a total success. Everything wound up looking fantastic. We made dark green sashes for the chairs, bouquets for the tables and decorated all the tables beautifully.

Afterwards, we took a sunset cruise on the Glass-bottom Boat out to the coral reef, which I didn’t even realize was the third largest in the world! It was amazing; the open water, the amazing breeze, and the most beautiful sunset couldn’t have been better.

I was also so excited because we got to see so many different types of fish under the boat, it almost seemed like they were following us. There were even dolphins and tarpon fish jumping all around the boat the whole time! It was so great. We could not have been a better time.

 

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!

Live Wedding Blog: Amy & Eric - Welcome to Key West!

** Friday, June 4, 2010 is the wedding of Amy and Eric at the Southernmost on the Beach in Key West. Since I (Candy) could not get away for a few days, I sent my mother Juliette (who handles the florals, decor, and other fancy-shmancy items) for most of my weddings and my cousin Jacquline to assist her. I asked Leenie (as my family calls her) to write the Live Wedding Blog for me while she was there. Photos will be added soon!

We landed in Key West in just after 6:00 in the evening. Upon first glance, this place is BEAUTIFUL! The island is so tiny that the main road is only a mile long, so everything is basically beachside-- including the airport. My aunt and I are staying at Author’s Key West Guesthouse. We’re so close to the airport and only six blocks from downtown where all the entertainment, bars and historically the “best place to see the sunset in Florida” Mallory Square is! 

Author's is really nice too. Kind of quaint, but once you walk inside the rooms are really ‘homey’ and nice. They set breakfast up outside on the patio under trees. It’s cute…for a bed and breakfast.

After freshening up, we went down to Duval street, the main tourist street in the area, and Mallory Square and the place was awesome! There were so many people just having a good time walking around and there were live bars, music, shops and street performers everywhere. It was so much fun and there was so much to do. The best part was that it was all along the water, so it had such a nice view and the breeze felt amazing! We went to the Hard Rock Café for dinner, which, as always, was amazing (minus the extra five pounds I now have on my butt) and then just walked around and checked out the local shops. It was fun. I got a hat so I’m happy now. :P

Tomorrow starts the setting up process for the wedding... I'm excited and nervous. I don't know how much work there will be. I don't know what I'm going to have to do. I do know, though, I'm going to try my best! I mean, seriously, I got a free trip to Key West to help my aunt and cousin out with setting up a wedding for a few hours. I wouldn't mind doing this again!

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!