THE BEGINNING OF A ROMCOM

Jamar: I’ll always remember the day we met through mutual friends. I was taken by her beauty and the way she laughs so easily. There were some things going on at the time, so we didn’t go on a first date for a while. And then, out of the blue, she contacted me.
Whitney: He might not have known it, but I kept tabs on him after we met. He made a big impression on me with his smile, banter, and personality. The chemistry was undeniable.
Jamar: The romcom started. We knew right away where our relationship was going. She was everything I wanted in a wife. She’s my best friend. She’s beautiful inside and out. We love being with each other. There was no need to wait a long time to get married.
Whitney: We talked about the kind of wedding we wanted before he even proposed.
Jamar: We briefly entertained the idea of a traditional wedding. But the more we looked into it, the more we agreed that we didn’t want everything that comes with it. The vendors. The food. The cost.
Whitney: Couples talk about family drama, makeup issues, all of these little problems that get in the way of the purpose of the wedding. The bride and groom wind up exhausted from trying to make it perfect for everyone but themselves.
Jamar: Not to mention the honeymoon planning, too. We were on the same page with what we wanted and what we didn’t want.

Picture: Sandals Grenada where romantic escapes and dream weddings become reality.

A WEDDING ESCAPE ENTERS THE PICTURE

Whitney: I’m pretty sure I brought up the idea of eloping, but we both were thinking the same thing: we want to focus on each other and enjoy what’s important to us. Plus, I’m an introvert and could not imagine Jamar and me during the biggest moment of our lives in front of a crowd of people — some we might not even know very well. That and the expense and the stress, it did not seem fun.
Jamar: And remember, we were talking about all of this before I gave her the engagement ring. We just didn’t know where we would elope.
Whitney: After he proposed, I was talking with a couple who’s been to all the Sandals destinations, and the wife said, “Whitney, that’s where you should get married.” I started looking at the different locations, imagining us in each one, and saw Sandals Grenada.
Jamar: She showed me the pictures and my reaction was, Oh, my gosh. It looked so serene and tropical and distant.
Whitney: We could get married on a Caribbean beach, spend a week in luxury, and not worry about anything.
Jamar: And we’d already be where we wanted to be for our honeymoon. All we’d have to do is go. We could have a local reception at a later time for friends and family.
Whitney: I set up a gift registry and webpage through The Knot, so friends and family could plan a year in advance to attend our reception here in Colorado. People asked me, “But when is the actual wedding?” And I’d say, “Well, we’re eloping to Sandals.” A lot of those people said, and they still say, “Oh, I wish we’d done that.”
Jamar: We’re both meticulous planners, so the decision to be married at Sandals was a relief. Once we booked our trip, that was it. We didn’t really need to plan anything.
Whitney: There was a time when I thought a destination wedding must be challenging, but we found out it’s just the opposite. The wedding teams at Sandals have organized hundreds of weddings and they enjoy it, so I figured we should let them handle ours. Let’s just anticipate going to this amazing oasis. My only concern was that our wedding clothes might wrinkle during our flight.
Jamar: For the next few months, all I thought about was waking up in a luxurious suite along the Caribbean Ocean — and being there with Whitney.
Whitney: Brides talk about having a wedding vision. I had more than a vision. I could look at real pictures of real Sandals weddings on the beach where we were going to be married.

THEY STEP INTO A DREAM

Whitney: We landed in Grenada … and everything became real. Here we were, on this beautiful, lush island, surrounded by the ocean. I kept thinking, “This is really it. I’m here. This is where I’ll be marrying my husband.”
Jamar: Yeah, I felt this sensation as soon as we got there, like, ahh, we can breathe.
Whitney: When we stepped into the Sandals lobby, the butlers and wedding planners were there to greet us. They made us feel like royalty. We knew everything was going to be OK.
Jamar: They gave us shot glasses engraved with “Mr.” and “Mrs.” and then led us to the highest-level butler suite — just incredible, with a massive bathroom, an ensuite pool, and an ocean view. The staff gave us total privacy, yet every time we came back to the suite we found they’d done something special for us.

Picture: Italian Oceanview 1 Br. SkyPool Butler Suite at Sandals Grenada

Whitney: They’d leave snacks, like cheese and fresh tropical fruit. They’d draw baths while we were out and leave cute towel art on the bed.
Jamar: We literally didn’t have to do anything in advance of the wedding, except taste cakes.
Whitney: Well, we did go over a few items with the wedding planner.
Jamar: Oh yeah, that’s when we chose red velvet.
Whitney: We also chose an exact spot for the ceremony — a cove tucked next to a massive cliff along Pink Gin Beach. They went over every detail: where to stand, how to walk on heels over the sand, where we could have our first dance. To this day, I don’t remember the song we picked. Do you?

Photo by Lauren Finch Photography

Jamar (laughing): Hmm. No. But I do remember being on that beach and looking at my beautiful wife in her phenomenal dress. The butlers and wedding planners were there to cheer our first kiss. I was excited to be in that spot, together, knowing we were married. It was like, nothing else matters.
Whitney: That’s when I realized, “This is exactly what I’ve always wanted.” I have this great man who cares deeply for me … and I got to marry him in paradise.
Jamar: At the end of the ceremony and our mini reception, we went back to our suite to change clothes.
Whitney: And then we walked down to Tipsy Turtle Pub for shepherd’s pie and beers. It was nice to just relax and share our thoughts without any spotlight.
Jamar: The next morning we woke up to breakfast on our patio. Our honeymoon started right there. It all came together for the best nine days we could ever imagine.
Whitney: A friend of ours wants to elope, but her fiancé wants a traditional wedding. We keep saying, “Go. Trust us. You won’t have a single regret.” This is a time in life where it’s OK to think about what’s best for the two of you.
Jamar: You can have a reception later.
Whitney: I will always be able to say that during the biggest moment of my life, I was exactly where I wanted to be. I was present with my husband. My husband was present with me. We were on this amazing island — and nothing else mattered.

Photo by Lauren Finch Photography

Your love story deserves a setting as breathtaking as Sandals Grenada. If you're dreaming of a stress-free, all-inclusive wedding in paradise—just like Whitney & Jamar—our expert planners are here to make it unforgettable.

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