ResortHatch

Jake doesn’t show his emotions much. The guy who likes to hammer golf balls with the boys on weekends says with conviction, “I can count on one hand how many times I’ve gotten emotional over the past 15 years.”

Jake’s new wife, Meg, smiles at him. She knows there’s a “but” coming.
“I’ll admit,” Jake says, “two of those times came during our wedding week at Sandals Regency La Toc — it might have been three times.”

To understand what Jake felt that week, put yourself in his footprints on the beach. Surrounded by St. Lucia’s spectacular mountains on one side and the cozy Caribbean Sea on the other. Surrounded by the most important people in his life and a Sandals staff exuding pure joy. Surrounded by memorable moments that he wished would never stop.

It’s enough to make a grown man cry, and freely admit it.
“What really got to me were all of our friends and family members who traveled to St. Lucia and thanked us for inviting them,” Jake says. “We could tell they actually wanted to be there. So … I mean … yeah, it moved me.”

Among the 29 attendees were Jake’s brother, who willingly came despite just starting a new job. A friend of Meg’s arrived on site even though she was pregnant.

“It’s impossible to put into words how loved we felt,” Meg says.
They were loved for being Meg and Jake, sure. But perhaps they were loved a little more for leading their friends and family to Sandals Regency La Toc, where breathtaking Caribbean views and meaningful connections create unforgettable memories. They instantly felt like they were in the most comfortable home on earth.

“I’m sure everyone also loved the fact they didn’t have to pull out debit cards for food, transportation, or anything,” Jake says. “When you can do whatever you want whenever you want, that’s a different level of comfort.”

Let’s wipe away the tears for a moment and focus on the point that always comes up with weddings at Sandals: the relaxation. From the moment Jake proposed to Meg on an ocean overlook during a trip to California, he did not want his fiancé to fall victim to becoming “one of those brides-to-be.” “The last thing I wanted was for her to be tasked with planning ‘the perfect wedding’ from scratch,” he says, “because doing that would turn what’s supposed to be a fun celebration into an anxious, chaotic time. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

Everyone considered Jake a hero for that part of his wedding vision (the only part of his wedding vision, really), especially Meg. “As soon as we agreed to get married at Sandals, I handed the details over to the wedding specialists there,” she says. “All we had to do was choose from the options they have available for a venue, décor, and the wedding dinner, and let them make it all happen.”

Just six months after their engagement, Meg and Jake were standing on the white sand with a beautiful grounded wedding arch at Sandals Regency La Toc, exchanging vows the way vows are meant to be exchanged: with enthusiasm and awe. “This will sound cheesy, I know, but our wedding really was a dream come true,” Meg says.

Just wait, though. Meg’s definition of a “dream come true” might not be what you expect. For her and Jake, it meant breaking from tradition and being free to celebrate the way they wanted to celebrate. The day before the ceremony Jake played golf with views of the Caribbean Ocean alongside people he doesn’t get to see very often — his dad, his brother, and four close friends.

While Jake escaped to Cap Estate, Meg hosted a tea party along the beach.
“With spiked tea,” she says. “The Sandals staff made sure it was different from any party we’ve ever experienced. They did that kind of thing for the entire wedding week, so we could just enjoy the resort and enjoy each other. We’ve been to weddings where the bride and groom are stressed out, running in different directions, worried about where everyone will stay, where they’ll eat. Our wedding was nothing like that, even on the day itself.”

Meg first uses Jake to illustrate her point about their wedding day.
“He played in the pool with his friends until 55 minutes before the ceremony, which was fine with me.”

Then she uses her hair for further emphasis. “It wouldn’t curl the way I thought it would on the day of the wedding,” she says, “and I didn’t really care.”
She let her hair follow the barely perceptible ocean breeze. Jake, wearing a green suit instead of a tux, let his shoes sink into the sand. The two of them let the Caribbean be the Caribbean, so everyone could simply be themselves.

When friends ask Meg about her wedding theme, she gently laughs because that, too, was all taken care of. She didn’t have to lift a finger. “My theme,” she says, “was St. Lucia. When you’re in a place so beautiful, why even think about changing it?” No one can make the mountains more lush or the ocean more turquoise or the beach more brilliantly white. Just let St. Lucia be St. Lucia and let perfect be perfect. People who couldn’t come to the wedding in person livestreamed it at home and were drawn into the mesmerizing 4k scene. Some threw their own parties and vicariously enjoyed the celebration by sipping tropical drinks.

“We didn’t realize until we looked at our wedding pictures later that, oh wow, there were cliffs in background too,” Jake says. “I think that shows how we were totally into the moment.”

After the ceremony, a steelpan band played island beats in the big lawn, with tropical foliage providing privacy. The reception became more of a big outdoor Caribbean party, with no official beginning and no official end. Guests could stroll over to Cricketer’s Pub for fish and chips if they felt like it. They could go to their rooms to change clothes. At some point during the evening, half of them felt free enough to jump into the pool, including Meg’s mom — fully clothed.

“Why not?” Meg says. “We maximized the quality of our time instead of trying to control it.” As if controlled by a higher authority, the peak of St. Lucia’s golden hour cast a glow toward Meg and Jake as they danced to their chosen song: Golden Hour.

Again, put yourself in Jake’s position, surrounded by so much beauty and caught up in a moment beyond his expectations. “That’s why it was emotional,” he says. “But not the sad kind of emotional … the thankful kind of emotional — the best kind of emotional. The kind everyone should experience.”