Vows with a view: Making the magic happen for your dreamy Caribbean wedding

Sandals handles roughly 5,000 weddings a year across its 17 Caribbean resorts.That’s roughly a wedding a day, per resort, 365 days a year.The Post sat down with Marsha-Ann Donaldson, director of weddings and romance at Sandals Resorts, to find out how they pull off this incredible feat.I’m a dream maker.

How does our team make dreams come true? A big part of it is starting with an open canvas, because everyone dreams differently.We paint the canvas together.

Someone could say, “When I think of the Caribbean, I imagine the amazing, lush greens and incredible vibrant flowers.” Someone else could say, “I picture the azure blue waters, powdery white sands and a crimson sunset.”So that’s the foundation.Why were you dreaming of the Caribbean in the first place? What you are hearing? Is it the rhythm of a steelpan band? Is it the energy of a reggae? Is it the flow of Afro-Caribbean drums? Now, what are you tasting? I work with couples to find the essence of the Caribbean, to appeal to the five senses, fill in their canvas and create memorable milestones.I get up super early in the morning, like crazy early.

Think of the stillness of the morning, strolling along the beach where all you hear are the waves gently rippling in and the lapping at your feet.You hear the birds with their early morning symphony.

Now think of the stillness of that moment with two folks holding hands along the beach, or watching the break of day from their bed with the doors open to the sea.Romance is something that is felt and experienced, and it’s very individual.But in a world that is so very fast, in a world that feels so much like a big horrid race, that romance is slowing down to appreciate where you are.A destination wedding is by nature experiential.

The other thing is that the statistics show that a destination wedding couple will have seen three to five friends get married within 18 to 24 months.When they attend those weddings, they become inspired by what their friend...