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A destination wedding in St Thomas or St John Author: Aug 29

 Once you decide to get married, the dreaded word budget creeps into all of your discussions.  Everyone wants the best value for one’s money.  It’s only normal to want the best for what you can afford.

When couples decide on a destination wedding to help them with the budgeting of their wedding they get not only more bang for their buck but a life time of memories.

Destination weddings seem very foreign (pardon the pun) to anyone who has not experienced or heard about them. So let me take a min here to explain the concept of why some couples want one.

Budget is not always the reason but for a good portion of couples it is at least one of the top reasons.

Weddings in the U.S. mainland average $27000.00.  For just one day, not counting the honeymoon.

Smart Money’s magazine stated a theory that only those who really love you, will travel for you, which means a destination wedding is one way to avoid paying $175 a head to feed the coworkers and business contacts many couples feel obligated to invite to local weddings. Destination weddings also make a lot of sense for couples whose families and friends are scattered around the country (or even the globe). After all, if most of the guests are going to travel anyway, why not get married in a place that’s a vacation for all?

Smaller weddings allow couples to budget for extras, more lavish settings and receptions.  Whether it is a reception on a moonlight private charted boat or a beach reception set with tiki torches, white sand and crystal settings.  It can be a dream wedding come true.

Brides still can wear the formal wedding dresses and have flower bouquets that rival any big city florist.

Here when having a St Thomas wedding or a St John wedding, cakes and receptions can be as formal as at the Ritz or as informal as the beach pig roast. It can be a table set for two at a romantic beach or for 100.  Thats the beauty of a destination wedding there are no rules.

But the words of buyer beware also is heard here.  Getting married in a non-U.S country may pose legal problems down the road with you having no recourse in a foreign country.  Also passengers that have  cruise ships  weddings are often charged 50 to 60% more money than port wedding planners.  That’s a lot  for a lot less in value and wedding elements that make up a ceremony and or reception.

So couples that want to get married and have a wedding that dreams are made of, should shop around. Then come here to the U.S Virgin Islands. You will get better scenery, the weather is better and you are surrounded by people who you really want to make you happy.  What could be better?

 

St Thomas wedding set up at Megans beach

Category: Cruise ship weddings, Destination wedding vendors, places to see in the virgin islands, St Thomas wedding packages, vi wedding packages, Virgin Island Weddings, Wedding tips, What to know when planning a destination wedding.  | Tags: , , , ,  | Comments off
Beach Weddings by Deb and Gary Felton Studio 18.3 Photography. Author: Aug 05

Beach Weddings by Deb and Gary Felton Studio 8.3 Photography has teamed up to create St.Thomas and St. John wedding packages that are of a high end value and quality. These  packages are for the discerning couple that understands and want to focus on good photography. It’s for couples that know how quality wedding pictures can capture the beauty and emotion of their day in a unique way. 

Gary Felton’s Studio 18.3 wedding pictures are not only essential but are priceless in value of memories and are worthy of becoming a part of your family’s history. You will not find any wedding package with this quality of photography anywhere, in other words, we not only give good photos, our photos are more than just technically correct they are special.

Add this to the Beach Weddings by Deb’s special touch and you will have a day that will exceed you expectations.

So by joining together  Beach Weddings by Deb and Gary Felton has created a world class wedding package of exceptional value. Not only will you have the opportunity to get a DVD with high resolution negatives but a8x12 Custom Graphi Album.

Graphi Studio Albums are a timeless storybook of your perfect day. These albums are hand crafted in Italy using Graphi’s patented continuous page binding system with every page opening flat and having a perfect panoramic view. The books come in many formats from 8 x12 but can be upgraded all the way up to 16x 20 and are truly works of art.

With service and quality like this why would anybody trust thier memories to anyone else?

Check out our pricing and view images on both Gary Feltons http://viweddingphoto.com/ and Beach Weddings by Deb http://www.beachweddingsbydeb.com/  Then reserve your wedding date.

Category: How to pick a photographer, st thomas photography packages, Uncategorized, Virgin Island Weddings, Wedding tips  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | Comments off
People of the Virgin Islands and there about. Author: Feb 03

In my lifetime, I have met thousands of people. CEOs of major corporations, entertainment celebrities, politicians . . . you get the idea. A multitude of smart, funny and interesting people have enriched my life, and have, in turn, made my life that much more interesting. Since moving to the Virgin Islands, that list has expanded tremendously. The rich blend of numerous cultures and ethnic groups make visiting and living in the Virgin Islands an experience that I relish as much as the sun, sand and water.
People living, working and visiting the Virgin Islands have so many anecdotes to tell, and I would like to introduce them from time to time in this blog. Interesting ones, like the man who makes a living doing boat and people salvage, colorful characters, like the artist who makes a living showing the world our islands through paintings or photographs, salty dogs, like the owners who live onboard boats that are moored around the islands, soulful ones, like the guy who plays guitar and sings like a pro but isn’t; my list could go on and on. I would like you to meet the ones who contribute to island flavor and local color in their own, unique, and sometime off-beat ways, not just a select group of elite politicians or well-known island folks. Plenty has already been written about them.
Just be forewarned, I can plan a wedding without missing a detail, but when it comes to writing, take my stories for what they are. I’ll leave the polishing to my editor, when I can find one. I also welcome any comments and or contributions to my blog. So if you have something you would like to say or write about the Virgin Islands but don’t want a blog, send it to me. Just keep it positive, family friendly and interesting.

Category: Uncategorized  | Tags: , ,  | Comments off
I’m a newbie in the sailing world. Author: Jan 27

I have just entered the world of sailing. The sailor that has captured my heart has also introduced me to keels, masts, jib sails and knots. Lots and lots of knots. I never realized that sail boats were held together with so many different types of knots. There is the anchor hitch used to attach a line to an object, The rolling hitch for exerting force along another line, The sheet bend is used to attach two similar lines together just to name a few. But aside from learning how to tie a knot, there is the ride. It’s when the wind catches the sails and the boat takes on a life of its own. It becomes light and fast as it skims the surface of the water. I was born and raised in Minnesota land of 10,000 lakes and millions of power boats. And yes I was a power boat fanatic. (They always say opposites attract) Owned my first one at 18 and sold my last before moving down to St.Thomas. For a girl I could talk Mercury inboard/ outboard verses Chrysler out board with the best of them. Now horsepower has been replaced with weather reports of wind speed and direction. Relying on the wind or lack of it to dictate your destination takes a bit of getting use to. I am learning to sit back and let Mother Nature work her magic and its starting to be a wonderful experience. I have seen the best sunsets on the water without the drone of a motor or the smell of fuel. The plowing through waves racing along other sail boats has exhilaration. Even waiting for the wind to fill the sails lends to discussions, if not lessons on knot tying. We plan on trip to Jose Van Dyke, Tortola and Virgin Gorda in the near future I’ll let you know if my enthusiasm continues, but I wish we had a bigger motor on the Dinghy.

Deb and Kevin( from Ruth Avery) on board Shanti

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Open Mic Night with the Blues Author: Jan 19

I have  heard about  impromptu jam sessions in the Big Easy. Always wanted to attend one and listen to  musicians getting together for great music.

Last week I attended a wonderful Jam session and it wasn’t in New Orleans. It was Wednesday and open Mic night at Tickles in Crown Bay Marina.  We were there to lend moral support to a friend who played guitar and sing.

Never intended to stay past his performance but as luck would have it, we lingered. Between talking, eating their famous potato skins, drinking a cruzen rum and coke  the night turned from a middle of the week quick stop, to a great night to remember.

Musicians  from around the St. Thomas  gathered to play some wonderful blues music.  Magical was the ambiance, spell binding was the music as Singers , steel pan , guitar, harmonica and flute all performed  without knowing each other before hand.  Selections to perform were decided on via a group discussions on stage before each number.

When the flute arrived we were skeptical and I saw more than audience member  get a poke in the ribs from fellow patrons.   We were pleasantly surprised to hear the flute mix in and really play unlike any other flute I have heard before.  That flute blew the blues.

Not only was the instruments great but the singers were on track , on Que and in rhythm.

The musicians could have played all night in a veritable jam session of the blues.
 
Who would have thought it but it happened here in St.Thomas Virgin Islands at Tickles restaurant and bar in Crown Bay Marina.
I just might make Wednesday a Tickles night more often.

 

Category: People in the Virgin Islands, Uncategorized  | Tags: , , , ,  | Comments off
Deborah mcDonald Author: Dec 14

Hello,

My name is Deborah McDonald but my friends call me Deb.

I would like to take this time to introduce myself with the question I get asked most often.

Why have I made the Virgin Islands my home?

Prior to moving to the Virgin Islands, I had worked as a Customer Service Manger for 18 years in a major corporation, located in the states. Due to a merger my job was being eliminated. 

I moved to the Virgin Islands for a six month vacation. That was over 7 years ago. I’m still here and loving it.

I love the culture,  the many ethnic groups,  and the way of life.   Most of all I love the water, sun, sand and my job.

I started Planning Perfect Island Wedding Day with the idea to create a memorable and fun day, not only for the bride and groom, but their families and guests as well. I had been officiating wedding since 1972 in Minnesota.   In the Virgin Islands I wanted to create a company that could provide affordable wedding coordination services to people of all cultures and backgrounds.

I wanted to have a business built with quality and integrity.

Growing up in the family restaurant business, along with College and my career in the corporate world. I have developed management, business, and customer service skills along with the determination to work the details to achieve magnificent weddings from ordinary ones.

So with two dogs, a Parrot and my car. I made the drive from Minnesota to Florida.   My car went on the boat. The dogs, (Sarah and Rosy), parrot (Ludwig) and I got on the plane. It’s over 7 years later and and I can’t image moving back.

I knew what I wanted to do; I just needed to convince the rest.

Whew! What a concept. Transparent pricing and exceptional customer service.

It took a long time to gather just the right vendors and professionals together. It took just as long before they realized I was not doing some smoke and mirrors trick. Perfect Island Wedding Day was not only publishing their pricing on its web site but really, really not taking a kick-back or bonus for doing business with them.

I got puzzled and sometime hostile looks from competitors with questions of “But why, this is St. Thomas, people don’t expect it here, so why start it here?”   Guess I was setting higher standards than what they wanted to archive.   Needless to say they are not working for or with me.

What do I get out it?   My fee is an 18% charge to your balance.   My service is to consult with you for your perfect wedding agenda.   From the simple to the most elegant celebration, our expertise will allow you to fully experience the bliss, the joy and the excitement of your wedding day.

In other words we make sure all of the coordination is done and your wedding goes off without a hitch (pardon the pun).

So welcome again to my web site.   I look forward to any comments or questions you may have.

This blog  will contain island interest and folk lore, restaurant reviews, interesting people I have met in addition to weddings past and present.

Deb McDonald

Never hesitate to hold out your hand; never hesitate to accept the outstretched hand of another.

- Pope John XXlll

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