A hole in one proposal!
St. Lucia was once again deemed the Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination in 2012. While we appreciate the accolade, visitors drawn in by the island’s magnetic appeal already know just what makes St Lucia quite appropriately the island of love!
There’s certainly something captivating in the majestic blue waters and enchanting greenery that soothes ones soul upon setting foot on the island shores. There’s magic in the way the waves lap against the shoreline, poetic bliss in the way the sun kisses your shoulders and dreamy allure in the tropical breeze – which seems to know just when one desires a cooling down!
Katie and Thomas O’Doherty recently found out just why St. Lucia is becoming increasingly popular for newlyweds seeking a destination wedding. Originally from Iowa, Katie met Scottish mate Thomas on a trip to Chicago. Thomas says mutual friends invited them out and it didn’t take long after their first encounter for sparks to fly between the two.
“It just stemmed from there,” Thomas retells. “We kinda just exchanged numbers and took it from there basically.”
Their first date was the very next day, at one of Katie’s friend’s parties where Thomas remembers her friends being surprised at Katie’s sudden interest in a Scottish man! Despite what turned out to be obviously insignificant detail their newfound relationship continued to progress.
“I think I knew pretty early that she was the one, but it took me awhile to propose,” Thomas admits. “We’d been going together for a while and after the first couple of years we kinda knew. We were together for over six years before we decided to get married.”
Thomas had a trick up his sleeve, or more appropriately a ring, when he and Katie decided to go to Ireland with family for vacation. The purpose of the trip was to attend Thomas’ cousin’s wedding, but it was there that he set the wheels in motion for an event that would change both their lives forever.
“We went to a driving range and we were practicing golf shots.” Thomas told TT. “I told my family what I’d intended to do so everyone sneaked away and my family got the hotel to bring champagne. Katie had no idea what was happening but it worked out because she doesn’t know how to grip the golf club, so I put the ball in the tee for her and at one point I just swapped the ball for the ring!”
Luckily for Thomas, Katie spotted the glistening jewel before sending it skittering off into the greens!
“She was really surprised and we celebrated. My family was around the corner and they were really happy. They’d been asking me for years but we Scottish boys take awhile to decide what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it.”
Their wedding turned out to be quite a family affair and the groom says it was entirely his bride’s decision to wed in St. Lucia.
“She wanted a sort of Caribbean wedding. She wanted to be in a warm place when she got married so I left all the decision making to her,” he says. “The island is extremely gorgeous, everyone is so friendly, especially our photographer Bill Mortley. The atmosphere and way of living here is just something to aspire to I think.”
It was the peacefulness of the people, the beauty of the land and the welcoming vibe that surrounded Thomas and Katie that made them fall in love with the island.
“There’s just a lot of contentment here, there isn’t any sense of a rat race. Life is the way that it is and you just enjoy it. You have the Pitons in the background, its hard not to enjoy this place.”
Thomas describes the private Kai Blanc villa in Reduit where they stayed as “a phenomenal place.”
“It’s very impressive,” he told TT. “I’ll be thinking about coming back.”