Sarah and Jackson need a minute to think about the question: What kind of wedding did you have in mind immediately after you were engaged? “That’s a great question,” Sarah says. “We had a lot of discussions before we committed to anything.” The simplest parts of those discussions went like this: Do we want a beautiful venue? Obviously. A memorable time? Of course. Should our wedding be fun or serious? Come on, fun is Sarah and Jackson in a nutshell. Interestingly, during every conversation, one word kept coming up: Intimate.
It isn’t an unusual wedding concept, but it does raise more questions about why they would choose Beaches Turks & Caicos for an “intimate” wedding experience. This is a destination where you find multi-generational families and an enormous waterpark, and where laughter is as constant as the ocean breeze. It’s casual. It’s unpretentious. It’s energetic. “Looking back, our wedding at Beaches was meant to be,” Sarah says as a final answer to any and all questions.
The definition of “an intimate wedding” for Sarah and Jackson is the definition so many couples search for — and perhaps miss. It means being with the most important people in their lives, enjoying each other the way they’ve always wanted to (completely) and in a location they never imagined (exotic yet convenient).
“A lot of friends and family would need to travel to where we live in Tennessee for our wedding,” Jackson says, “so we thought, if they’re going to travel we might as well invite them to a tropical paradise so they can have the vacation of a lifetime.”
If they had any doubt about their decision, it was erased when 77 guests said they’d be coming to Beaches Turks & Caicos. The rest of the wedding decisions were even easier. Sarah created a mood board, sent it to the Beaches wedding team, and let them do what they do better than anyone.
“They made our dream a reality,” Sarah says.
Neither Sarah nor Jackson had even been to Turks & Caicos until the week of their wedding. They could barely believe their eyes when they saw in person what they’d pictured in their minds for a wedding backdrop. Water the richest shade of turquoise. A spectacularly white beach. Palm trees and tropical flowers in every direction. They also sensed something as unmistakable as the warm air: a happy and care-free mood. It became happier and happier with the arrival of each guest on the island.
“It meant the world to see the people who had poured into our relationship since we were 16 years old, all in one place,” Jackson says.
He and Sarah felt as if they’d opened a gateway for those friends and family members to rejuvenate.
They would be free to enjoy massages and breathtaking views, delicious meals from the 21 restaurants and walks along the ocean. They would also be free from the constraints of time and from the expectations of adulthood.
“The waterpark …” Sarah says, not sounding at all like a bride describing her pressure-filled wedding week, “… that alone was worth being married at Beaches.”
At the end of each day, Sarah and Jackson would say what their guests were also saying: “That was the best day of our lives.”
Then they’d go to sleep in total peace and wake up in the continuation of their dream.
“Every day,” Jackson says, “was better than the one before it.”
Their streak of best days culminated with “the day.” Sarah and her bridesmaids made girls-only memories at Red Lane Spa, where they had their hair styled and makeup done. The Beaches staff set everyone up with special pre-wedding snacks in a spacious villa. The buildup to the ceremony fit the destination itself, blurring the line between exciting and relaxing.
Moments before the ceremony, Sarah and Jackson took their first look at the beachfront altar where they would cross into a new era of togetherness. They’d been so occupied all week with fun that they hadn’t even thought about the wedding details.
“That’s truly a moment I’ll never forget,” Sarah says. “I had a general vision for our wedding, and the Beaches staff captured it. Then they put their timeless Turks & Caicos twists on it. I’ve never been more excited than I was when I walked into that masterpiece.”
White roses and 77 smiles led Sarah toward Jackson to the edge of the crystal-clear ocean. And there they were, living out the wedding they’d discussed months earlier. Beautiful. Memorable. Intimate.
At first, Sarah and Jackson say they wouldn’t change a thing about their Beaches Turks & Caicos wedding and reception. The gorgeous scenery. The relaxed mood. The dancing in the island sand. The pumpkin soup. As they rattle off the list, Sarah pauses.
“Actually, I would change one thing,” she says. “I wish we would have stayed longer because I never wanted to leave.”