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Testimonials
Whitney Roundcount and Justin McIver (November 2011)
What else can we say, except that Sandy, Bill and the rest of the crew at Weddings in Vieques are top-notch professionals and hiring them was one of the best decisions we've ever made. From the first time we talked to Sandy we could tell she knew her stuff. She was very straight-forward with us throughout the whole planning process, which made things go quickly and efficiently. We told her how much we wanted to spend, how many guests might attend (we ended up with 34) and she walked us through all our options. We loved the fact that we were able to "personalize" our destination wedding, because frankly, the cookie-cutter resort packages just didn't appeal to us.
Once we arrived, we were greeted by the friendliest people and basically had Sandy on-call the whole time we were on the island. She was helpful without being intrusive, and there for us ANYTIME we needed anything. She even offered to track down a family member after our wedding was over to get his return plane tickets to him so we could enjoy a stress-free honeymoon.
If you're the adventurous type, and decide to take the plunge by hiring Weddings in Vieques and inviting your family and close friends to spend a few days in an extraordinary island paradise - trust us, you will NOT be disappointed! One of our friends said during our wedding reception "It's so beautiful - I feel like I'm in a movie!" ...and we had to agree with her 100%. Thanks so much Sandy, Bill, and all our new friends on Vieques for giving us, our friends and our families the trip of a lifetime.
Justin and Whitney McIver, Married in Vieques on November 12, 2011
Amy Pearson and David Copeland (June 2011)
Right from the start, we knew we wanted to get married on a beach, and Puerto Rico was a major draw for many reasons. During my first conversation with Sandy, it was clear that she had thorough knowledge of the logistics involved in planning a destination wedding, which was a big selling point. It remained clear through the process that she has worked hard to develop solid relationships with everyone from vendors to property rental agents to the lady who processes the marriage licenses. I can't imagine bringing 47 friends and family to a rustic, unfamiliar island for a long weekend without that level of experience.
It was hard to make so many choices without being there to see, taste, and touch the way you can when you plan a wedding at home, especially when you put all of your trust in someone who you have only spoken with by phone. So we were a little nervous about what would happen when we arrived. But from the minute we touched down, it was clear that everything was under control and everything was going to be great. I can honestly say that I did not worry about a single wedding-related issue from arrival to departure. She and her team had it under control. Even when it rained through most of the day of the wedding, Sandy and Bill's calmness and confidence made me totally relaxed. It allowed us to enjoy our wedding weekend like we were guests there too.
The most important thing for us (other than leaving the island legally married) was for our guests to have an awesome time. They did. They still talk about it months later. they talk about the venue and the food. They talk about the perfect balance of planned events and downtime through the weekend. They talk about how great it was to have those events (welcome party, beach party, biobay) because by the time the wedding day arrived, everyone knew each other, thus making our wedding the one big party that we really wanted it to be.
Our wedding was exactly what we wanted, and we could not have done it without Weddings in Vieques.
Amy and Dave Copeland, Married in Vieques on June 4, 2011
Amy Baxter and Stanley Jones (May 2011)
When Stan and I decided to elope, we began scouring the internet for places we might like to go. As we narrowed it down to a beach wedding in the Caribbean, we started to feel frustrated with the confusion and cost of it all. Other wedding planners I contacted in the Caribbean didn't seem to really care about us, since we weren't planning on bringing a crew of guests for a destination wedding, and our budget was small. One day, I stumbled upon the Weddings in Vieques website and we were instantly intrigued by this small island that seemed so romantic and remote. The last thing we wanted was to be at some massive resort amongst thousands of other guests for our special trip, and Vieques fit the bill! It is a beautiful little island that is not built up like other islands, and the beaches are pristine and gorgeous! And the best part is that most of the time it was only us on the beach - amazing!
Sandy has a great "keep it simple" package that is affordable and includes everything that we needed - someone to marry us, a beach to get married on, a marriage license, someone to take pictures, flowers, a cake, and dinner reservations. We contacted her and she immediately scheduled a phone call with us to give us an overview of her services and answer any questions we had. We instantly liked Sandy's proactive approach, and the fact that she took the time and care to speak with us even though what we needed wasn't much. She didn't make us feel any less important or special throughout the entire process. When we arrived on the island, she had a welcome basket waiting for us with champagne, snacks, even sunscreen! It was exactly what we needed after the long trip over from San Francisco.
In the end, we couldn't have made a better decision going with Vieques as our destination, and Sandy as our wedding planner. She is simply FANTASTIC! We really felt taken care of and the whole process went so smoothly. In addition to the services included with the package, she helped me book a nail appointment and hair & makeup for the big day - which all turned out fabulous - and she was there any time I had a random question like "Sandy, what should I do about getting a tan before we get there?" =) She also knows the island very well and the people and business owners there. So she is an endless resource for activities and restaurant recommendations.
Our wedding was exactly as we had pictured, and there was zero stress on our end with Sandy to take care of all of the details for us. We can't recommend her services enough!
Thanks for everything, Sandy and the Weddings in Vieques team! You truly made our wedding a dream come true!
Love,
Amy & Stan
Amy and Stanley Jones, Married in Vieques May 23, 2011
Lynn Chang and Jamie Eisenhart (May 2011) Flowers and Décor Only
Sandy did a wonderful job with our flowers. Our table arrangements were beautiful, and she was very professional. Thanks Sandy for being a part of our special day!
Thanks again for everything!
Jamie and Lynn Eisenhart, Married in Vieques May 6, 2011
Shari Jedinak and Chris Perez (February 2011)
Sandy with Weddings in Vieques was great! She went out of her way to find us everything we were looking for within our budget. She was so knowledgeable about everything on the island, right down to the details of the house we rented. Everything fit our dreams, went so smoothly, and we were told by many of our guests that this was the best wedding they had ever been to! That really made it for Chris and I.
The only thing we would have changed was our choice in caterer for dinner. But this was not on Sandy at all. We were tight on budget with food because we were more interested in spending our money on activities. So we would have gone with the caterer who did our Sunday brunch for the reception dinner too if that would have been an option. Unfortunately, at the time of our planning, that company was not doing offsite receptions yet.
But if you’re looking for a wedding planner and company that knows the island inside and out, a planner who will call you back ASAP, and makes the whole process stress free and takes pride in her work, this is the place to go. The flowers we had were amazing, the staff was also so nice and professional. The ladies that did our hair the morning of were so talented and timely. We were all ready to go right on schedule, which made me so happy because we had a ton of time for pics in this beautiful setting. I left wishing we could do it again ten times, and missing Sandy already as she had become such a great source of friendship and support through this sometimes crazy process.
What I think I loved most was her open ear for bride-to-be vent sessions. I always got off the phone laughing and feeling a million times better over whatever it was that had me stressed out at the time. Thank you Sandy for the wedding of our dreams, the great care you took with all our guests, and for making it fun in the process!
Shari and Chris Perez, Married in Vieques on February 26, 2011
Jennifer Massuch and Ian Heskitt (February 2011)
The first vacation that we took together was to San Juan, Puerto Rico in the Fall of 2008, and we absolutely fell in love with the country. The weather, beaches, food, culture, and people in Puerto Rico made that short week one that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
When we got engaged, we both knew, almost instantaneously, that a destination wedding would be how we began our lives together. Who knew that planning a destination wedding for ourselves and a small group of family and friends would turn out to be just as stressful and nerve-racking as it would have been to plan a huge wedding here in Michigan! Right off the bat, Puerto Rico was in the forefront of both of our minds. We began surfing the net for resorts, B&Bs, beaches, pretty much anywhere in the more touristy areas of Puerto Rico that offer wedding services. The more and more we searched and planned, it seemed the more and more our initial plan of a small destination wedding was spinning out of control and into something totally what we didn't want. This happened several times too! After little success finding a place in Puerto Rico that we felt was just right for us, we began searching other places. We looked into several places in Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and I think even Jamaica at some point. Finally, when we both were completely overwhelmed, and lost, we scrapped everything and restarted from square one.
It was at this time when we went back to looking into Puerto Rico again and came upon a web page simply titled "Sandy's Wedding Planning Blog". We had never heard of Vieques Island, but from what we gathered on the Weddings in Vieques web site, we knew it was right up our alley. After sitting at the computer for literally hours reading every single piece of information on the website, we knew that we had found our wedding location and just as importantly, our wedding planner! Sandy's charm, wit, and charisma shows through positively in her blogs and before even speaking with her one the phone, we knew we were going to like her!
Now on to Weddings in Vieques's services. If there is such a thing, then Sandy is TRUELY an all-inclusive wedding planner! I mean, literally, there was not a single part of our planning process that if she did not take care of. Basically our jobs were to invite people and to get ourselves and our guests down there. Even when some of our guests made a mess of that, Sandy was prepared.
Sandy's method of planning is simple, yet very systematic. We couldn't help but be a little curious as to how she would be able to plan our wedding and include our personalities in the celebrations, but after talking to her during our initial phone interview, she put all of our curiosity at ease. As the date grew nearer, Sandy was always right on point with what we had planned, what we still needed to do, and where we were financially.
Budget-wise, Sandy hit ours right on the spot. She was up front with what her service charges and never had any sort of hidden or unexpected costs. She routinely provided us with an updated budget of what stuff we had paid for and what we still owed, so it was very easy to keep track of the finance. She was very clear that whatever our budget was, she would be able to make the best out of it, and she sure did!
Finally, the time has come! Sandy was very candid in telling us that from the moment we stepped foot on the island, we were the guests of honor, and that she immediately became the only contact anyone would need for information, questions, and problems. Thank God for that because, well, let's just say every wedding has it's share of cards. Sandy was able to handle everything so perfectly that we still laugh and joke about it now.
Sandy works with a number of fantastic vendors and businesses on the island, as well as employing her own staff of very hard-working and approachable people. Aside from our actual wedding ceremony and reception, we had two parties and a bioluminescent bay trip actually fully planned by Sandy. Her and her crew were always right on schedule and very well-prepared. The drinks were delicious and abundant, and the tacos with the Coqui Fire hot sauce were the best that I have ever had in my life!
Overall, Sandy and Weddings in Vieques earned a solid 10/10 for their services. Sandy always made herself available during the entire five days on the island, and the whole celebration went off literally without a single hitch. Maybe a few self-inflicted wounds here and there, but nothing at the fault of WIV. We could easily sit here and type all day recounting every experience and how perfect a job Sandy and her staff does, but this is where we will end it. If you are even remotely considering a destination wedding, please do yourself a favor and consider Weddings in Vieques. You will not be disappointed!
Jennifer & Ian Heskitt, Married in Vieques on February 12, 2011
Danielle and J Wagamon (January 2011)
Dear Sandy and the Vieques Wedding Crew,
J & I would like to send a huge thank you for making our special day so fantastic! Everything worked out just wonderfully, & even more importantly, thank you for the clean up afterwards! You saved us from a lot of headaches the next day. Anyways, everyone we have talked to said it was one of the best weddings they have been to, and it wouldn’t have been possible without everyone involved. We hope to have a 5-year reunion!
Cheers!
Danielle (and J) Wagamon, Married January 21, 2011
Larry Stuckey and Fernando Raldiris (November 2010)
My partner and I had a very specific vision for our commitment ceremony. Weddings in Vieques executed the specifics of this vision flawlessly the weekend of our commitment ceremony. Overall, we found the Weddings in Vieques staff to be very friendly and accommodating with our guests' requests. In addition, the staff working the events were a fun part of the parties. Finally, we appreciated that Sandy's vendor proved to be quite gay-friendly. Overall, we had a wonderful weekend that Wedding in Vieques helped make memorable.
Larry Stuckey and Fernando Raldiris, Married in Vieques on November 13, 2010
Rebecca Brattain and Rick Hochstetler (June 2010)
We began planning our wedding over a year in advance. We knew we wanted a destination wedding, but weren’t sure where. What we didn't want was a "cookie cutter" wedding at some big Caribbean resort, where we were just another wedding. We wanted an experience to remember for both us and our guests that reflected who we were as a couple. When we stumbled on Sandy's blog, read her awesome insights on destination wedding planning (laced with a fantastic sense of humor!), read more about Vieques, and contacted a couple of her former clients and vendors (yes... we did our research) we absolutely knew Vieques was THE place and Sandy was THE planner. We signed our contract for our June, 5, 2010 wedding before ever visiting Vieques and having never met Sandy in person.
We took an opportunity in the spring of 2009 to take a long weekend trip and visit Vieques. Despite the fact that Sandy was executing a wedding on the island the weekend we visited, she helped us plan our "planning trip", set us up for dinner at a few places to try potential catering options, set us up for tours of the Bioluminescent bay, met us for lunch, toured us around the island, showed us several wedding and reception options and made us feel like we were her only priority. Now that we know what really goes into executing a wedding on Vieques – I'm even more amazed that she was so attentive to us when she had a wedding on the island!
During the year leading up to our wedding, Sandy was methodical. She kept us on track to make decisions on catering, flowers, music, etc. In addition to having careers that keep us incredibly busy, we are both triathletes with demanding training schedules, so really didn't have the time or mental energy to devote to wedding planning. Sandy made it easy. Even when she and her husband had some personal issues to deal with a few months before our wedding, Sandy remained incredibly accountable. She didn't let a single ball drop.
Sandy and her staff are truly FULL SERVICE. They provided travel packets to send our guests with detailed travel instructions, wrote welcome packets for our guests to help make the logistics of the wedding weekend run smoothly – and delivered the packets to every accommodation on the island where we had guests staying. She made dinner reservations for us and our families the week of our wedding, scheduled manis/pedis for my girls the morning of the wedding, arranged for lunch to be delivered the day of the wedding, scheduled the vendors, handled the logistics, and enabled us to simply "show up" at our own wedding.
Sandy was the single point of contact for all of our guests for any and all issues they may encounter, from travel issues from San Juan to getting lost on the island. Sandy's staff was able to negotiate to get Rick's family (all 23 of them!) on the Ferry from Fajardo when they were having trouble getting tickets, and was able to get them all seats on chartered airplanes to return to San Juan after the wedding when they decided they'd rather take the puddle jumper back than the ferry.
We enjoyed every minute of the week on the island leading up to our wedding, relaxing on the beach, snorkeling with friends, hanging out at the local watering holes, and just relishing every minute. Not having to deal with last minute details, vendors, logistics and snafus – and being able to relax and truly enjoy this special time with family, friends, and each other, knowing that the wedding of our dreams was being executed for us, was absolutely PRICELESS!
All of our guests are still raving about the entire weekend, from the Welcome Party at Belle Vista Villa, to the Pig Roast/Beach Party at Sun Bay, to the wedding on June 5, 2010 on the rooftop of Quinta Jabali, overlooking the coastline. We've said many times in the past 2 months since the wedding that we couldn't have dreamt up the wedding weekend if we tried. Thanks to Sandy, her husband Bill and her amazing staff – we have memories to last a lifetime. THANK YOU!
Becky & Rick Hochstetler, Married in Vieques on June 5, 2010
If using Internet Explorer, code for the link to our wedding pictures is 9dfb
We wanted to have our destination wedding in a place that was meaningful and unique and the first place that came to mind was Vieques. The thought of planning a wedding on a remote island all the way from Texas was overwhelming. After a quick search online, I found Sandy's website and could not have been happier at finding a professional wedding planner on Vieques! Truth be told, I didn't shop around for other wedding planners because after talking to Sandy on the phone I was certain she was the right person to hire to help us plan our wedding. Sandy was very efficient with our time on the phone and didn't skip a beat with any of the details. One of the first tasks was finding a venue for the wedding and after being only lukewarm at some of the places she first showed us, we were having a hard time figuring out how it would all work logistically.
Once she heard our concerns about renting a villa she suggested a newly constructed place called Quinta Jabali. It was a one bedroom villa (perfect for us because we didn't want to share a house) and it had an AMAZING view of the island and ocean. She knew that once we saw the pictures we would love it. She was not wrong! We loved it and couldn't wait to have our wedding reception there.
On the actual wedding day we didn't worry about a thing. If any issues came up, we never knew about them because as Sandy told us more than once "You are the guests of honor!" I didn't have any specific ideas for decorations for the reception but I knew I wanted to keep it simple. Sandy gave me a few ideas and helped me decide and I was SO happy with the way everything turned out. Sandy was efficient, honest, direct, and extremely knowledgeable about planning a stress-free destination wedding. The entire WIV team was so kind to us and all of our guests.
Thank you Sandy (and Bill and the rest of the WIV team) for helping us plan our perfect wedding weekend! We had the time of our lives!
Adrienne and Alvaro Mangual, Married in Vieques on April 17, 2010
Sarah Zimmerman and Todd Rogers (January 2010)
Todd & I wanted to extend our thanks to you & your staff! We were so pleased that we chose Weddings in Vieques for our special day! From the W crazy runaround to planning our wedding in like 3 months! Then to have the unheard of rainy, windy, cooler weather, ahhh. Totally not what we expected but it all turned out & we can laugh at some of the things now. As we look back at the amazing pics we loved every moment & will cherish the memories forever!
We appreciate your help in getting everyone there when no planes were flying, getting us an extra tent & photographer for the beach party in the rain (thank goodness for rum punch). Most of all for telling me everything would be ok as tears flowed down my face in horror of bad weather for all our events. The changing of venues def scared us a bit, but to be totally honest, I think it was better & meant to be!!!
You & your team did a fabulous job! God was on our side & held the rain, we got our beach pics that we really wanted & had a beautiful venue right next store.
We can't wait to come back for our first anniversary, maybe the W will be open, maybe it won't
Sarah & Todd Rogers, Married in Vieques on January 16, 2010
Patty Ahrens and Mike Jazwiecki (December 2009)
We couldn’t have been happier with our beautiful wedding in Vieques! From the moment we stepped off the plane (literally), Sandy was there to whisk us away (and carry my dress!), answer all of our questions, give us a guided tour of the island, and lay out the plans for the next few days. Sandy, Bill, and their amazing staff went above and beyond with every step of our wedding. Their recommendations for vendors, locations, wedding ideas, etc…were fantastic and they exceeded my expectations again and again!
Although our wedding party was small, we came with our own set of challenges. However, Sandy and Bill went above and beyond to accommodate all of our guests and make our week in Vieques a relaxing and memorable experience. Our families are still raving about the food and activities that Sandy helped us plan and pick out…and many are already planning a return trip for some time in the next year.
Sandy was also incredible with working within our budget, providing us with various options for each event, and making our wedding day absolutely perfect. Everyone warned me that something would go wrong and to just ignore it and to try and enjoy the day... I can honestly say, I’m sure there were some snafu’s on the day of our wedding, but Sandy and her staff handled everything and never let us know that there was ever a kink in the plan. Our day was simply perfect!
We really can't thank Weddings in Vieques enough for our fabulous wedding! We never would have been able to put this together without you! We're excited to come back to Vieques and grab a drink with Sandy, Bill and the Weddings in Vieques staff!
Patty and Mike Jazwiecki, Married in Vieques on December 5, 2009
Brianna Grant and Matthew Rothman (November 2009)
Once upon a time on a far away island called Vieques lived a wedding planner named Sandy Malone and her beautiful staff of Weddings in Vieques. Who we can't thank enough for putting together the most beautiful wedding we have ever seen.
We had been dating for five years before getting engaged and we had always thought we knew what kind of wedding we wanted to have, however this type of wedding had never crossed our minds because we had never seen anything quite like it before. From the beautiful tropically colored flowers, to the delicious food with a Caribbean flair to the magnificent backdrop of the ocean and stars, it was beyond perfect. The wedding we thought was something we never could afford was actually ours for a brief moment in time.
We had worked with Sandy for two years scheduling numerous conference calls and sorting through tons of emails at home in Maine. We had a vision of what we'd wanted but it ended up being completely different in a very amazing way. Weddings in Vieques listened to every detail and gave it their own beautiful flair.
We arrived on the island a week before the wedding and were greeted by Sandy and her staff and a wonderful welcome basket with all sorts of goodies to fuel us for the long week ahead. They handed us copies of our itinerary to help keep us all on schedule that week, very helpful we must add. Our events for our guests included a spectacular welcome party at Al's Mar Azul the Thursday before the wedding, complete with yummy foods and drinks a plenty. The next day instead of a traditional rehearsal Sandy gave us the idea of having a beach party where all of our guests were welcome. The party was at Sun Bay and catered by Coqui Fire. AMAZING food and the Coqui Fire staff were super friendly and helpful. Weddings in Vieques set up all sorts of bright beach umbrellas that dotted the beach preventing any of us from getting nasty sunburns that day before the wedding. We were also treated to water toys and endless amounts of the most delicious margaritas and Medalla! Our guests couldn't believe what a great party was thrown that day on the beach. It makes us smile every time we think of that day. Later in the evening we arranged to have everyone take tours of the famous Bio Bay. Even though we have been twice before the third time really was the charm. Again, great memories.
Oh did we forget to mention a huge glitch in our story??? Our photographer called us Tuesday night while we were enjoying a dinner at Coqui Fire to tell us she had Swine Flu and couldn't get on the plane the next day. Bri cried, obviously, and Matt got on the phone with Sandy and she promised to try and resolve the problem. Within hours she had not only found us a replacement photographer at a steal of a price but also a videographer! Sandy made miracles happen that night when she got her friends Bruce and Michele of Unique Video Productions and Michele-Yvette Photography to the island just in time for our big day!
The wedding day was picturesque, we were staying in a very posh beach front villa with views of Puerto Rico and the turquoise ocean. Sandy and her staff decorated the villa with daisies, coral roses and starfish. The grounds also added to the lush decor. Our guests were so impressed with the delicious buffet and mouthwatering cupcakes they still rave about the food to this day!
Like any wedding, there were events that occurred unexpectedly that you really can't plan for and have no control over but luckily Sandy got us around those issues so we could enjoy ourselves and spend some time with our families.
We can't thank Weddings in Vieques enough for all their hard work and dedication to our special day. The island holds a dear place in our hearts and we know we have some really great friends there too.
And we're living happily ever after.
Much Love,
Brianna and Matt Rothman, Married in Vieques on November 7, 2009
Nicole Kolm and Santiago Valdivia (August 2009)
We hired Weddings in Vieques to help plan our August 2009 wedding. When we first decided to have a destination wedding, we were overwhelmed with how much time and planning it was going to take. We are both in school full-time, and knew that if we were going to make this work, we needed some help. We hired Weddings in Vieques to help plan our wedding, and they made it happen just as we dreamed!
Sandy had great suggestions during every conference call, and made all our plans come together smoothly. Our wedding week was relaxing, stress-free, and very well-organized! We recommend Weddings in Vieques to anyone planning a wedding in Vieques. Even if you think it will take you over your wedding budget, figure out a way to make it work- the time and stress it will save you is priceless!
Thank you Sandy, Bill, and Yanira for giving us the wedding of our dreams and our guests the vacation of a lifetime!
Santiago and Nicole Valdivia, Married in Vieques on August 7, 2009
Pamela Wolford and Ibrahim Beyazit, (July 2009)
The family has been talking for weeks about the great week in Vieques and all the wedding events. Our wedding photographer captured everything beautifully and Ibo and I are thankful we have all the photos to re-live the event and really take in all that happened. Those photos also capture what a fantastic job you did with all the events and the details. The entire event was truly a class act affair, and I want you to know that I am also really thankful I had you to plan the event. Bill was awesome and so was your assistant. The hair and make-up person? Outstanding! The flowers?? Stunning. So many details I trusted you with and you totally delivered. Thank you so much. I logged on to your blog recently and read your description of the wedding and it actually brought tears to my eyes. ;-)
Missing Vieques...
Pam Wolford and Ibo Beyazit, Married in Vieques on July 31, 2009
Mia Melendez and Ira Hoffman (July 2009)
On July 4th, 2009 my husband Ira and myself said our vows on the beautiful island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. It was truly the wedding of our dreams. I'm writing this message almost 6 months after that special day and the memories continue to fill me with such happiness. Sandy Malone and her team at Weddings in Vieques made that special week possible.
Sandy is passionate about the attention to details and during my year long planning process helped me plan for many things that I would not have even thought about. Ira and I are frequent visitors to Vieques but there were still great insights that Sandy provided that assisted us in banging out the details of the many events that we had for our guests. Throughout the 4th of July weekend, our 50 guests were treated to a Welcome event at a Casa de Luz Villa, a Beach Party at Sun Bay and the main event and reception at the Hix Island House. Our friends and family continue to talk about the beauty of the locations of these events and also how amazing the food and drinks were. Coqui Fire and Eva Bolivar did an AMAZING job!!!!!!!
From the food to the decor, Sandy and her team pulled everything together flawlessly. And from the moment Ira and I stepped foot on the island, we had nothing to do but enjoy the festivities and the time with our guests.
Sandy also was completely upfront with costs and kept us informed of our budget an where we stood. In the end we came in under budget!
I do need to say that Sandy has a big personality and is more NY & DC than Caribbean Cool. But she will tell you like it is and I could appreciate that. Several days after the wedding Sandy was having an event on the beach for her crew and vendors and she invited the remainder of our family and friends who were still on the island to attend. How generous!!! We had just as much fun at that event than at the other wedding weekend events. Thank you Sandy!
Overall I would definitely recommend Sandy Malone and her team to assist other couples in having the wedding of their dreams. I would not have changed a thing about that amazing week! The memories will last a life time. Looking forward to our next visit to Vieques!
Mia Melendez and Ira Hoffman, Married in Vieques on July 4, 2009
Karen Wallace and Scott Bohon (June 2009)
When Scott and I decided to get married, we knew we wanted to be married some where neither of us has been before. Scott's sister Anne has a home in Vieques and we saw the pictures she would send to us whenever she was down there. We really liked what we saw. We then asked her if she would help us plan our Wedding down there. Anne sent us the local News Letter and I saw Weddings in Vieques ad in it. I then did a Google search and found Sandy's website.
Scott and I are very busy professional people and we, or should I say I, didn't want to spend a lot of time planning an event this important to us. When I talked to Sandy, she made me feel comfortable to plan the most important day of our lives for us. She was extremely helpful and if we didn't like a vendor she found us one we liked. She even told us to fire our minister because of some unprofessional things he did, which was really a good thing. Sandy had every day planned extremely well. We always knew when, where and what time we had to be some place. I really liked the way Sandy was so organized and pays attention to the finest detail. Other people wouldn't notice, but any bride might, after all we have been planning this big day for a long time and we don't want anything to be out of place.
Sandy and her staff were very professional and after each event if one of her staff saw us in town they would stop and say hi. I am recommending Sandy to someone who works for my software vendor.
Scott and I can't wait to go back to Vieques and spend some more time on the beach and see the rest of the Island.
Thanks Sandy, you and your staff did a fantastic job.
Karen and Scott Bohon, Married on Vieques June 12, 2009
Noelle Medenwaldt and Jay DiPrizio (May 2009)
WIV exceeded all of my expectations. We found WIV online and contacted Sandy; from the very beginning she was a wealth of knowledge and helped make our special day one that we would never forget. WIV made sure that my wife and I enjoyed our time on the island and took care of any unforeseen hiccups that presented themselves throughout the week. Sandy hosted numerous conference calls with us and was the reason why we had such a relaxing and wonderful wedding on Vieques. When we had to make difficult decisions about vendors Sandy steered us in the right direction for the experience we wanted. From last minute additions to planned events, WIV executed with professionalism and ease. I would highly recommend WIV to anyone looking to marry in Vieques.
Jay DiPrizio, Married in Vieques on May 16, 2009
Noelle Medenwaldt and Jay DiPrizio (May 2009)
Weddings in Vieques is a truly amazing resource if you are looking to have a stress free fantastic wedding. From the moment my husband and I set foot on the island, we didn't have to think again for the next eight days. Sandy and her staff provide true peace of mind throughout the entire planning process and all the way through the reception. We have so many wonderful memories due to the fact that we were able to sit back and enjoy one other and all of our guests during our entire stay.
Thanks Sandy, Bill & Staff!
Noelle Medenwaldt DiPrizio, Married in Vieques on May 16, 2009
Tori Johnson and Victor Velazquez (Valentine's Day 2009)
When our daughter, Tori, told us she wanted her wedding in Vieques, we were overwhelmed with the task before us. Tori lives in a different city, and we all work at full time demanding jobs. We had been to Vieques to visit some of her fiance's family, and knew of one hotel we could use for the reception, but had no idea how to find multiple vendors.
I found Weddings in Vieques' advertisement in one of the brochures I had brought home and Tori and I had a conference call with Sandy. We had already begun negotiating with the hotel to have our guests stay there and have the reception there, but the hotel was becoming very difficult to contact, and offered little or no assistance. Enter Sandy, the lifesaver. Through all of the trials and tribulations of changing venues, changing vendors, and meeting our very particular requests, Sandy was there. She assured us that we had all in place for a wonderful destination wedding.
When Tori and Victor arrived, Sandy and Bill took care so that all of their needs were met. When our immediate family arrived, she was there to assure all went smoothly. She delivered Welcome Bags to our many guests who were staying all over the island. The wedding week was a series of well orchestrated, beautifully planned and executed events, sprinkled with humor and love. Sandy and Bill were terrific. Sandy's blog described Tori and Victor's Valentine's day wedding as a "Fairytale Wedding Weekend". It was that and more. Our family and friends still talk about it and how wonderful the food, location, tours, beach party, etc. were. They refer to the reception at the Playa Martineau as a 'fairytale setting'. We could not have done any of that without Sandy, Bill and their team. In fact, we would not have gotten off the island if it were not for Sandy and Bill!!
There were 10 of us taking the ferry on President's Day, for a late afternoon flight to San Juan. The ferry was full and we had no way of getting to San Juan. Enter Sandy, the lifesaver, again. Within 10 minutes she arranged a chartered flight for us, and had a Van on the way to pick us all up at the ferry. Bill was there at the airport to make sure we had no problems in getting on the planes. I had heard from friends that you really depend on the wedding planner when you have a wedding, but what I didn't know is that you come to think of them as part of your extended family. Sandy and Bill weren't just the planners, they were as much a part of the Johnson/Velazquez wedding as our family and friends. Thank you both for the wonderful memories you helped us to have.
Pat Johnson, Mother of the Bride, Married in Vieques on February 14, 2009
Stephanie Sharis and Edward Witt (January 2009)
If you want to get married in Vieques, you simply must use Wedding in Vieques. You'd lose your mind otherwise.
Sandy did an incredible job presenting me with options and wasn't shy about making recommendations - which I much appreciated, since I wasn't a bride with a definitive set of preferences. The planning process went smoothly and I never felt worried as the months and days before the wedding elapsed. Not having anxiety before your wedding is priceless, especially if your job is stressful and you have little time to tend to details. The only delinquent items (like the dress!) were ones I was responsible for but everything fell into place in time.
From the moment my family and friends and my fiance and I arrived on Vieques, we were treated with exceptional care by Sandy and Bill. Though small in number, I know we were a "handful", but Sandy and Bill were pros at tending to the impromptu needs of our group. Each planned event - the welcome dinner, beach party and wedding itself - was terrifically executed. The food was excellent across the board but the Coqui Fire folks stood out as great chefs and lovely people. Sandy went above the call of duty and was very attentive to how I was holding up throughout the festivities. My wedding day was a sickeningly perfect day and I was able to fully enjoy being with my guests and celebrating each moment without being preoccupied with what was going on behind-the-scenes. I cannot thank Sandy and Bill enough.
Stephanie Sharis and Edward Witt, Married in Vieques on January 31, 2009
Jose Vazquez and Michele Reid (January 2009)
After marrying the man of my dreams on January 17, 2009, the next best part of getting hitched in Vieques was Sandy Malone and the amazing staff of Weddings in Vieques. Ten months earlier, when we initiated planning, Sandy proclaimed, "when you set foot in Vieques, you’ll be on vacation." Well, she wasn’t joking! Three days of breathtaking ocean views at a luxurious villa, plus some serious beach time in Sun Bay and, later in Culebra, made the perfect setting for our destination wedding. The delicious food at family dinners, the beach party, and the wedding reception went hand in hand with my brother Mike’s signature call for "uno mas" rounds of sangria and mojitos to celebrate the marriage of his little sister and new brother-in-law. My family and friends had such a wonderful time that before the reception ended, several people asked “when we were coming back?!”
It’s true: my wedding was the happiest day of my life – I’ve never smiled or laughed or danced so much! And there were so many memorable moments: cracking up as I listened to Maliq, my eight year old nephew, swear he wasn’t going in the water, all the while pulling on a snorkeling mask and fins and dragging a huge, inflatable alligator towards the waves; seeing my sister Mabel come to life as the queen of the cha cha line dance; watching my Aunt Marilyn lead the electric slide and try out salsa steps with the catering staff; smiling at my parents as they relaxed side by side on the sofa; chuckling with Sharon, our taxi driver, as we piled fourteen family members into her van; and witnessing the beginning of a new family as we gathered around the table to feast on Jose’s scrumptious breakfast the morning of the wedding. And none of these moments would have been possible without Sandy’s meticulous planning and thoughtful coordination, and her staff’s fun-loving nature and outstanding professionalism.
Cheers to Weddings in Vieques!!
Dr. Michele Reid, PhD, Married in Vieques on January 17, 2009
Testimonials - 2007-2008
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