Get Married Here - L'anse Aux Epines House, Grenada

This luxury villa on the island of Grenada has great bones that would support a wedding of any theme... {a Moroccan Wedding would be amazing here!}

The living spaces are created to mimic the colors of the abundant nature right outside the door... warm whites, rich browns, and lush greens & blues...

The house comes with a boat dock and a boat rental can be arranged and useful to explore many of Grenada's amazing beaches...

The views would be the perfect backdrop for dramatic wedding photography...

Interested in reserving L'anse Aux Epines House for your special day? Drop us a line! info @ caribbeanjourney.com

Enjoy,

The Best Caribbean Wedding Menu Ever

Last night I was hungry. Working way into the dinnertime hour and so my mind drifted to food. A click here, a click there, and I found what I think is the most perfect Caribbean Destination Wedding Menu Ever. Kudos to this bride and groom for such great meal planning and even including Vegan (V) and Dairy Free (DF) dishes for special diets. Of course, getting married on the Isle of Spice doesn't hurt the palate either.

"Dinner Menu for our Wedding Day at the Beach House"

Canapes
Smoked Salmon on a Cucumber Slice and Wasabi Rice Cracker topped with Caviar (DF)
Mini Crab Cushion with Thai Cucumber Vinaigrette
Spicy Curried Chicken Volovend with fresh Cilantro
Classical Shrimp Cocktail served with Spicy Seafood Cocktail Sauce (DF)
Caprese Cocktail drizzled with Olive Oil, Salt and Black Pepper (V)
Vegetable Samosa with fresh Mango Chutney Dip
Vegetable Crudite Platter with Olive Oil Based Dip (V)

Appetizer
Choose one of:
Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk & Ginger (V)
Creamy Lobster Bisque with Dry Sherry
Grilled Eggplant & Bell Peppers with fresh Basil and Drizzled with Lemon Honey (V)
Tuna Carpaccio served with Ginger, Cilantro, Capers, Lemon Zest, Black Pepper & Grand Marnier Aioli
Spicy Scallops with light Saffron Sauce and fresh Basil

Salad
Choose one of:
Freshly Tossed Caesar Salad with Home-Made Croutons
Freshly Prepared Green Leaf & Herb Salad with Passion-Fruit Vinaigrette (V)

Main Course
Choose one of:
Chicken Curried with Fresh Cilantro, Coconut & Saffron
Char-Grilled Filet Mignon with Grilled Onion Slice and Bleu Cheese Sauce
Spicy Cajun Shrimp with Passion Fruit Glaze (DF)
Grilled Fresh catch with Tropical Fruit Salsa (DF)
Pesto Pasta with grilled Portobello Mushroom (V)
All main courses (except the pasta) are served with a choice of sides:
Sautéed seasonal veggies (V) or Fried Plantain and Baked in Rum & Cinnamon (V)
Calypso Rice (V) or Potato Dauphinoise

Dessert
Choose one of:
Fresh Fruit Plate (V)
Mousse au Chocolat Gateaux with Almonds and Cherries
Baked Kahlua Cream Cheese Cake

**Photo is Pumpkin Soup - delish!

I'd love to get married here...

If I could do all over again, this location would be tops on my list. We'd rent the entire property... have this posh little gem of a hotel all to ourselves. I'd specifically ask for rolls and rolls (ok - megabits) of film to be shot in color just to capture all the yummy eye candy this hotel has to offer... isn't it cheerful? More here...

Green Your Caribbean Wedding!

One of the hottest trends in weddings this year, is "green" weddings. Society as a whole is becoming more environmentally conscious and therefore companies everywhere are jumping on the marketing bandwagon to appeal to this growing level of compassion. The travel and wedding industries are not exempt. Combine green-conscious companies from each of these industries and a Green Destination Wedding is possible! Let's start at the beginning, with the engagement rings. Green Karat sells conflict-free diamonds and will allow you to recycle any of your old jewelry and then creates a custom piece just for you!

Next it is time to send out the announcements! Twisted Limb Paperworks is just one of the green companies I found that offers 100% recycled Save-the-Date Announcements and Invitations that can be fully customized and come in an array of colors including a texted tan that resembles sand and the same pale blue as the Caribbean Sea.

Unfortunately, air travel is one of the evils of the eco-friendly modern age. Despite my green quest, I for one will never be able to give up flying. There are simply far too many places I lust for that I can't reach any other way. Terra Pass is just one of the many organizations popping up offering carbon offset programs. (I was in touch with them last year in hopes of working together and they never followed-up... but I still think their company is worth recommending.) While there are many debates about how and if these programs really work, I think it best to err on the side of "let's hope so".

Deciding where to stay will be the toughest part because eco-friendly hotels and resorts are springing up each month in the Caribbean! The Green Globe program is one of the oldest eco-friendly certification programs. The Caribbean, as a region, leads the world in the number of Green Globe certified properties. Currently there are 57 Certified Properties in the region. Here are some of my favorites. The Bucuti Resort, a small intimate resort, in Aruba has installed many water-saving devices and dozens of solar panels. Kudos to the Sandals Resort chain for making sure ALL of their hotels are Green Globe Certified. The purely luxurious Spice Island Beach Resort in Grenada employs a "green team", a group of individuals who oversee and implement the environmental programs on property.

A room from the Cinnamon and Saffron Suites at Spice Island:

And because some of you don't want to return from your Destination Wedding to a house full of unnecessary gifts, there are all kinds of conscious wedding registries. My favorite this week is offered through the World Wildlife Fund and allows your guests to contribute to conservation in place of sending a gift.