Considering a destination wedding in Antigua? Already married but thinking about renewing your vows? If you answered yes to either question and want your ‘something blue’ to be the numerous shades of blue Caribbean sky and the sparkling blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, then this post is for you.

You may recall from The Blog Team that Jolie is Sugar Ridge’s Wedding Coordinator and the on-island, go-to girl for our dedicated res team at DestinationWeddings.com (US enquiries). Though she’s been organizing weddings for us since 2009, she likes to say that each one feels completely different, as if each one is a first time experience for her.

When Liz, our liaison at Destination Weddings, was in Antigua, Jolie took us to see where two of our guests would be married later that afternoon. This particular couple had also employed two of Antigua’s best wedding service providers, Tracy Guerrero of Indigo Events and Vanessa Hall of  Vanessa Hall Photography. The bride had seen photos of another beach wedding on Vanessa’s blog and contacted her with a simple request, she wanted “that beach and that setting”.

‘That beach’ was the beautiful Valley Church beach located on Antigua’s Southwest coast, just a few minutes away from Sugar Ridge, and ‘that setting’ was Tracy’s signature bamboo pergola.

Incidentally, Valley Church is the first beach we featured in our quest to find and photograph all 365 beaches in Antigua. Sugar Ridge’s proximity to such a beautiful beach makes it easy for wedding couples to experience the best of Antigua: the beach wedding of their dreams and a gorgeous reception at a chic, hillside location with stunning views, like Carmichael’s.

The wedding took place in the afternoon, and while the bride and groom had invited us to take photos for the blog, we didn’t want to intrude on their special day (even for you!). Instead, we went a few hours before to take some photos and see Tracy’s stunning set-up.

And that’s when Jolie’s point about each wedding ‘feeling like a first time experience’ really hit home. It wasn’t the first time I’d been to this beach, nor was it the first decorated wedding pergola I’d seen. But standing there, in that moment, knowing that two people were about to become husband and wife, made it feel like I was seeing it all for the first time.