New Year’s Eve 2004
I made the booking for Dianne and Darren today. What swung it for the Coconut Bay Resort was the short transfer time from the airport – a real plus when travelling with children after an eight-hour flight.
Even though it’s a four-star property, the price is comparable to some three-stars. It’s all-inclusive so there’s plenty for children to do, including a water park.
Dianne and Darren will spend their second week at Galley Bay in Antigua. I booked them a helicopter transfer from Coconut Bay as a surprise.
One month to go
Everything is about done. Everyone at Virgin Holidays was great – the consultants always answered my questions.
Coconut Bay is a new hotel, and because of this some of the guests looked up reviews of the property before the wedding. Worringly, not all of them were favourable.
Because of this I e-mailed a few of the concerns to the reservations manager to see what she had to say about them. But alot of the complaints were out of anyone’s control, such as reports of seaweed or crabs on the beach – the hotel’s on the Atlantic coast.
The week before
It’s time for the final preparations – first off, making sure the dress and extras meet the baggage allowance.
Everyone is really excited now. Dianne is feeling apprehensive because she doesn’t know what to expect.
I’m worried about the weather. Because of their jobs, Dianne and Darren could only go in November; January or February would have been better. 
Ready for take-off
The night before departure we all book into the Moat House Hotel at Gatwick and meet up for dinner. The next morning we take advantage of Virgin’s Twilight Check-In Service – this meant we didn’t have to get up so early and could go straight through to departures.
The flight is fantastic and Virgin provided loads to keep the children occupied.
On arrival
It takes a while getting through immigration, but the transfers are quick. Within 20 minutes of leaving the airport, we are checking into the hotel with a rum punch in our hand.
As soon as Dianne and Darren check in, the wedding co-ordinator comes out to introduce herself. The hotel is just what we expected and the people are very friendly. The attention to detail in organising the wedding is fantastic.
Dianne and Darren say they feel really special, even though it is usual for the hotel to hold a couple of weddings every day.
The previous day
Today, the soon-to-be-wedded couple have a planning meeting with the wedding co-ordinator to choose the final music, flowers and champagne, and to complete all the paperwork. Apart from this there isn’t much to do and Dianne says she feels relaxed. 
The big day arrives
The weather is fantastic. Dianne and I have a manicure in the morning and then go off for a bit of lunch before having our hair done and getting dressed. She’s so calm. It’s nice to see her like this on her big day.
As we walk towards the gazebo where the ceremony is taking place, it starts to rain very lightly. However, as the ceremony ends, the sun comes out again.
We have an à la carte meal in the hotel restaurant afterwards – a special table awaits us and there is a waiter on hand to serve wine.
Virgin has given us a bottle of sparkling wine each as part of the package.
What’s the verdict?
Everybody says they had a wonderful time and how lovely the wedding was.
My sister is completely happy with how it went. It was exactly what she expected. The only thing I would advise agents to check beforehand is the cost of having copies of the photographs, and make sure people know this. Dianne ended up having to pay an extra £500.
