A wedding in Paradise

Oh ok then - Virgin Gorda to be exact...

I headed off to Tortola - which involved a flight to Antigua, then a small plane to Tortola. Waiting for a taxi at Tortola I met two of the other wedding guests from London so we shared a taxi to our hotel where we met up with Kristie and her family. We had a night in Tortola and then headed off the next day to Virgin Gorda where we were going to be based for the wedding.

The week panned out like this:

Thursday: To Virgin Gorda: Settled in to the Villas (I was in Villa Del Sole - and being the first to arrive it meant that I had the pick of the rooms!). It was up the hill from the other villas, but we had a lovely view out over the ocean.
Friday: Kristie and John laid on two sailboats for us, and we had a day sailing and snorkelling around Virgin Gorda. The theme was 'Pirates' - unsuprisingly given where we were! Absolutely beautiful. Highlight for me was seeing a sea turtle while snorkelling - absolutely amazing!
Saturday: Spent getting Caribbean Wind ready for the wedding (5pm), then attending the wedding! Then having a fantastic party, ending up in the swimming pool, and generally having a fab time.
Sunday: Very quiet day as everyone recovered from their excesses of the night before... And I got my back fried by the sun as I floated in the sea for ages trying to feel like a human being again...
Monday: A trip to The Baths - a stunning part of the coast, with great snorkelling and swimming (like everywhere else on the island).
Tuesday: Everybody headed off. I had a night in Antigua, which while beautiful just wasn't a patch on Virgin Gorda...

Highlights: Spending a week with a fantastic bunch of people who were all so much fun and so friendly. Going to somewhere that looked like it was straight out of a travel magazine - not my usual travel destination at all! Seeing Kristie and John get married - a beautiful, simple ceremony on the beach, the sunsets. So lovely.

I really really really want to go back...

Some photos below, but more on Flickr (as always)

The Girls on the last night

The Girls on the last night (3)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Devil's Bay, The Baths, Virgin Gorda

Devil's Bay, The Baths, Virgin Gorda (2)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And this beach...

Marina Cay - Pirate Day

Marina Cay - Pirate Day
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Heading to Marina Cay on the sailing 'Pirate Day' to pick up the last few guests. Look at that water!!

John & Kristie during the ceremony

John & Kristie during the ceremony
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Sunset from Villa del Sole

Sunset from Villa del Sole (4)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Says it all really!

Beach life

Beach life
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Me in the process of getting my back fried...

Party planning

So before we could have the main event on June 7th, the party planning committee had to get together one last time to test the BBQ's (and build it in Julia's case!), test out the lighting etc.

And generally just sit around and have yet another lovely evening at Simon's place! Some photos below, and more on my Flickr account...

The planning paid off - Owen worked out how to best operate the gas BBQ!

The proud owner - success at last!

The proud owner
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

It took a wee bit longer than the 20mins it said it would take in the instructions...

Now where does this bit go...

Busy building (3)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Simon checking on the chefs...

Simon checking on the chefs...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Does this really make any sense?

In a knitting shop the other day (which has opened up down the road from one of EY's offices), they were selling Organic Sheeps wool...

Now really - isn't that just pandering to white middle class PC-ness?? Does it really make a difference to the wool depending on whether the grass is organic or not...

And it wasn't cheap either!

No I'm not being lazy...

I just haven't been doing very much lately as I'm saving my pennies for my holiday, closely followed by the arrival of Tracey :-).

So this week I'm off to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands for my friend's wedding - very excited!!

The wedding is on the beach next Saturday at Mahoe Bay - followed by the reception at the Carribean Wind Villa. Which is also where I'm staying :-).

So expect (hopefully), many fantastic photos upon my return...