joy and tom
Easygoing and non-traditional, this couple’s elopement captures the essence of laid-back island elegance.
Photo by Brent Beckles
As former personal trainers, Joy and Tom found common ground through exactly what brings them the most happiness: fitness.
“We went to the same gym for our training and I had my eye on him. But it wasn’t until we bonded over doing the same thing that we finally talked,” Joy began. .
“After our first interaction, I realized I hadn’t asked her name,” Tom says. “So the next day I asked and we kept talking. We ended up inviting her to dinner and we ended up spending a lot of time together.”
Joy and Tom, who met just before the pandemic hit, ended up programming their own workouts in his driveway, and that was the beginning of their relationship.
“I broke the gym’s rules!” Tom laughs, referring to his order not to date anyone from the gym. Looking back now, both he and Joy are glad they did it.
While most proposals involve flower petals, camera flashes, and an encore of friends and family, Tom kept things simple and spontaneous.
They lived in Florida and were always blessed with beautiful scenery. But one evening, when Tom saw a Florida sunset too spectacular to miss, he asked Joy to go for a walk along Indian Rocks Beach. Unsuspecting Joy, wearing a Halloween T-shirt, before she knew what was happening, Tom knelt down and asked her to marry him.
Joy cheerfully answered, “Yes!” and there was immediate applause and cheers. To the couple’s surprise, their intimate proposal was unexpectedly celebrated by a group of onlookers.
“I heard a lot of cheering from behind, a group of women renting a beach house,” Tom recalls. “One woman sprinted across the beach just to share a photo taken from her balcony.” That was a blessing, considering they both left their phones at home.
“We’re very casual and I don’t really like photography, so I never thought of that,” Tom explains. “I just love everything about her. Super casual, no makeup. She’s beautiful.”
When it came time to choose a wedding destination, the couple considered exotic destinations like the Maldives before choosing the charm, convenience, and scenery of St. Lucia. We wanted a location that was more than just a beach view, and Sandals Grande St. Lucian was the perfect fit, with views of the towering Pitons, the Caribbean Sea, and lush mountains as a backdrop.
With big smiles on their faces, the newlyweds soak it all in.
With the help of their resident wedding planner, Lynn, they were able to stay worry-free throughout the entire overseas planning process. Not only did Lynn and her team secure the Overwater Serenity Wedding Chapel and a local officiant for the couple, they also pre-arranged for an additional wedding cake and bottle of champagne to be delivered to the couple’s suite. -wedding.
“We wanted to elope but didn’t want to go through the hassle of wedding planning, stress, and expense,” says Joy. “So we chose St. Lucia and went just the two of us. Neither of us have ever regretted it.”
The wedding itself was intimate and memorable. Joy and Thomas exchanged handwritten vows with the ocean as their witness, keeping the decor and flowers completely neutral so the natural landscape took the spotlight.
Photo by Brent Beckles
“We both cried when we exchanged our vows,” Tom admits. “And I never met Joy until she walked down the aisle. That was one of my favorite moments.”
Tom was reluctant to do the first dance, but they chose again and again Nathan Sykes and Ariana Grande gave talks and shared a special moment on the chapel sundeck. After the first dance, the couple enjoyed light hors d’oeuvres, champagne, and a cake cutting ceremony.
Joy and Thomas shared an intimate first dance on the sundeck of an overwater chapel.
“Our wedding cake was a gluten-free two-tiered carrot cake,” Joy says of the resort’s culinary options. “I’m gluten-free and dairy-free, but I always felt valued. When we sat down, the server immediately asked about our dietary restrictions. They corrected everything and… knew which dishes to avoid. Everyone was incredibly knowledgeable.”
inspired by sandals wedding instagram Post, Joy brought the letter “C” as a cake topper in honor of their last name and arranged her own decorative flowers to decorate the cake. As is tradition, the couple took the top layer home, but they broke their rule again by digging into the frozen leftovers on Tom’s birthday two months later.
“We froze the extra portion so we could eat it on our actual anniversary, but before that we wanted to enjoy it too,” says Joy.
After exchanging vows, the couple began their honeymoon and celebrated for a few more days in St. Lucia.
“I really enjoyed the fact that we didn’t have to do anything other than just the two of us and could do whatever we wanted for the day,” says Tom.
The couple cut a gluten-free carrot cake with a neutral floral pattern.
One of the highlights of our honeymoon was: JJ’s Speedboat Tour. Offering a comprehensive exploration of St. Lucia, this tour included sulfur mud baths, waterfalls, snorkeling hotspots, and a local lunch dive while sipping on the island’s best and strongest rum punch. The boat ride also saw its own version of the Caribbean flare.
“Our tour guide was named No Problems and he played music while we were on the boat,” Tom says. “When he found out Joy was teaching Zumba, he had her stand in front of the boat and choreograph a dance for everyone!”
Joy and Tom’s advice for couples considering getting married at Sandals Grande St. Lucian is clear: Embrace the ease and beauty of a Caribbean wedding.
“This was the best decision we have ever made! Especially the elopement and choosing the sandals and destination. They made it so easy and stress free and planned everything so we could have the most time together.” It will help you.”
Their experience was dreamlike, with minimal stress and maximum relaxation. From the welcoming staff to the captivating scenery, Sandals provided everything we needed for a picture-perfect celebration.
Photo by Brent Beckles
Photo by Brent Beckles
