Turks and Caicos Islands Visitor Destination Guide

Susan R Schiffli from Waterloo IN is a Financial Analyst at Carrier Corporation. Her hobbies and interests include travelling, walking, hiking, real estate, crafts and dogs. Geoff W Brown from Ann Arbor MI is a Mortgage Consultant at Greenbrier Mortgage, LLC. He lists his interests as golf, basketball, travelling, real estate, financial planning. They met in college at Indiana University and immediately became friends, but didn't start dating until 4 years later!! They will reside in Charlotte NC.
After much research, we decided to visit Turks & Caicos last September. We loved the natural beauty of the island, amazing turquoise water and beaches, and the fact that it is very quiet and peaceful. We felt that it would be the perfect setting for a romantic getaway for our wedding, honeymoon, as well as a great vacation spot for our friends and family (none of them had ever been to Turks before). Friends flew in from Arizona, Indiana, California, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri and Florida.
We were right! It couldn't have been a more perfect week! Everything better than expected. From our Welcome Hour at Seaside Café, to our fabulous sunset rehearsal cruise with Sail Provo, to the delicious beach BBQ at Ocean Club, and lastly, the beautiful wedding on Grace Bay Beach and dinner at Anacaona, it couldn't have been a more memorable event.
Even though the trip seemed to fly by, we enjoyed spending so much extra time with our guests, and we can't wait to plan our anniversary trip! We stayed one week at Ocean Club West, then one week on Parrot Cay for our honeymoon.
Many thanks to all of our friends for making the long trip to paradise!! Also many thanks to Beatrix and Elizabeth from Nila Destinations. They made everything more perfect than imagined! Also thanks to: David and Chris from Tropical Imaging for the fantastic photos! Anacaona for a wonderful cocktail hour, dinner, and cake for our wedding. Geraldine at Maxim Le Salon. Correy Forbes for music. Judith Smith for beautiful flowers. Mike Bratspir at Ocean Club for an awesome BBQ! Captain Dave Matthews and Sail Provo for our rehearsal sunset cruise! The staff at Ocean Club West for friendly, responsive service.

Kimberly loves singing, listening to music, watching movies, going out with girlfriends and spending time with "Biggie" their dog. She works in New York City as a personal assistant to talk show host Kelly Ripa. She met Brock during her first job in New York at a film post-production house. She was working as a client coordinator in the audio department, from Pittsburg, Brock was working his first NYC job as a client coordinator in the video department. Brock is now a freelance film editor. His interests include movies, music, bicycling and enjoying New York city life.
After much research and deliberation they chose the Turks & Caicos for their wedding due to the close proximity to the states, the beautiful unspoiled beaches and turquoise water. They stayed at Ocean Club and found the suites perfect for whole families to stay in as well as the 70 invited wedding guests - who flew in from Pittsburg, Ohio, New York and Israel. They loved the Cabana Bar & Grille! The night before the wedding they had a beach BBQ at the Cabana Bar. The wedding was performed on the beach in front of Ocean Club with a dinner reception at the Gecko Grille.
They wish to thank ~ "Beatrix and Elizabeth from NILA Destinations. Tanya at the Gecko Grille, Ditta our favourite waitress, Scotty from the Gecko Grille bar. We LOVED the flowers by Judith Smith at J&S Flowers. Tropical Imaging was unbelievable - we would like to thank Ileana and Andy for a great job. Anacaona for the cake. Shocking Vibes for the music ~ who kept the party on their feet. Also - Sonya and Sheryl from the Ocean Club front desk for always making everything easy. And Omar - who used to work at the O.C. he is the best - he actually came to visit us on our wedding night!"
"Our experience was amazing and we wouldn't change a single thing. We will be back for many anniversaries!"

Santiney enjoys tennis, reading and cooking. She is a management consultant with Accenture. Carlos is an internet strategist, his interests include sports and science fiction. The couple lives and works in Chicago Illinois.
They knew they wanted a destination wedding and an acquaintance mentioned the Turks & Caicos Islands... they had never heard of the country. Upon further research, Grace Bay Beach seemed like the perfect setting. A quick vacation to check it out and they could not imagine a more beautiful place to get married. Friends flew in from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta and St Louis. They stayed at The Sands Resort and a few nights at The Somerset after the wedding.
They wish to thank the following:
Elizabeth and the staff of NILA Destinations.
Grace's Cottage for the Bridal Shower.
Sail Provo and Chef Clive Whent for the beach BBQ and bonfire rehearsal dinner and cruise.
Bay Bistro for the Reception. Judith Smith at J & S Flowers. Eric at Caicos Bakery for the wedding cake.
Photos by Ileana Ravasio and Chris Mann of Tropical Imaging.
Saxophonist Janardo Laporte for music at the ceremony.
Guitarist Arnold Simmons for music at the cocktail party.
Special thanks to Shocking Vibes for letting the brother-in-law of the groom, Lafayette Harris Jr, a professional jazz musician, play a few songs with them.
It was a very special treat for the bride and groom!

Melanie is a project manager at Atronic Americas. Her interests include modeling, golf, volleyball and soccer. Jon works in executive sales at King Pharmaceuticals. His interests include golf, ice hockey, tennis and ping pong. They met while both working at Insight.com in Phoenix Arizona.
After researching their options for a beach wedding they chose the Turks and Caicos because it seemed the perfect place. "And it was!" Friends and family flew in from Guam, Hamburg Germany, Phoenix, Atlanta, New York City and Connecticut. They all stayed at Ocean Club West. Bride and groom honeymooned at Grace Bay Club, The Palms and Parrot Cay. "They all were amazing!"
"Many thanks to Beatrix Neuhaus for making our dream wedding a reality! Also a big thank you to Andy at Tropical Imaging for capturing our special moments in a way we could not imagine. Thanks to Pastor Colby for his special words during our ceremony. And a huge thank you to all of our family and friends who made it all the way to the TCI to make this an unforgettable experience for us.
We had an amazing time while in the Turks & Caicos. Together with family and friends we had an unforgettable adventure. We went riding on the banana boat, parasailing, kayaking, on a catamaran snorkelling cruise, we saw Rock Iguanas, some even saw a reef shark! We played smashball on the beach, built sand castles, sang Karaoke at Bambooz and celebrated our marriage with a special group of friends and family in the most beautiful place on earth. We love it here and will always remember the beautiful islands of the Turks and Caicos!"

The bride and groom are both from Baltimore, Maryland. Diane is the Assistant Director of Communications for the Greater Baltimore Committee. She loves to travel. "I lived in Germany for 7 years, so I've been addicted to seeing the rest of the world ever since." Brendan is a sculptor. He lists his interests as traveling, skiing and stone carving. "We met about 13 years ago through mutual friends. It just wasn't the right time for us though. We were only friends. Brendan went away to school at East Carolina University and I left for Germany. About 5 years ago, while still living in Germany, I was visiting my parents in Maryland and the same mutual friends decided to play cupid. Well it worked. We had a long distance relationship for about six months and then I moved back to Maryland. Four years later we were married in the Turks and Caicos."
"It was an easy decision to choose the Turks and Caicos for our wedding. Turks and Caicos has the most spectacular beaches! We've both been to several islands and all over the world, but heard TCI has the softest, whitest sand - so we were easily convinced. If you're going to have a beach wedding, the white sand and turquoise water backdrop is essential! The islands are also very easy to get to from the US, so they're perfect for a destination wedding."
"We stayed at Ocean Club Resorts on Grace Bay Beach. It was a perfect resort for our 38 family and friends!" Friends flew in from, Seattle Washington, San Diego California, all over Maryland and Tampa Florida. Our wedding coordinators with Nila Destinations were incredible! Rosalind and Elizabeth helped us through every step of the way - from the tiny planning details that started 1 year ago through e-mail to the moment we left the reception as a married couple. Pastor Coleby, who married us, was wonderful. He helped make the ceremony amazing. The cocktail hour and reception was held at Anacaona Restaurant at Grace Bay Club, which was absolutely perfect! Thanks to Anacaona's manager, Kali! We had it all - outdoor lounge with couches, tiki torches, overlooking the beach, elegant dinner (bravo to the chef!) under a thatched roof, candles and dancing into the night with the tropical sounds of an incredible reggae band. At the end of the night, our wedding ceremony photos were already in our hands - and they were superb! Pennylaine did a beautiful job - we hardly knew he was taking pictures - but he captured every little detail of the ceremony.
It was simply a dream - from the moment Brendan proposed to end of our "familymoon" in Turks and Caicos. If you're curious about the proposal read on - We were walking around the Baltimore Museum of Art's sculpture garden (in Maryland) looking at beautiful artwork. The birds were chirping, a bunny hopped by and a squirrel made its way in front of our path (just setting the tone). We walked up a few steps under a little wooden gazebo with vines entwined around the roof and little benches underneath. Brendan walked up to this small sculpture that I couldn't see because he was standing in front of it. I looked to the left of him and tried to read the artist plaque. It had Brendan Hughes as the artist. At that point I was a little confused. Then I read on, the title of the sculpture was "DIANE, WILL YOU MARRY ME?" and underneath 2006 Bronze. My heart started beating fast and I looked over to see the sculpture next to Brendan. It was a bronze pair of hands reaching out, holding a ring. The hands were fastened to a rough chunk of granite and sitting on top of a smooth marble surface. The hands looked very familiar - they were a cast of Brendan's. I looked up at his eyes and could see the nervousness, he was shaking. Then he asked. Of course I said yes, crying, hugging, kissing. Then he danced with me, as people walked by smiling once they saw what was happening. It was perfect.
One recommendation to all brides: If you choose a destination wedding in Turks and Caicos - you will not regret it! It was a dream. And if you're not sure about your wedding dress - go for it all - be a princess! It doesn't matter that you're getting married on the beach!