Well not exactly, but let me back up a little bit here.

I'm back to my wedding in Nassau Bahamas, and I wanted to address a growing trend...the "get to know each other pre-party" before the guests roll into their beach weddings.

Traditional weddings have always had the rehearsal dinner, where guests can mingle and exchange small talk.  Although some couples have done similar dinners at their destination weddings, I have noticed a trend towards more adventurous and laid back events.  So we decided to go that route in the Bahamas prior to our scheduled beach wedding in Nassau...

Being avid sailors we sought out a catamaran large enough to accommodate 40 people, and came across the Flying Cloud (http://www.flyingcloud.info).  Everything seemed to be perfect, so we booked it for the Friday night before the wedding when all the guests would be on the island already.

When we arrived at the dock they were placing the finishing touches on the boat, so we all relaxed with a fine Bahamian beverage and waited to set sail.  Well, given the crew that was invited on this voyage, the party began to pick up speed and I was thankful that someone else was piloting the now party boat.  As we sat down to a nice casual buffet dinner my sister asked me if I had seen one of our wedding guest couples.  I could have sworn they were on the boat, but where were they now?!?  After several minutes of worry, we decided that we would have noticed two people falling overboard (right?). 

Well, unlike the title of this post, they were not lost at sea, but we did take off without them when they weren't looking.  So, my advice to all you destination wedding couples out there:  If you are carting your partying wedding guests around an unfamiliar island, make sure you get a head count before you sail off into the sunset!

Much like my earlier post, everything ended up great anyways.  And below is a very short video of the boat/party.

How many potential disasters can you successfully avoid when it comes to your Destination Wedding? 

Regardless of where your wedding is taking place, chances are that you are going to run into some bumps in the proverbial road.  Let's take my recent wedding in Nassau Bahamas for example....

First it was a family member that was afraid of flying, but put that aside to come to the wedding, for which I was honored.  When they arrived I heard that she turned white and passed out, only to be revived and closely watched for the rest of the flight down.  Then a wedding party member showed up a day late after missing her flight, and gave us her tale of almost not making down in time for the ceremony.  See a theme forming here?

The day before the wedding I was relaxing at the resort pool with a fine Kalik beer (the official brew of the Bahamas), when I heard that a member of the wedding party fell and broke his nose, and was on his way to the hospital for reconstructive surgery. 

The wedding itself was great.  Like most beach weddings should be: crystal clear weather, great ceremony, perfect pictures, and it appeared that everything was smooth sailing.   Now onto the reception...how about a family member shouting "Anybody know the Heimlich maneuver"?  Yes, it did happen as a guest was choking on a tasty Caribbean treat.  Fortunately the party member mentioned earlier was back from his nose surgery, sitting next to the choking guest, and happened to be the one that gave him the Heimlich.  A nervous laugh was had by all, and the party continued.

The Destination Wedding gods had mercy on us, getting all guests there on time, a quick nose job and some big sunglasses for one, and several guests at the reception that did actually know the Heimlich maneuver.  My family and friends always seem to have the talent to make things exciting...

So back to my original question: How many potential disasters can you dodge?  For me it was four, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.