Two great reasons to celebrate
I couldn’t pass up the chance to blog about something exciting we have to celebrate here on St Croix… afterall the blog is called “Celebrate St Croix”! And actually we have two great things to celebrate today.
The first is something that’s near and dear to my heart (I’ve done some volunteer work with sea turtle conservation) – the release of a rehabilitated hawksbill sea turtle who was injured last year at one my favorite beaches – Sandy Point. Sandy Point Wildlife refuge is one of the few truly pristine beaches left in the Caribbean. It is only open from 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday from roughly October through the end of April. Why, you ask… Well, because it is critical nesting habitat for the endangered leatherback sea turtle and heavily used for nesting by our local hawksbills and greens too. It seems that this unlucky girl was minding her own business, laying her eggs in the sand when she was happened upon by a group of feral dogs. Sadly, her front flippers were so mauled that eventually one had to be amputated.
A group of volunteers aid in the release of a rehabilitated sea turtle on St Croix
However, the wonderful biologists of US Fish & Wildlife that monitor the wildlife refuge found her, brought her to local veterinarian Paul Hess at Island Animal Clinic, who stabilized her, and then they enlisted the help of The Turtle Hospital, a non-profit institution on Marathon Key where she spent a year gaining strength and rehabilitating. Yesterday, with the help of American Airlines, who donated her flights both ways, and the many friends she has gained along the way – our little sweetie was returned to her native St Croix and released into the waters of Sandy Point. A success story made possible by kind people who volunteered time and resources to do the right thing in our community – a true reason to celebrate! For more information read the full article here
Another thing that Crucians are celebrating today is the passing of legislation to ensure that Cruzan Rum stays here on St Croix. Cruzan Rum has been produced on the island of St Croix for over 200 years by the Nelthropp family. While they don’t own the brand anymore – they still run the plant and make the run that not only becomes Cruzan Rum, but also the base rum for many other brands as well. In fact, only 25% of the rum they produce is branded as Cruzan - the rest is sold as “bulk rum” and is used as the base of other rum products. Its that good. Recently, our government entered into a 30-year deal that was the driving factor in bringing a new state-of-the-art plant to produce rival Captain Morgan rum to St Croix. Last night, the legislature passed a similar bill that gives a similar 30-year deal providing bonds backed by rum tax rebate monies. It also allows for the development of the plant and to bring it up to EPA standards. (It had been grandfathered out of certain requirements in the past which effectively had allowed it to release untreated effluent into local waters). So, I’m celebrating the fact that Cruzan will remain Crucian… and they are going to clean up their act in the process!
“So where is paradise?”
Ashley Bouzianis April 09 Bride and SunCelebrations Marketing/Event Coordinator
*Announcing an “Ask Ashley” FREE conference call to answer all your questions about destination weddings from a bride who has been there. Please plan to dial-in Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST Click here to register! Already have questions in mind? Feel free to e-mail your questions beforehand (ashley@suncelebrations.com).
“So where is paradise?” Hundreds of strangers asked my husband Greg and I as they walked up the driveway of our moving sale in Texas earlier this year. “St. Croix!” we happily replied.
After taking several trips to our paradise and getting married on-island, we thought selling most of our belongings before moving to St. Croix would save on shipping. So we held a “moving to paradise” garage sale (complete with palms trees on our signs scattered around town), listed our stuff on Craig’s List or eBay and hit consignment stores.
We gave our remaining items to charities. Our DVDs went to a veteran’s hospital, while my stuffed animal collection went to less fortunate children in Central America. So far we have yet to need or want a single item we let go of (not even the two-thirds of my shoe collection I swore I couldn’t live without)!
Just as our three-day moving sale sold out in a matter of hours, everything about our move to St. Croix has fallen perfectly into place. From jobs to living situations, the stars have aligned in our favor! First and foremost, my new job as marketing /event coordinator of SunCelebrations.
Since my first phone consultation with SunCelebrations owner Cindy Clearwater, I was confident we were two peas in a pod. She’s a smart, savvy, no-nonsense business woman, which is precisely what a bride wants in a wedding coordinator! With my background in events, public relations and marketing, I set a high bar for the job. After a call and correspondence, I decided SunCelebrations was the right fit to coordinate my wedding.
Reviewing the details of the ceremony
Cindy’s first in-person activity with our wedding party was the ceremony rehearsal. She began giving instruction and as some side conversations continued among our large and social group, she stopped to get everyone’s attention in a polite but assertive manner. Perfect! Someone else to say the things that need to be said for our wedding to run smoothly, without me being labeled a dreaded “bridezilla!”
To all bride-to-be’s, I cannot tell you how priceless it is to be free of stress on your wedding day. My husband and I actually got to sit down and eat dinner just like the other guests at our wedding reception (which I have heard from countless brides is a rarity)!
Getting my hair done for the big day
On my wedding day, my job entailed getting pampered at the Carambola spa and taking in every moment with complete confidence the details were taken care of. Not by my bridesmaids or family members (they were on vacation too), but by competent and experienced professionals. Our wedding day was perfect!
So days after the big day, my new hubby and I met Cindy for happy hour at Fort Christian Brew Pub in Christiansted and told her we were considering relocating. Moving to paradise was something we had talked about since we first started dating! Cindy mentioned that I may be a good fit for her SunCelebrations team, which was just the jump start we needed to start seriously planning our move. Ever since, she has been an invaluable resource and friend during our transition.
Manicured nails are a must for perfect wedding pics!
Now that we’ve settled into a place on the east end of the island and Greg is also working, I’m ready to dive into destination weddings. I look forward to working with SunCelebrations, a business I truly believe in. Cindy is an incredibly talented event planner who is only limited by the fact that she can only be in one place at a time. I am confident my first-hand experience as a destination bride combined with my event planning background will lend itself well to SunCelebrations.
