After they’d been dating three years—some of them long distance between New York and Washington, DC—Ruben Marinbach decided to propose to Rebecca Winship on a milestone vacation. “It was my 30th birthday, and we took a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with a bunch of our best friends,” says Rebecca. On the birthday itself, the group were posing for a few photos in front of the Teton Mountains when Ruben got down on one knee.
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It was in the shadow of another mountain range, the Pitons of St. Lucia, that the couple (who are now based in the Miami-West Palm Beach area of Florida) were married this past May. Given their varied backgrounds—Ruben grew up in Long Island, New York, while Rebecca was born in Germany, raised in California, and has family in England—a destination wedding made sense. Plus, as Rebecca says: “We wanted something that was really personal, kind of cinematic, more intentional. We loved the idea of a full experience for our guests and ourselves.” Ahead, they explain how they plotted their intimate Caribbean celebration at a private villa for 47 guests, from finding a way around ‘island time’ to bringing Romanian touches into the celebration and a organizing a catamaran party under the stars.
Look beyond the resorts
Though Ruben and Rebecca briefly considered marrying somewhere in Europe, each had grown up close to the sea, and that mutual connection to the water pushed them to start looking in the Caribbean, which would also be more accessible to their Florida home. “We knew we wanted something different, something that felt unique to us,” the bride explains. Eschewing the idea of a paint-by-numbers beach resort, they instead focused their internet searches on cool homes and villas in the islands via sites like VRBO and Airbnb. When they came across the La Belle Hélène, they instantly fell in love. “We knew right away that this was it, so we booked it sight unseen,” she says.
What made La Belle Hélène so special? The former home of a British aristocrat, the private estate offers ten bedrooms, a private staff, its own boat mooring and jetty, a pool and beach bar, and more. It had European architectural flourishes the couple loved, like stately columns, a wide veranda, scrolling ironwork, and an elegant color palette of cream, taupe, and a pretty jade green. “We loved the idea of bringing together my European heritage with a tropical setting,” says Rebecca, for whom the grand lawn with its view of the Pitons sealed the deal. “I’m a very visual person, and I could see our wedding coming to life there,” she says.
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Work with locals
Once the couple were in contact with the villa, they learned that the property manager, Febornia William, also worked as a wedding planner—and would be their local planner for the event. A few months after booking the space, they visited St. Lucia to see it in person and meet with potential local vendors, all of whom the property manager knew personally, or had worked with previously, and could vouch for. “We loved that in terms of a villa versus a resort, you can directly support the local economy and the community of St. Lucia.” Rebecca says. “Meeting all the vendors in person was honestly a dream. One of my favorite parts of the whole experience was working closely with these people.”
Their flowers, by TLC Events, were all locally grown—save for some cala lilies, because Rebecca loved the look for her bouquet—while the musicians included a local string ensemble led by violinist Michael Fletcher, and DJ Romanus from Soul Bliss Entertainment. For food, the couple worked with a local chef, Fabian Vigee, on a Caribbean menu that offered steak and of course loads of fish, for dishes like mahi mahi en papillote, Caribbean shrimp kebabs, and spiny lobster bisque. “I’m the foodie in the relationship, so I was very involved in helping to decide the food options, cuisine varieties and how everything was served,” says Ruben. The groom helped develop three custom cocktails for the wedding, like a St. Lucia-style Old-Fashioned with banana liqueur and a Piton Punch with the local, beloved Chairman’s Reserve rum.
