Press Room

Latest News from Antigua and Barbuda

AN INTERVIEW WITH BEVERLY KING
WEDDING CO-ORDINATOR
JOLLY BEACH RESORT, ANTIGUA, W.I.
 
If you choose to get married at Antigua's all-inclusive Jolly Beach Resort, set on a full mile of the most dazzling white sand beach in the Caribbean, you'll certainly get to know the very personable and resourceful Beverly King. She makes weddings happen, and makes sure that they turn out even better than you'd hoped. She's had plenty of practice; says she "stopped counting" when she hit a thousand weddings.

Here, Beverly King talks to MMA about her job.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself, and your job at Jolly Beach.

A. I am an Antiguan by birth, grew up and was educated in Antigua. I've been working at Jolly Beach Resort for the past 23 years, and coordinating weddings for thirteen. I'm a proud single mother of three, with a three year old grandson.

Q. How did you get involved in working on weddings?

A. I started coordinating weddings in 1989 when the then General Manager of Jolly Beach Resort asked me to give up working in the hotel's restaurant and assist at the Guest Services Desk in the lobby. Part of that job involved arranging the weddings our guests asked for. I fell in love with the magic and never looked back.

Q. If you could invite any three people in the world to lunch, who would they be?

A. Believe it or not, my family. I just don't get to spend enough quality time with them. 

Q. How does a couple go about arranging a wedding at Jolly Beach?

A. There are just a few basic steps, and they are not difficult. 
a. The couple need to book and confirm the wedding date.
b. Upon arrival, I interview the couple and arrange for the marriage license at the Attorney General's office in St. John's, arrange for the marriage officer, photographer, videographer, steel band, flowers, cake and champagne, and any other features they've requested. After that, the couple only have to show up on the wedding day at the gazebo they have chosen. We have two, you know: one on a hill above the pool and waterfall, and one right on the beach. 

Q. What request that you can remember was the hardest to fulfill?

A. The most difficult request to date was when, the day before the wedding, the bride asked to have a choir sing at the ceremony. I had to tell her there wasn't enough notice -- but then I put my magic cap on, got a choir as a surprise, and the day ended beautifully. The funniest request I remember was when the bride wanted to have a palm tree in the gazebo, because her dream since she was a little girl was to be married in the Caribbean with a palm tree in the background. Simple. We just placed a palm tree in a pot right behind her, in the gazebo. Then there are the people who want to get married swimming with dolphins….

Q. How many weddings do you coordinate?

A. On average I coordinate five weddings per week, one daily during the busy months, and in April to June two weddings a day. Jolly Beach is such a big property that they never get in each other's way, and I've learned how to run fast. What I like most about my job is that each couple are individuals, and then, at the end of the day all when the hassle is over, they simply say, "Thank you; it has been more than we expected." 
I am very proud of the fact that Jolly Beach offers both value for money and fun, along with a very welcoming atmosphere and five-star service to all our clients. 

Q. What is hardest about your job? What's the most bizarre thing that has happened at a Jolly Beach wedding?

A. Tiredness keeps me up at night after a busy day. My biggest fear is having a Marriage Officer arrive late for a ceremony -- luckily this almost never happens, but if it does, you have to make the people so happy they don't notice. The most bizarre thing that has happened at one of our weddings was when the bridegroom fainted dead away in the middle of the vows. Our hotel nurse was on the scene in minutes, but by that time I had brought him around with a glass of red wine, and we went right on with the ceremony.

Q. What are some of the things you're proudest of? What helped you achieve them?

A. I assisted in organizing the reopening of the resort in 2001, and those of us who had worked for Jolly Beach before the transformation were so proud of how much better it became. My own latest accomplishment is winning the Service Award in 2001 from the Government and Tourism Department of Antigua. My biggest success at Jolly Beach is that I'm able to make decisions and have the support of both the Management and staff. We are truly a team. Jolly Beach is a great place to work because of the family atmosphere in both staff and management.
I must say that being raised by my grandmother she always instilled in me, "Things done by halves are never done." I also owe a lot to my training in the restaurant to be patient, always anticipate the clients' needs, and be observant. But there is also my love for people. 
Although we have competition from other resorts in Antigua, I believe Jolly Beach weddings are superior because of the personal service that each couple receives from me. Even before they arrive in Antigua, clients know they can contact me direct, any time they need further assistance and assurance.

Q. What else would you like to say to a bride planning her wedding?

A. Just this. We understand that many people want to get married in the community where they grew up, or where they now live. But we know that for many reasons, more and more people are considering getting married in a completely different place -- where the family and friends who come are really important to you, where the cost is usually much less, your marriage is quite legal, and there are people who -- though you've never met them before -- are really dedicated to taking the pressure off you, so you can all actually enjoy your own wedding day. There are people like this in resorts all over the Caribbean; I just believe that at Jolly Beach we're special. One more thing. I would just like to say that my job is not 9-to-5 -- it's a part of me and my life. This is why I guess I am single. 

A call to wedding coordinator Beverly King at the resort (1-268-462-0061, fax: 1-268-562-2302) or a visit to the “Wedding Information Request Form” on the Jolly Beach website (www.jollybeachresort.com) is all it takes to begin planning a Jolly Beach wedding. For reservations in the US and Canada call the resort toll free at 866-905-6559, 800-652-2962 or visit www.jollybeachresort.com. 

<< back to press room index