How We Pulled It Off: A Rum-Soaked Wedding in the Bahamas

Yahoo

07-07-2025

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St. Chelle
Like many couples who choose a destination wedding, Sydney Rivers and Quincy Nichols have family and friends dispersed across the US. Both grew up in New England—Sydney in Connecticut and Quincy in Massachusetts—and moved after college to San Francisco, where they've lived since. Many of their guests would have to fly somewhere for their nuptials, so why not have a destination wedding?
But their chosen location of the Bahamas provided more than just a beachy backdrop to their celebration: Sydney grew up visiting Harbour Island with her family annually, and once the couple's relationship became more serious, Quincy joined their vacations to this special place. 'He fell in love with it, too,' Sydney says.
His only hesitation about getting married in Harbour Island was that it would be too hot—and while the weather did end up being a wedding-day concern (albeit it the wind, not the temperature), the rest of their planning process and the event itself were downright dreamy. Ahead, the couple explain how they plotted a Bahamas destination wedding for January 2025; one that was outfitted in local greenery and soft pastels, and featured rum cake, a killer DJ, and multiple parties.
So attached is Sydney's family to Harbour Island that she was the third member of the clan to get married there—including her sister Kara, who wed there in 2021. 'We were trying to be different from my sister, and then we were like, 'Wait, this is just obviously where we're going to get married,'' Sydney says.
She's referring not only to Harbour Island, but to their venue: The Ocean View Club, a small, homey guesthouse owned and operated by three generations of one family for over 50 years. By nature of the changes made to the property (and its hotel group, Little Island Hotels) and in the world at large (via the resuming of socializing in person post-Covid), the two weddings were quite different. Sydney and Quincy had a much larger party, with a total of 150 guests flying out to celebrate, and they didn't hold their ceremony or reception on the beach; while the welcome party was held at the Ocean View Club, the couple were married at a sister property dubbed The Farm, and held their party at The Other Side, an even more relaxed venue located on the bay across from Harbour Island.
After getting engaged in September 2023 and locking in their venues that winter, the couple and their mothers visited Harbour Island in June 2024 for a planning trip. 'That's when we got a lot of decisions done, because though we know it so well, obviously communication [from afar] can be tricky at times,' says Sydney. Over a handful of days, the group met with their event team, walked through the properties, held tastings, and Sydney had hair and makeup trials. But of course, 'we made a little vacation out of it,' the bride says.
As Bay Area folks with many friends who live and have married in major cities like New York City, the couple were well-aware of the potential stresses of wedding planning. Interacting with the venue and their vendors from afar was significantly more relaxed. 'The MO of the Bahamas is to be more relaxed. It's huge culturally but also from a wedding perspective,' says Quincy. One example was the venue's approach to liquor. 'Some wedding venues are really strict on hard alcohol and serving shots to wedding guests,' says Sydney. 'But they were very island vibes—they let us do whatever we wanted.'
Relaxed doesn't mean unprofessional, of course, and that expertise snapped into place the day before their wedding. Though the couple had picked a date around the weather—avoiding the hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30—and discussed numerous rain plans, it was strong winds that wound up blowing in on the big day. Their planning team suggested they pivot the ceremony space from the beach to their newest property, The Farm, which was just slightly more inland. 'It was funny because it was basically Plan E, but everyone just thought it was plan A. We wound up being the first people married there, which was really cool, and it was so beautiful,' Sydney says. 'It was nice for everyone to experience this new part of the hotel, which they wouldn't have seen.'
While many couples marrying in a tropical setting opt for saturated, vibrant hues, Sydney and Quincy opted for lighter colors in both clothes and decor. 'I didn't want to be wearing a tie; I wanted something that was a little more casual, and the green jacket felt more in tune. I always knew I wanted to wear green, which is my favorite color. It felt very island-esque,' says Quincy, who wore a lighter-weight blazer in a seafoam hue with khaki pants. The lace of Sydney's dress, meanwhile, was in the shape of flowers and leaves.
Leafy greens were the aesthetic driver of their wedding, with the ceremony's 'altar' space circled by local fronds and downed coconuts. The bridal bouquet was made up of a wild bunch of leaves and branches. Juicier colors arrived at dinner, where tables were dotted with lemons, oranges, and spare sprigs of coral-colored protea. 'We leaned into the greenery of the island. When you came into the structure, it felt like you were in a jungle. There was soft candlelight, and then the entire ceiling was covered in a green canopy,' she says.
Guests got on board with the mellower palette: Though they didn't distribute a mood board, the couple suggested their friends avoid neon or bright tropical colors, and aim for lighter pastels. The resulting imagery was cooler than an ocean breeze. 'My friends all have great taste,' Sydney says.
As their guests arrived at their hotels—the invitees stayed in all three of the Little Island Hotels properties as well as at The Landing, a boutique hotel in Dunmore Town—they found welcome bags in their rooms. While many couples pull together these little collections of treats for guests these days, Sydney and Quincy framed theirs slightly differently.
'My family is really big on leaving 'pillow presents,' so any time you [visited] our house growing up, my mom would leave a present on your pillow. It could be something silly, like a piece of candy,' Sydney says. The bride and groom have replicated the tradition with their own visitors, and thus for their wedding, they left a bag for each guest of Quincy's favorite sour watermelon gummies and Sydney's favorite hot sauces, hats to block out the Caribbean sun, and emergency kits.
The couple chose Bahamian cuisine throughout their wedding weekend. For drinks, guests were offered rum punch, Kalik beer, and the classic Goombay Smash, a beloved mix of rum and pineapple juice. Conch fritters and ceviche made great use of the local seafood, and at the welcome party on Friday night, they served ribs. 'That's not a typical wedding weekend meal, just because it's so messy,' says Sydney, 'but that's a local thing,' Quincy finishes.
At the wedding reception, dishes were served family-style, in giant bowls and shared plates, to help the cheerful vibe. 'We wanted it to feel upscale but still casual,' says Quincy. Dessert was a Bahamian rum cake, though the couple never got a chance to cut it.
Any ceremonial cake-cutting moment was missed because the newlyweds and their guests were simply going too hard: 'We forgot to cut our cake, because we were dancing. Everyone started dancing before dinner was even served,' Sydney recalls, which led to Quincy taking to the microphone to plead that everyone sit down to eat. 'It was the sweatiest, most fun dance floor ever, just jam-packed. I don't think people left for one second. The dancing was next-level fun.'
For the after-party, guests headed to a different hut at the Other Side for an under-the-sea themed fête. They were offered neon boat-captain hats or sea creatures to put on their heads—many of the men had already taken off their shirts, including the groom—and served grilled cheese and chicken fingers to soak up the shots that emerged on trays.
The following day, in lieu of the now-customary Sunday brunch, guests gathered one last time for a pool party. It was also anchored by their DJ from the night before, and the evidence of the impeccable vibes of the celebration has made itself even more known in the months since everyone went home. 'The DJ was so good that he then did one of Sydney's best friend's weddings in Antigua, and he's going to do another good friend's wedding in Portugal,' Quincy says. An undeniable sign of a very successful wedding.
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