A Destination Elopement at Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, Bahamas

Brandy McNeely (28 and a network engineer) and Matt Daudistel (an air battle manager) were both in the Air National Guard at the 123 ACS in Blue Ash, Ohio. They met right before Brandy’s enlistment was up and their relationship grew from there. The couple both had kids and wanted to slowly see how it blended along with their relationship. It didn’t take long for them to realize they were meant to be. With the help of the kids, Matt sent Brandy on a Christmas Eve scavenger hunt ending in a proposal. The couple was only engaged for two months, so their wedding was a quick planning process. They knew they wanted to do a destination wedding at Sandals while it was cold and snowy at their Ohio home and hot and sunny in paradise for their wedding day. The wedding coordinators at Sandals did all the planning, so all Brandy and Matt needed to do was show up in their wedding day attire, no stress involved. Brandy wore a simple, lightweight gown from David’s Bridal and Matt wore khaki linen slacks and a matching vest with a white button up shirt and bow tie. The couple’s guests weren’t actually with them, but they Skyped and FaceTimed everyone in to watch and the reverend was sure to include everyone as if they were physically present. The backdrop of the day was filled with beautiful hibiscus, sea breezes, the crashing of waves and the people of the island honking and cheering their congratulations to the couple as they roamed downtown Nassau. “The day as a whole was an adventure,” says Brandy. “It was a very emotional surprise.”