In January of 2008, we were married at Nicholas Abbey in St Peter and our guest reception was held in the historic rum rooms and adjoining spaces overlooking the lush vegetation and the gully at the rear of that venerable plantation house. What a setting amidst such rich Barbadian history and what a venue! Built in 1656, Nicholas remains as one of only three such buildings in the entire western hemisphere. It lives amongst 1,000 mahagony trees, each older than Hercules and with similar style, grace and strength. It is a uniquely special location in a remote corner of the parish of St Peter.
But the logistics of delivering services and ensuring that every little detail was addressed in the planning stood out as a potential nightmare. It was vital for us that every aspect of the event was planned and addressed, especially as we live in New York and could only arrive on the island just a short time before the wedding!
As it happened, months before in 2007, we lunched with John and Rain Chandler at Fisherpond, St Joseph and to our good fortune, we discovered two of the most magical people that it has been our good fortune to meet. John has been a Barbadian hotelier of excellence for most of his life, originally recreating the famous Ocean View Hotel and more recently casting his talents upon Fisherpond, an old and long forgotten plantation house sited along the boundary line of the parishes of St Joseph and St Thomas in the Barbadian countryside. And then entered Rain, a daughter of the fabled St Lucian, Barnard family and now on permanent secondment to her husband John and Barbados. To understate the point, Rain is a logistical genius, not just with the delivery
of planning but also with West Indian cuisine and some other finer touches which we urge you experience
at Fisherpond.
Did I also say that Rain and John deserve Sainthood? Perhaps not but there must be something almost similar, as at lunch that day, they volunteered to help us orchestrate our wedding and needless to say we jumped at the offer! We had about 220 guests at Nicholas on 25th January, 2008. The wedding ceremony took place under
a latticed pagoda covered with flowers and our guests sat on each side of a central aisle, the grass strewn with rose petals. The sight was really quite special. It took enormous work and as I arrived shortly before my bride,
I saw both John and Rain applying their final touches to this and that, before themselves slipping away
to change for the ceremony.
After the nuptials, our guests repaired to a hidden terrace under the a great Sandbox tree, overlooking the lush vegetation and as if by magic, the champagne appeared accompanied by light hor d? oeuvres. Whilst managing the early reception with one eye, Rain helped direct our wedding photography with the other, ensuring that everyone was in the right place at exactly the right time. After the speeches and the cake, the party moved from the western terrace to an adjacent, tented gala with exotic food and seemingly endless music. And party it was! The band played until the wee hours and we danced with our guests as we had never danced before. I think
I can say, it was a proper West Indian fete.
But none of this would have happened without John and Rain Chandler. Attention to detail, management
by budget and delivery on time, they were genuine perfectionists. Perhaps there were hiccups behind the scenes? Who knows and more importantly who cares? It was flawless execution on the day that mattered and that was all we felt and saw. John and Rain understand elegant simplicity and they certainly deliver as much and more than they promise. Yes, there were others behind the curtain but as the directors of this play, they richly deserve the primary applause. So thanks to you John and Rain for making our day such a unique and special occasion. We certainly could not have done it without you!
With very best wishes,
Richard & Clare Williams 25th January, 2008
Vice President
Barbados Tourism Authority for The Americas,
New York
