Thursday Night Dinner Change of Plans

Slight change of plans for dinner on Thursday night…

We had hoped to dine at Sand Bar but that’s not going to work. Instead we’ll plan to walk down to The Pump House after the happy hour at Elvis’ and grab dinner there. The menu is pub food with an island twist, plus lots of specials every night. It’s a casual place and live music by The Musical Brothers starts around 10pm. Good news is that it’s the place to be on a Thursday night on the island!

If you are interested in fine dining instead, you can walk to either Barrel Stay or Dolce Vita, both just down the beach from Elvis’ place. If you stayed through Sunday evening during our wedding, Barrel Stay is where we had everyone meet up for dinner. Dolce Vita has amazing Italian food. Sand Bar is also just down the beach and specializes in small plates. All are fantastic options if you are looking to try some of the fantastic cuisine on the island.

Weekend Events

We are getting so excited to see you all on the island. The one-month countdown is on, so we wanted to fill you in on some of the other things we have planned.

We've put together options that hit some of the best restaurant spots on the island and enable you to experience a few different beaches. We’re taking transportation into account as well as taxis can get expensive on the island. We’re hoping folks at hotels can share like one big happy family.  

We realize for many of you that this is a mini-vacation, not just a weekend to celebrate our anniversary, so we want everyone to have time to relax on your own or have the option to join us for various events if interested.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30

Welcome Happy Hour

7pm, Elvis’ Beach Bar

We’ll kick-off the weekend on Thursday evening down at Sandy Ground. Join us for a welcome happy hour at Elvis’ Beach Bar. There will be an open bar and snacks.

Elvis' Beach Bar

Dinner

8:30pm, Sand Bar

Following that we’re planning to walk down the beach for dinner at Sand Bar. Sand Bar is a casual tapas restaurant right on the beach. Must order: tuna poke and the fries.

If you’d like to do dinner on your own, we recommend Dolce Vita and Barrel Stay, which are walkable from Sandy Ground. Veya is another great spot near Sandy Ground that’s just a very short ride from Elvis’ bar.

Then for those of you ready to party after dinner, we’ll check out some live music by the Musical Brothers at Pump House and maybe wander back down to see Elvis at some point.

What To Wear: Anything goes – wear comfortable shoes or sandals so you can dance in the sand!

Transportation: Grab a taxi from your hotel to Elvis’ bar. Later that night we will make sure there are taxis available for people to share.

RSVP: Let us know if you’re interested in dinner at Sand Bar.

Sand Bar 

FRIDAY, MAY 1

Lunch on Meads Bay

You know, around lunchtime, at Blanchard’s Beach Shack

Most guests are staying on Meads Bay, and Blanchard’s Beach Shack is right smack in the middle of the beach. It’s a super casual place where you walk up to a window to order tacos, salads, and sandwiches then grab a picnic table or a complementary beach chair and umbrella.

What To Wear: Swimsuits and flip-flops. Don’t forget sunscreen and a towel.

Transportation: Just walk down the beach.

RSVP: No need to RSVP.

Blanchard's Beach Shack

Five Years One Love Anniversary Party

5pm to 10pm, Garvey’s Sunshine Shack on Rendezvous Bay

The main event! We’re planning for a fun night with dinner right on the beach.

After dinner and dancing, we’re planning to walk down the beach to see Bankie Banx (and hopefully his son, Omari) at Dune Preserve.

What To Wear: We want you to be comfortable and ready to dance in the sand. D.J. will be wearing his bright green pants from the wedding so get excited. Mulligan wins extra points if he wears his yellow groomsmen pants.

Transportation: We will provide transportation from your hotel. More details to follow.

RSVP: We’re assuming you won’t miss this party. Let us know if you want the combo plate of ribs and chicken or whole snapper (so good).

Garvey's Sunshine Shack 

SATURDAY, MAY 2

Lunch on Cove Bay

1pm, Smokey’s at the Cove

We want to meet up at the site of our wedding – Smokey’s at the Cove. Saturdays at Smokey’s is one of our favorite traditions with great food and live music all afternoon from The Musical Brothers. We’ll reserve a table and beach chairs for the group, and feel free to join us at any point.

What To Wear: Swimsuits and flip-flops. And don’t forget sunscreen and a towel.

Transportation: Grab a taxi from your hotel.

RSVP: Let us know if you might join us for lunch.

Smokey's 

Dinner

8pm, Picante

The Mexican food at Picante is awesome – everything is really fresh, and the food is just really good Mexican for anywhere, not just Anguilla. It is also the site of our rehearsal dinner. Love this place! Must order: Ground beef tacos, seafood enchiladas, Picante Tacos, and the street corn appetizer.

After dinner, anyone who’s interested can grab a taxi down to Sandy Ground for some more liming.

What To Wear: Shorts, pants, and sundresses – anything goes!

Transportation: Grab a taxi from your hotel.

RSVP: Let us know if you might be interested in dinner.

Picante

SUNDAY, MAY 3

Lunch on Meads Bay

You know, around lunchtime, at Blanchard’s Beach Shack

Some folks are headed back to reality on Sunday, but for those of you who are still around get excited for a beach day and float party on Meads Bay. We’re going to get some floats, find an anchor for Sunday Funday party. H/T to Ryan Bowey for introducing us to the concept of the float party. We’ll bring a cooler with some beer, white wine, and there are other fun drink options at Blanchard’s.

If you want to try some of the other spots for lunch on Meads Bay, we suggest Straw Hat, Jacala and the restaurant at Malliouhana Hotel. All are delicious.

What To Wear: Swimsuits and flip-flops. And don’t forget sunscreen and a towel.

Transportation: Just walk down the beach.

RSVP: No need to RSVP.

Blanchard's Beach Shack

Dinner on Meads Bay

8pm at Straw Hat

Join us for one last dinner at Straw Hat at the Frangapani Hotel. The Straw Hat fries are amazing, and if you haven’t had Anguillian crayfish by this point, we highly recommend ordering it here.

What To Wear: Shorts, pants, sundresses, jeans – anything goes!

Transportation: Just walk down the beach.

RSVP: Let us know if you might be interested in dinner.

Straw Hat

Sunday Night Dinner Menu

This is the dinner menu for the Sunday night outing to Barrel Stay, which is a great restaurant right on the beach at Sandy Ground.  We described it in the agenda below in more detail.  The food is fantastic and it's an ideal setting for a relaxing dinner...plus it's walking distance from Pumphouse and Elvis'!  Don't forget to RSVP on the website listed below.  You can see the prices listed in the menu, and the restaurant will do separate checks for each table.

 

DINNER AT BARREL STAY

SUNDAY, MAY 2

STARTERS

TEMPURA OF SHRIMP

SERVED WITH AN ORIENTAL SALAD WITH MANGO, PINEAPPLE MELON

SALSA $22

LOCAL PUMPKIN SOUP

DRIZZLED WITH CHILI OIL $11

GREEN SALAD

WITH FRESH ASPARAGUS $13

MAINS

CATCH OF THE DAY

SERVED WITH STIR FRIED VEGETABLES IN A HOISIN SAUCE, PYRAMID OF

COCONUT RICE & FINISHED WITH A LEMON BUTTER SAUCE $36

CHICKEN BREAST STUFFED WITH MOZZARELLA, FRESH BASIL IN

PANKO BREADCRUMBS

SERVED WITH GARLIC MASHED POTATO WITH FRESH VEGETABLES WITH A

MUSHROOM JUS $29

CHAR GRILLED US PRIME ANGUS STRIPLOIN

ROASTED POTATO SHALLOT CAKE FRESH VEGETABLES SERVED WITH A

PEPPERCORN SAUCE $39

DESSERTS

HOME MADE CHOCOLATE TART

BUTTER BISCUIT SPOON WITH FRESH VANILLA ICE CREAM $14

ICED MANGO PARFAIT

WITH A WILD BERRY COULIS $14

FRESH VANILLA BEAN CREME BRULEE

WITH HOMEMADE RASPBERRY ICE CREAM & BUTTER BISCUIT $14

Detailed Weekend Itinerary

I'm going to turn it over to my lovely future wife again.  We collaborated on this schedule with all the details for the weekend in Anguilla.  The invitations just went out, so some of you will have been directed to this site by the paper products you just received.  If you like the invitations, feel free to compliment Korinne - she worked hard on them.  I think they look great, and am very happy that there isn't any tissue paper in the envelope.  I hate that tissue paper.  Here's the info:

It’s been a long, cold winter for most of us so we hope everyone is really looking forward to a warm, sunny weekend in Anguilla. We realize for many of you that this is a mini-vacation, not just a weekend to celebrate our wedding, so we want everyone to have time to relax on your own or have the option to join us for various events if interested.

As promised on the invite, we’ve pulled together additional details on the events for our wedding weekend. We are so looking forward to seeing everyone and hanging out with you in our favorite place – Anguilla.

Thursday, April 29
Cocktails at Sandy Ground
10pm, The Pump House

We’ll kick-off the wedding weekend on Thursday evening down at Sandy Ground. The Pump House is known for live music on Thursdays featuring The Musical Brothers. Every Thursday we’ve spent on Anguilla includes a stop at The Pump House so don’t miss it! Check it out at http://www.pumphouse-anguilla.com/.

What To Wear: Anything goes – wear comfortable shoes so you can dance!

Transportation: Grab a taxi from your hotel to The Pump House. Later that night we will make sure there are taxis available for people to share.

RSVP: No need to RSVP for this one. Just show up!

Friday, April 30
Banana Boat Trip
11am to 4pm, Meet at Johnno’s at Sandy Ground

On Friday, we hope you will join us for a boat trip out to Prickly Pear Island on Johnno’s historic banana boat, a 74-foot, single-masted sloop. We will meet at Johnno’s beach restaurant at Sandy Ground at 11am to board the boat out to this private island with unspoiled beaches, fantastic snorkeling and just two small restaurants. If snorkeling and swimming is not your thing, you can relax on the beach (in a lounge chair – of course) and enjoy drinks from the beach bar. The boat ride is about an hour (each way), and there will be a delicious lunch at Johnno’s restaurant on the island. After an amazing afternoon, we’ll be back at Johnno’s at Sandy Ground by 4pm.

We checked out Prickly Pear and the banana boat on our last trip to Anguilla. We had the best day, so we promise a fun adventure if you’re up for it! Check out Johnno, the boat, and Prickly Pear at http://www.bananaboatanguilla.com/.

Pricing: The cost per person is $85 plus 15% gratuity which includes the boat ride, a huge lunch of either ribs, bar-b-q chicken or fish (your choice) with all the fixings, drinks on the boat, use of snorkeling gear, and lounge chairs. We recommend bringing cash for payment.

What To Wear: Swimsuits and flip-flops. And don’t forget sunscreen and a towel.

Transportation: More details to come at a later date.

RSVP: Please let us know by April 1. Click this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HB22RDT for an online RSVP form, or RSVP to kkubena@gmail.com.  

Friday, April 30
Welcome Reception
8pm to 10pm, Aleta, Viceroy Anguilla

We want to officially welcome all of you to Anguilla with a cocktail reception poolside at Aleta at Viceroy Anguilla. If you’re not staying at Viceroy, it’s a great chance to check out the newest hotel property on the island and enjoy drinks and snacks with us, and the rest of our wedding guests. After the reception, we can continue to hang out at the main bar at Viceroy, which has another great view overlooking the infinity pool and Barnes Bay. Check out the hotel at http://www.viceroyanguilla.com/.

What To Wear: Women could wear sundresses or pants and a top with heels, strappy sandals or flats. Men could wear khaki or linen pants and a polo or button down shirt, either short or long sleeved with loafers, boat shoes or something similar, instead of flip-flops.

Transportation: For those of you not staying at Viceroy, we will provide transportation from your hotel. Again, more details to come at a later date.

RSVP: We’re assuming you won’t miss this party, so no need to RSVP.

Saturday, May 1
Wedding and Reception
5pm, Smokey’s at the Cove

Now this is the main event and the entire reason you’ve traveled all this way… to see us get married. So we promise a great evening – enough said! For a preview of Smokey’s check out http://www.smokeysatthecove.com/. You’ll notice a couple of familiar “Smokey’s People.” This was clearly a wedding advance trip!

What To Wear: Women could wear sundresses; however, we will be on the beach so wear a flat sandal instead of heels. For men, the same attire worn to the welcome reception works for the wedding, but a sandal or flip-flop is fine to wear. No jacket or tie required!

Transportation: We will provide transportation from your hotel. More details to follow.

RSVP: Please fill out and return the postcard by April 1.

Sunday, May 2
Farewell Dinner
6pm, Barrel Stay at Sandy Ground

For those of you staying through Sunday, we hope you will join us for dinner at Barrel Stay at Sandy Ground. Chef / owner Graham Belcher and his wife, Jill, are putting together a special menu for our group. Anguilla is known for amazing restaurants, and this is one of our favorites. We eat at Barrel Stay every Thanksgiving Day. Check out the restaurant at http://www.barrelstay.com/.

After dinner, a stop by Elvis’ Beach Bar, which is just down the beach, is a must. You can’t come to Anguilla without meeting Elvis. Check out Elvis and his beach bar at www.elvisbeachbar.net.

Pricing: See the post above from April 3 for the full menu and prices (hey, how did I know it would be posted on that day?).

What To Wear: Shorts, pants, sundresses, jeans – anything goes!

Transportation: Grab a taxi from your hotel to Sandy Ground. Hopefully by this point you’ll know a group that can share a taxi with you!

RSVP: Please let us know by April 1. Click this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HHQGM9Z for an online RSVP form or RSVP to kkubena@gmail.com

Attire Recommendations

GUEST BLOGGER ALERT!

Sorry, I know that's lame.  We're such bloggers, right?  Anyway, Korinne is the best person to describe what you should wear to the Friday evening welcome drinks and the wedding ceremony/reception.  Without further ado, I will turn it over to my lovely future wife:

Attire Recommendations

Lots of questions on what to wear to the wedding, so here goes… We’ve decided to skip all the vague dress code references like beach chic and resort wear and be a bit more straightforward for everyone.

For the welcome reception on Friday evening, women could wear sundresses or pants and a top. The Friday reception will not be on the beach so any shoes work – heels, strappy sandals or flats. Men could wear khaki or linen pants and a polo or button down shirt, either short or long sleeved. For shoes, we recommend loafers, boat shoes or something similar, instead of flip-flops.

For the most part, the same attire is recommended for the wedding on Saturday. Women could wear sundresses; however, we will be on the beach so wear a flat sandal instead of heels. For men, the same attire worn to the welcome reception works for the wedding, but a sandal or flip-flop is fine to wear. No jacket or tie needs to be worn to either event.

The temperature is in the mid-70s in the evenings, but there is always an ocean breeze. You won’t be chilly at night, but you also won’t be warm in a long sleeved shirt or pants.

If you have any other questions on type of clothes to pack, feel free to email Korinne (kkubena@gmail.com) who has much more insight on this topic.