Like so many modern couples, Gabriella Lourie and GT Svanikier met first on a dating app. It was the summer of 2020 in Brooklyn, and COVID-19 was ravaging the city, so their first date was spent outdoors. Their “big pandemic love story,” as Gabriella puts it, was sealed with an engagement on New Year’s Day 2023. But they faced a problem as they began to plan—their families and friends were scattered around the world: Gabriella has lived in Massachusetts, Washington, DC, and New York, while GT was born in Ghana and also has lived in DC and New York. Their guest list included folks on the West Coast of the US as well as in Europe, so “it made sense to bring everyone to a neutral territory, a place we knew relatively well,” says Gabriella. “We knew a lot of our friends and family wanted to go to Turks and Caicos at some point, so the stars aligned,” for a destination wedding.
The groom also knew the Caribbean island chain intimately after spending three months living in Long Bay Hills, Turks and Caicos with his family in the early days of the pandemic. Ahead, the couple explains how they planned their sweetly sentimental May 2024 nuptials along the sea.
Choose a location with which you have an indelible connection
In March 2020, GT and his immediate family took what was meant to be a weeklong vacation to Turks and Caicos. When coronavirus lockdowns began five days into their trip, his family chose to stay put. “We thought maybe we’d be there another week or two, max,” says GT. Instead, their hotel closed down, and when they realized they might be stuck for months, GT, his sister, and their parents moved into Villa Esencia, near famed Long Bay beach.
Though they loved the islands, being stuck on vacation for three months wasn’t exactly as dreamy as it sounds. “Turks and Caicos had one of the strictest lockdowns I’ve ever come across—you weren’t allowed to step on the beach. They took it very seriously,” says GT. “The islands’ main business is tourism, and they don’t have much medical infrastructure, so they wanted to make sure no one got [sick].”
GT, who works in the tech industry, had luckily brought his laptop along and was able to work remotely. After meeting Gabriella upon his return to New York, his connection to Turks and Caicos remained: It was where the couple went on their first international trip together, and his parents have been back for multiple visits, too. Getting married there was “a no-brainer,” says Gabriella.
Consider the venue (and guest list) size
Once the couple decided on Turks and Caicos, they decided to check out a few resort options. But “once we firmed up how big the guest list was,” says Gabriella of their 100 invitees, “that narrowed the choices” abruptly: The Shore Club, a five-star resort adjacent to the villa where GT’s family had stayed in, offered both rooms and villas, multiple on-site restaurants and bars, and several event space options. Plus, it was only a 20-minute drive from the Providenciales international airport—and “it’s gorgeous,” says Gabriella. The property was another easy choice for the couple.
Take a planning trip
For the more complicated decisions ahead, the couple quickly hired Mary Thompson of Nila Destinations, a local wedding planner with many years of experience. “Mary has been on this island for decades, and has every single vendor you can imagine on speed dial,” Gabriella says. “She’d explain the vibe of each vendor and how things would look.” The couple zeroed in on their priorities—namely, food and music—and Mary helped bring the party together.
