David Breslin’s carefully planned marriage proposal to his longtime girlfriend, Cristina Lambert, veered off track in the course of the day. Luckily, the unexpected mishap that took place will make the day that much more memorable for the self-described “casual” couple. It will be a day they can look back on together and laugh.

David credits Cristina’s participation in triathlons with getting his own “competitive juices flowing” at the beginning of their relationship. A swimmer in college, Cristina’s participation in triathlons quickly inspired David to follow suit. “As of now, we’ve probably done a hundred races together.”

David chose the day of a big race to be the day he asked for Cristina’s hand in marriage. The 5K “Run for the Bulls” race was sponsored by Merrill Lynch, the company for which both David and Cristina work. Throughout the race, the couple was surrounded by friends and colleagues, but David decided to wait for a quieter moment at home to pop the question. In preparation for the proposal, he chilled a bottle of fine champagne, collected from the winery of a close friend. He wanted to chill it during the race, “so it would be ready when we got home.” A sparkling toast in honor of the proposal was meant to represent the couple’s shared passion for wine and champagne, and regular trips together to Napa, California to enjoy the region’s famed vineyard selections.

Following the race, Cristina retreated to the shower to clean up while David snuck off to prepare the champagne. Instead, he found the cork had popped from the semi-frozen bottle, covering
the freezer with champagne crystals. At David’s calling, Cristina emerged from the shower, clad only in a towel, to investigate and immediately began questioning him as to why their expensive bottle
of champagne had been left to explode. “I remember turning to David and saying, ‘what in the world did you do? You know enough about wine to never put a bottle of sparkling in the freezer!’” Amidst
the laughable mess, David finally admitted his flawed plan. “I told her it’s because I was going to ask her to marry me!”

He then presented Cristina with “the most gorgeous solitaire diamond ring I had ever seen,” she says. “It truly sparkled,” she remembered. “What a moment! A man in running gear and a woman in
a towel. How romantic!” Despite the slightly unusual circumstances, David believes that the proposal was “fitting, based on the casual way we handle our relationship.”

David and Cristina met in 2001 as recent college graduates enrolled in an intensive eight-week analyst training program for Merrill Lynch. The 60 program participants were able to forge close
friendships during the training and job placement program. Cristina was finally placed in Chicago while David stayed in Princeton, New Jersey. When Cristina was relocated back to Princeton a year later, David volunteered his local knowledge to help her find a new apartment.
Shortly after her arrival, David invited Cristina to a Fourth of July celebration with friends at the Jersey Shore.

“We ended up hanging out and talking all night,” says David. When the couple realized how much they enjoyed one another’s company, they began to spend more and more time together, both outside of work and at the office, where they worked less than twenty feet apart. “That Fourth of July get-together at a Jersey Shore beach club proved to be the start of a new relationship for both of us—together,” says Cristina.

Nearly five years later, the couple began planning their dream wedding. “We knew immediately that we wanted a destination wedding,” says Cristina, but they were torn among choices like Napa Valley, Bermuda, Florida, and Newport, Rhode Island. Nothing “clicked” until a family friend suggested St. Croix, specifically recommending The Buccaneer resort. A visit to the website enticed
David and Cristina to plan a “scouting visit” to the island six months before the wedding took place. “We were sold,” says Cristina.

The family-owned Buccaneer resort is the longest-running in the Caribbean and Virgin Islands, founded in the 17th century, and provides personalized service without seeming overly commercialized. As an added bonus, the island offers a wide array of options for wedding guest activity. “We wanted to provide our guests with atop-notch getaway that would allow them to
do whatever they wanted,” explains Cristina. “Although it was our wedding, it was their vacation.”

Wedding planner Corrine Farinola helped David and Cristina plan their wedding from their home in Princeton. “It was difficult to get used to the fact that things will get done without you overseeing
them,” says Cristina, “but Corrine was the most organized, detailoriented, responsive, creative planner we could have hoped for.” She made suggestions, contacted vendors, and most importantly, kept the couple in the loop with regular updates.

With Farinola’s help, the couple set off for St. Croix less than six months later, confident that their wedding week would be full
of unforgettable island activities. The day of arrival offered guests
an opportunity to attend a wine tasting, followed by a casino night
at the nearby Divi Beach Resort and Casino. The tropical rum punch
flowed the following day as guests enjoyed a sunset sail on a
catamaran hosted by Caribbean Sea Adventures. “Not a single one
of our fifty-six guests had ever been to St. Croix,” explains Cristina.
“We got to introduce everyone to a new island, new friends, and
new memories.”

The day before the wedding, the couple hosted a Tan Tan tour of
the island. The tour included a stop at the a tide pool at Annaly Bay,
a trip to the highest point of the island, and a visit to a sugar mill deep in the St. Croix rainforest. “The tour was definitely the highlight of the
trip for those who went on it,” says Cristina. A bridal luncheon hosted
by a bridesmaid and her mother followed, at the beachside Mermaid
Restaurant. The night concluded with a rehearsal dinner at the Brew
Pub restaurant, at the Buccaneer.

When guests arrived at the outdoor wedding site the following
day, they were offered beer and wine as they waited to be seated for
the sunset ceremony. Banana fans attached to the chairs provided
guests with a wedding program that reflected the champagne and
pistachio color theme. Soon enough, Cristina emerged in a strapless
ivory Vera Wang gown with champagne-colored ribbon detailing,
holding a lively bouquet of green cymbidium orchids. Her groom
waited for Cristina beneath an historic St. Croix sugar mill. His light
khaki suit, crisp white shirt, and flip flops captured the casual island
mood perfectly. He was flanked by three groomsmen in corresponding
white and khaki ensembles, and four bridesmaids wearing cocktail
dresses in pistachio silk.
Officiate Louise Leard recited a “touching personal account
of the life we had already started together and the lives we would
continue to lead,” says Cristina. Photographer Quiana Duncan alternated
between full-color and black-and-white images to capture the
stunning beauty of the island as a backdrop for the newlyweds to
preserve their wedding memories.
Guests returned to the Buccaneer’s Brass Parrot restaurant
for cocktail hour to await the couple’s formal entrance, which was
followed by dancing and the cutting of the cake. The three-tiered
chocolate rum cake hid raspberry filling, and was decorated with
ivory buttercream icing and a cascade of fresh green flowers. The
confection was created by Buccaneer Food & Beverage director
Dennis Giancontiere, who added a final flourish by adding the initials
of the bride and groom across the base of the cake.
The couple added a unique finishing touch that made their
reception truly memorable. During the party, held in the Buccaneer’s
Brass Parrot restaurant, David and Cristina surprised guests with a
DVD photo montage of the two at various stages in their lives. The
montage was set to music, and followed David and Cristina from
childhood through their various adventures as a couple.
After the video surprise, guests settled down to enjoy a delicious
dinner prepared by Giancontiere while flamenco guitarist Steven
Katz, flutist Jennifer Gallegos, and violinist Brian Silber provided
musical entertainment. When the fun-loving guests managed to
outlast the formal reception, the party continued with several nightcap
toasts in the open-air Terrace Lounge.
A relaxing snorkeling excursion to nearby Buck Island was
planned for the following day concluding the five-day tropical
extravaganza that turned out to be everything newlyweds David and
Cristina Breslin could ever hope for. “We wouldn’t have done a single
thing differently,” says Cristina. “We’re lucky. We had an absolutely
amazing experience.”