Viva Wyndham v Samana Beach

Wedding Ceremony & Mediterranean Dinner

Nicola & Alaric will be in D.R. from the 2nd - 9th

Our Wedding

You're going to want to read this…

Done with dating, done with dating apps, done with giving my time, I deleted Hinge, Bumble, eHarmony, I was over all the apps. Oh I was done done! I remember a conversation I was having with my Mom and I was saying “Mom you’re going to have to wait for Tasharna [my little sister]. I’m OK with just me and I’m OK with living on flights ad exploring the world”. What was my Mothers wise advice I hear you ask. “Give it one more try Nik”, to which I answered “I just don’t think I’m built for love, I don’t have the patience and can’t stomach people after 6 months”. Her wise words “give it time, you’ll know when you know”. So one more try I was willing to give, so I booted eHarmony back up…

Nikki’s Side: I was done…

So I’m recently divorced and trying to figure out what life looks like after that. I’ll be honest; I couldn’t help thinking about how to explain why I was divorced on a date… oh, and then I have to explain myself for X amount of future dates. It felt like applying for jobs over and over again. With that analogy in mind, I applied on Hinge, Bumble, and Tinder. (which was quickly deleted soon after that) I quickly realized that I needed more substance than these apps provided, so I applied on eHarmony. For those who don’t know, eHarmony isn’t free, so basically, everyone there is looking for a match that is more valuable than the subscription cost. Search Criteria60 Mile Radius from Fort CollinsNo further north than Cheyenne, WYNo further south than north Denver, COI wasn’t worried about the mountains westandI couldn’t care less what was east, NE, KSNo KidsReligious Beliefs: Christian

Al’s Side: Recently divorced…

So here was my plan…. I booted eHarmony back up and I reset my locations to be within a 5 hour driving distance from me. I was in Toronto at the time so my thinking was that 5 hours took me approximately to Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit, New York State and everything in between. So, this is where I learned I was geographically challenged… For some unknown reason, I confused ‘Detroit’ with ‘Denver’. How you ask? Till this day I still l have no clue! Anyway, I took to good old Google to see what state ‘Denver’ was in and up popped Colorado, so at this point I’m like, cool cool. This’ll be interesting, I’ve never met anyone from ‘Denver’ [still thinking Denver is Detroit]. Let’s see what talent there is in the place Eminem is from. That was that, my profile was back up, my locations were set, I was prepared for one final round!

Nikki Continues: Geographical Challenges

I have eHarmony up and ready, but I’m still not convinced, so I have my profile set to ‘private,’ which means that your profile is hidden from being seen. I was still convinced that no company would be better than my company! It took one more pep talk from my Mom: ”Nik, just open it up; you never know” (There’s nothing like a Mothers intuition!) Fast forward two weeks of being in private mode, and I’m back, visible to the love seekers of eHarmony. So, I start my search, and I’m strict with my criteria. Match Score = 100+Religion = ChristianityKids = No, no, noMust like dogs!Job = Public Service or similar&nbsp;(e.g., Fire, EMS, Police, Army, Marine, etc.) I hear you asking, why so specific with the job? I was over men who worked in corporate! The ego, the chauvinism, the ‘money can buy everything, including you and your love’ attitude were enough for me to cancel them all! Let the peruse begin… Good old eHarmony makes it easy for you. Based on your search criteria, they give you a daily shortlist of potentials who are a ‘scientific’ match for you. So I’m having a gander, and I stumble across Alaric. Christian (Amen)Handsome (Thank God because I didn’t want to settle on a mediocre appearance)No kids (Hallelujah)Likes dogs! (Tick tick tick)I can’t ignore that 6ft6 (who can!?)Police Officer (Yes, Please!) So I look through his photos, handsome, great smile, tattoos, smart, intelligent, and looks great in his uniform (I had to say it). So it was a win for me. But I didn’t message him. But why, you ask!? I’m not opposed to messaging first, but I was still semi-convinced that all I needed was me, myself, and I. So I took a different approach. My thoughtsIf he likes what he sees, he’ll message me firstIf he’s interested, he’ll message me firstHe’s from Detroit (again, challenged with my geography knowledge). I don’t mind the distance, so if he messages me first, that shows me that neither does he. I stick to my plan! I click off his profile, and I see ‘New Message to my happy surprise.

Nikki: There’s More…

The day I saw Nicola... I'll never forget it. So the way eHarmony works, anyone can see your profile regardless of your search criteria. That said, I can see who looked at my profile, and my recommendations that are based on my specific search criteria. In addition to the recommendations, everyone gets a compatibility score. I don't remember the number Nicola and I had, but I know it wasn't low, and it wasn't the highest. So I started to analyze her profile, starting with the pictures. All the pictures on her profile were BEAUTIFUL, but the one above was my favorite. So based on the photos, there's a physical attraction, but what does her profile say...No kids... Check!Religious Beliefs: Christian... Check!Location: Toronto, ON... WTF? The disappointment was too real... as my mom would say, "She is geographically undesirable." but she's so beautiful, based on her profile interest we have a lot in common, and we have a good score so the least I can say is "Hello". I mean she did look at my profile first so... Wait a minute...How far is Toronto, Ontario Canada from me?

Al Continues: When I Met Nicola (Digitally)

Actual Screenshots of the Conversation 

NICOLA = GREEN | ALARIC = WHITEClick on images to see the entire screenshot

After we switched numbers, we sent each other voice notes, and then Alaric sent me a video. Now, at this point, I hadn’t experienced someone I’d met online sending me a random video, so it was a nice change. I was excited to see what he looked like, sounded like, and if he matched his photos (because sometimes people like to edit their photos in this online world). It was pleasantly confirmed. The photo above is a snapshot from the video. He opens with, “so I kept that sound clip, I had to,” and at this moment, I realized how southern Alaric is (if you want to see the video, I’ll be happy to show you). Now I love a southern accent, so I’m all melted inside at this point! He shows me his car, Nova, and a panoramic view of the neighborhood. He was real, smooth, attractive, the person I had been speaking to on eHarmony, and I couldn’t wait to find out more.

Nikki Continues: He sends me a video…

So after sending her a video text, she sends one back to me. Unfortunately, I can't upload it to the website but trust me; I have it on my phone if anyone ever wants to see it. Now I'm too excited! She's real and not a catfish! I must have watched this video 100 times. First, I looked at the background to ensure there weren't any green screens. Then, I investigated the hell out of the video! In the video, she shows me around her apartment a lil bit. Then introduces me to Milan, but she ends the video posing like the photo above saying "So as you can see I'm real and not a catfish, not a catfish!"

Al Continues: So she's real and not a catfish!

September 2nd, 2021So after the "not a catfish" video text on August 29th and FaceTiming each other every night, I decided that I wanted to see her. My original plan was to visit her in Toronto, but my passport had just expired. So plan B, I'll pay for her flight to visit me. When I proposed the idea, she was definitely on board, but her counter offer was that we split the flight cost. REALLY… OK, so I told her, "Well, pick a flight and let me know how much to send you." A few minutes later, she picked a flight and texted me the amount to send. As you can see in the image above, I sent it, then got no reply, no confirmation of payment received from her, nothing, just silence. In that 15 minutes, I felt more disappointed than when I discovered that she lived outside my search criteria. I thought, well, it was $184.94. I took a chance, and that was the cost. $184.94 for the potential love of my life? Sold!So after waiting another 10 minutes, I got a text. Paraphrasing the text said, "I'm sorry, I was in a meeting. I received the money for the flight. Thank You. I already bought the flight before I went into the meeting." SOLD!

Al Continues: The longest 15 minutes ever…

We started FaceTiming every night. It became a ritual for us. Every night from 9 pm EST (7 pm MST), we would talk until my bedtime. Alaric was working day shifts (7 am - 7 pm), so like clockwork, without fail, he would call me on his way home. When he got home, we’d switch from a phone call to FaceTime, and we’d talk until I had to go to sleep to be ready for work the next day, usually Midnight EST (10 pm MST). During these moments is where my love for Alaric started to blossom. What is it that he was saying that made my feelings for him grow? It wasn’t his words. It was his actions. OpennessHonestyPlayfulDedicatedCommittedVulnerable Showing me, all these qualities&nbsp;consistently&nbsp;is what pulled me in. When you hit your 30s, you are used to people starting with a facade but not Alaric! What you saw is what you got with him. He was unapologetically himself. I still love him for that same quality today. The photo I’ve chosen was taken during a FaceTime, Alaric showed me some gangsta moves (bless him), and I just loved everything about it. The goofiness, the freedom, the purity in his soul. It was one of the many moments he tugged at that icy heart of mine.

Nikki Continues: I’m falling…

On September 10th, 2021 Nicola celebrated her birthday. I wasn’t able to celebrate it with her physically but I did what I could from Colorado. So I had so flowers delivered to her condo and they arrived just before she before she went out with her girls.Few days prior to her he birthday we discussed how we would handle her going to England for the holiday season. She would be there for six weeks standing from thanksgiving to the second week in January. She extended the invitation to England but obviously that involved me meeting everyone. So before I could even wrap my head around that side of the planet also meeting her family was really overwhelming. As it stood at the moment if I didn’t go to England there would be a 7 hour time difference. We were already at a two hour time difference from Mountain time to Eastern standard time. So her going to England for 6 weeks would stretch our long distance relationship to a 7 hour difference. Oh and by the way we haven’t even seen each other in person yet.So while she was out I told her about a surprise gift. I sent her my flight itinerary going to England around my birthday December 3rd.

Al Continues: Nicola’s Birthday

That photo above says it all for me. After Facetiming for months, it was normal to see her with no make-up, head scarf, and in the most laid-back mood. It was truly the woman I fell in love with every single night. I was never the type of guy attracted to a lot of make-up. I guess it's because the women I grew up around didn't wear make-up. There is pure beauty to women who are confident in their appearance without make-up. I know precisely how Nicola looks to the point that I noticed her scars over Facetime. She told me about her accident playing hide and seek. (we will never play that game again) All I could think about was I could have lost the love of my life because of hide and seek. Nobody is perfect but seeing her natural beauty every night was everything then and still is everything now.

Al Continues: The image I fell in love with

Everything leading up to our meeting for the first time was a whirlwind romance. It felt like a movie! From eHarmony to voice notes, to phone calls, to FaceTime. We had spoken so much that it felt we’d known each other far longer than we had. We knew each other’s past and present and all that was left was discovering our future together. From the anxiety of Al sending Nikki money, and Nikki booking flights before Al had even sent anything, trusting each other to have our best interests at heart, to believing God had ordained this connection. It all came down to this moment! Meeting each other in person! To solidify this connection we had been feeling. To see if our futures were with each other. To confirm if the love we were feeling and believed God was reaffirming was true. October, 2, Nikki’s flight landed at 10:07 am at Denver International Airport. Hand luggage only, straight to the exit to meet Al. How did we feel when we locked eyes for the first time? NikkiRelief (he’s there)Awe (he’s even better in person)Butterflies (is this the start to the rest of my life, is he attracted to me in person just as much as he was virtual)Attraction (my soul started twerking)Joy (my heart felt warm)Happiness (he’s it) AlExcited (She actually here)Tall (She's taller than I expected)My Type ( We definitely discovered that I have a type)Goofy (This is gonna be fun)SO BEAUTIFUL We hug and share a kiss through our masks (so romantic) and then take the photo above. We just go together right!? That’s how we felt! It felt Nikki had been away on a business trip and had finally come home to Al. And that’s where chapter one ends. There’s plenty more chapters after this one. Chapters full of trials, tribulations, setbacks, perseverance, love deepening, souls colliding, and above all our commitment to each other. Let us know at our wedding if you want to hear more, or you can always wait for our book ;). Thanks for reading,Nikki &amp; Al

At Last We Meet…

Our Story

The Boss! ;) Meet the women who are my whole world, my bridal party. We’ll see you at the wedding!

Nicola Boyd

Alaric Thompson

The baby of the family, my little munchkin! My big woman, looks more woman than me little sister! The one who forces me [bride] to tell her I love her way to often for my liking! Recent grad! No patience! Beautiful Soul! Hilarious human being! My partner in crime! Meet Sharna!

Tasharna Patterson

I’ve known Nic since we were 8 or 9 years old... So uhh... Yeah... 

Nic McPhaul

The one that has no filter! No topic is off limits and I mean NO topic! Unapologetically herself! Knows what she wants and won’t stop until she gets it. Beautiful inside and out! Fierce! Determined! Playful! My love that I [bride] have known since the tender age of 7! Meet Kim!

Kim Dawson

So I decide to move to Houston, Texas, right... At the time, I'm still hooping on the regular and outside the Toyota Center, where the Houston Rockets play is an NBA range outdoor court. To me, at the time, it was Houston's version of Rucker Park. It seemed like it was always packed, and that's where I met Marcus. It seemed like he hooped just as often as I did. From there, we were always hooping and riding motorcycles.

Marcus Washington

The one I shared a dummy [pacifier] with! Although she will tell the story of how I stole it! I’ve known this gorgeous human being since we both came out the womb… literally! From nappies [diapers] to toddlers, to school and now grown! Raw! [no for real, she will tell you about yourself if she feels inclined to] Loving! Passionate! Gorgeous! And Free Spirited! Meet Chez

Cherelle Goering

Reggie is another one of my older brothers that taught me so much. He taught me how to cook and so many other things… I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t for the influence Reggie had on me. There are so many stories that wont be told,  but a few that will be told. LOL! 

Reggie McPhual

The one who will tell you the truth, so be sure you want to hear it if you ask. Known from the wonderful days of University! And oh my goodness does she have some stories to tell! Like seriously, I [bride] may not give her the mic for a speech! My adopted sister with such a big heart! Gentle! Hilarious! Protective! Supportive! Gorgeous all round! Meet Erin

Erin Pio

My oldest brother Chris is exactly what you would expect. LMAO! The memories... From my first alcoholic beverage to wrestling in the living room, to him taking my phone and texting my high school girlfriend...  He is my oldest brother that did what older brothers do. Gave me tough love and protected me from anything that was harmful.

Chris McPhaul

The one who is so blunt with the truth! Honestly, it will come out exactly as she thinks it, no filter! One of the many many reasons I [bride] adore this woman so much! Known since nappies [diapers], we grew together from nursery [kindergarten] to the amazing boss females we are today! Kind hearted! Well intentioned! Boss! Spiritual! Beautiful and full of life! Meet Tee.

Tanika Brown

Frank and I work together but he has been more than a colleague. He's been a big brother and mentor. I've learned so much from Frank that the section isn't big enough. From day one he's considered me like family and I'm so grateful to have him as a brother. 

Frank Johnson

We call her the excitable one! No really, she is easily excitable,! But also loving, caring and joyful. You can’t help but fall in love with everything Evelyn is. If you want to feel hyped, this is the lady you speak to. She’ll get you excited to eat a bowl of cereal. We met at Church and we’ve been tight ever since! Kind soul! Selfless! Caring! Unconditional! Phenomenal woman! Meet Eva!

Evelyn Onafeko

Jonathan is the first black person I met in Fort Collins, Colorado. We worked together, and I asked him something like...
"Can we meet somewhere to talk about what it's like being the only black people here?"
From then, he's been my big brother. We have ridden motorcycles for hours together, including a road trip to Pheonix, Arizona.
 But...
Unfortunately, he's a patriots fan…

Jonathan Simmons

Wedding Party

APPETIZERSEnsalada SilvestreArugula, radicchio, endive, baby spinach, wild mushrooms, artichoke, cherry tomatoes andgrated parmesan cheese, drizzled with lemon vinaigrette. Bocconcini “Pandolfi”Appetizers of mozzarella cheese wrapped in marinated and dehydrated zucchini served with a tartare of dried tomato and extra virgin olive oil. Carpaccio De MarlínMarlin carpaccio served with an orange emulsion and vegetable crudité. “ Ensalada De PulpoOctopus, arugula, and tomato garnished with balsamic vinaigrette. SOUPSMinestrone A La GenovesaFresh vegetable soup with a touch of parmesan. Crema ParmentierCream of potato soup served with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. PIZZASMargheritaNapolitanQuattro (4) StagioniVegetarianaDiavolaItalia FIRST COURSE“Conchiglie” FantasíaPasta sautéed with asparagus, shrimp, cherry tomatoes, parsley, and white wine. Risotto Con MariscosRice sautéed with shrimps, clams, mussels, squid, garlic, onion, fresh tomato, parsley, and white wine. “Chitarrine” A La Tinta De SepiaPasta sautéed with mixed seafood, fresh tomato, garlic, parsley, and white wine. Ravioli De LangostaRavioli sautéed with butter, sage and lobster velouté SECOND COURSEFilete De Dorado ProvenzalMahi Mahi fillet cooked in the oven with olive oil, potatoes, black olives, onion, cherry tomatoes, parsley, white wine, and thyme. Lomo De Marlin Al RonSealed and baked marlin loin with cherry tomatoes and rum cream, served with vegetables and toasted country bread. Filete De Res Al Perfume Del BosqueA delicious blend of wild mushrooms in a red wine reduction and gravy with aromatic herbs served with mashed yucca, asparagus, and truffle essence. Brochetas De Pollo AgridulceChicken breast with grilled vegetables, served with mildly spicy sweet and sour apple sauce, accompanied by roasted potato wedges. DESSERTPanna Cotta Al CaféCotta made with coffee, served with chocolate sauce with ginger essence. Copa “Gianduja”Tropical fruit is served in a glass of chocolate on English custard and suffused with flambéed red fruit. TiramisuDelicious mascarpone cream with coffee-flavored cake. Fruta FrescaFresh fruit

Mediterranean Dinner

V Room

(all prices are USD)

Ocean or Garden View + One King Size Bed or Two Queen Size Beds + Maximum Occupancy = 4 People Single - $158 per person, per nightDouble - $105 per person, per nightTriple - $95 per person, per nightQuadruple - $89 per person, per night

Vibe Room

Ocean or Garden View + Private Plunge Pool + One King Size Bed or Two Queen Size Beds + Maximum Occupancy = 4 People Single - $183 per person, per nightDouble - $122 per person, per nightTriple - $110 per person, per nightQuadruple - $104 per person, per night

Rooms

How To Make A Reservation

Call To Reserve

Call 1-877-999-3223 and specify the following: Hotel: Viva Wyndham V SamanaDates of Stay: Check-in and check-outGroup Name: Nicola Boyd Group Wedding (you will need to specify the group name to gain access to the group rates) Through the 877 number you will also be able to reserve transportation from/to the airport (at an additional cost)

Reserve Online

Go to this link: www.vivawyndhamvsamana.comFill: Arrival - Departure - Number of AdultsClick on: Special RateSelect: Group CodeType: VWG9383 (you must use the group code to get access to the special rates)

If you book online, do it through a desktop or laptop. The website is not mobile friendly.

Us