Boat Trip! Actually....boat wedding!

I don't want to say "often overlooked" twice in one week on the blog, but I do have to say, when it is just the two of you escaping to the islands to be married, a boat trip wedding is really pretty awesome and not considered nearly enough. It combines your wedding day with one of the best things you can do on vacation in the Virgin Islands - boating! The cost is really not too bad - you can combine the boat trip with a wedding package (or a customized package) and just pay for the cost of the boat, captain (who is also your officiate!) and gas - which is probably between $450 and $500 total. You have the boat as early as 7am and we can come back anytime before 6:30pm. You will not find a better boat rental value on the island!

This lovely couple wanted to sleep in a bit, so they were not actually pick up from their hotel until 9:00. We motored over to a private little beach on St. John (although there are other private beach options on neighboring islands, they preferred St. John).

Preparing to hit the beach...



The beach could not be more deserted - not a soul in site...



Check out the view with the British Virgin Islands in the background...



After enjoying their private little beach for awhile, we headed over to Tortola for some drinks at Pusser's Rum...



We also stopped off at Sandy Spit, which is really nothing more than a large sand bar that boats can pull up to and you can swim in...how is this for the most perfect spot in the world to do yoga??



Boat weddings like the one above can accommodate up to 7 guests, including the captain. If you hire a photographer for the day, they take up space too, so 6 guests can be included. And if you'd like to have your wedding planner join you (yes please!) then that's 5 guests - but it's not really necessary for me to come (sigh). Of course, bigger boats can be arranged as well. It's such a fun and memorable way to spend your wedding not, just a bit out of the ordinary!

Peace Hill, St. John

I think Peace Hill is a fantastic, often overlooked spot for ceremonies on St. John. Just look at this view!



Often times, if we are going to have a lot of chairs set up, the parks department will cut down the grass for the ceremony. But when it is just the two of them, I love the tall grass. So pretty.



And the best part? This gorgeous old sugar mill ruin:



Isn't it awesome? Makes them look like they are in some fairy tale...



Since it was just the bride and groom, the photographer had time to take them down to Oppenheimer Beach for some beach photos.



You just never know what to expect from some grooms...

A Christmas present to Island Bliss Wedding...from me!

A few months ago, we had brought home a huge box of trash from a wedding - whenever we have wedding cake at the beach, it creates a lot of clean up. The box had plates, napkins, old cake, etc. I took out the plates and forks and got them cleaned and I knew I still had the cake cutting set in there but would get it later. The box, with old cake, napkins and cups, sat in the driveway for a day or two, waiting to get thrown out. I knew I needed to get the cake cutting set out of there before it went to the dump...but just never got around to it. A couple of days later, the box was gone. I asked my husband if he had taken it to the dump...and he had...with my cake cutting set inside! It was completely my fault, being lazy, not getting it out of there and getting the box to trash myself...but alas, it was gone and there was nothing that could be done about it.

Do you know how hard it is to find a cake cutting set on St. Thomas??? Near impossible! We found ONE cake cutting set and it was so hideously ugly and overpriced, I said no way. And for some reason, Crate & Barrel wanted to charge me something riduculous like $60 in shipping for a $40 cake cutting set. No thanks!

So while I was in the mainland over the holidays, I was browsing through Macy's and found the most awesome cake cutting set EVER. The name alone says it all, don't you think ladies?




I'm so excited to have a "proper" cake cutting set for my couples to use now. I love the clean & classical lines of it. I hope you like it too!

If you follow us on Facebook, you saw that we did a boat wedding on Monday. Looking forward to sharing some photos with you soon!

Welcome 2011

And my apologies for such a late welcome! I can't believe we're 16 days into 2011 and I haven't stopped in to say hello. A few reason - I didn't make it back to the islands until the 7th. My daughter Marley, loooooved the snow she saw at her grandma's house:



Once we got back, I was busy catching up on emails. A lot of clients wait until after the holidays to tie up loose ends with their wedding plans - which usually makes for a fairly quiet December around here and a busy January. Not to mention all the newly engaged couples from Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's that start to send out requests for information. Lots of time behind the computer! But that's a good thing - my job really is a lot of fun, helping people through this exciting time in their life. Kind of like an OB-GYN who helps their clients through a lot of nerves & excitement - but you know, without all the pain and screaming on the big day. =)

And then of course, in addition to planning, we have actual weddings as well!



This is our new "Shoes Optional" sign for beach weddings. I love the casual shabby chic-ness about it.

I'm excited for 2011, are you? 2010 was an amazing year for Island Bliss Weddings...oh the stories I could tell (but won't! Also like a doctor, there's some confidentiality going on in wedding planning as well!). But I know 2011 will be just as much fun and I'm looking foward to the journey!