Introducing our new packages!

Check out our new packages for St. Thomas 

And our new packages for St. John!

What does this mean for you if you are already booked with an older package? It means you get to choose to keep your old package or switch to a new one. What is you haven't booked yet but you have been meaning to? Same thing! Even if you haven't sent your deposit in but you wanted to book one of the older packages, that's no problem at all.

As with ALL our weddings, every single element of the package is customizable. You can add, eliminate or adjust services to your style, needs & budget. The packages are created as a "starting point" - something for you to take and mold into your own. I have always said, your wedding should be a reflection of YOU and not the package you chose.

From now on, our packages won't include a "standard" aisle. You'll have your choice of many different styles. We have created a photo album here that showcases aisle decor. We will have more images to add to this aisle this fall. There is a little * on the package information and I know everyone sees a * and thinks "OK, where is the fine print? what's the catch?" - well the catch is this: fresh flowers on the aisle may increase the cost of the package. We have many different non-floral aisles and some with floral elements that do not raise the price but some floral aisles can be as expensive as $300 or $400 - these will have  surcharge on them.

What else is new? More of our packages include photography now - or they give you a photo & video add on option.  But this does not mean you have to choose this option or you are "stuck" with a certain photographer. Again, everything is completely customizable, as it always has been.

Be sure to email Janelle with any questions - just keep in mind we're off island until Sept 10th so email responses may be a day or two delayed as we do not have daily access to email. Enjoy your upcoming holiday weekend!!

Brewer's Bay Wedding

In the past few months, I've had two different photographers tell me "I've never shot an event here before" when arriving to Brewer's Bay for a wedding. I then overheard a life guard tell me, "you're the only wedding planner I see here!". Now, I know for a fact that I'm not the only wedding planner that uses Brewer's Bay, but I do think its a bit of a hidden secret. I love it for it's diversity in photo backdrops, the fact that there is NO site fee, and the laid back atmosphere it has. It's a bonus that it's close to downtown for down photos as well.

Thanks so Blue Glass Photography for sharing these photos of last weeks wedding. Congrats to Courtney & Michael!

Off island we go!

Just a reminder that I will be traveling over the next few weeks. While I will be working while I'm away, I won't be able to answer emails every day so there will be a lag time in my responses. I'm excited for some stateside time and will be purchasing some new items for weddings, including these awesome new lanterns that I can't wait to start using for decor (this are almost 24" tall so they are going to look amazing on aisles!).

My poor mother picked these up for me and has been storing them until I got there. Looking forward to getting them out of her house. Not looking forward to hauling them to the post office to mail them to the islands though! =)

An interesting video concept!

Earlier this season, one of my brides introduced me to a new concept I had never really thought of. It's a simple idea and I'm surprised I haven't seen it earlier in fact. Instead of hiring a videographer for her wedding day, she employed the services and products of Storymix Media. This company sent her five flip style video cameras that she was able to pass out to guests on her wedding day. The video can then all be sent back and you can let Storymix do the editing and they'll send you a completed wedding video - or if you have a creative side - you can do your own editing. Overall, the cost is less expensive than having a camera man on-site (it's not a cheap service, but it's less expensive....). Before I shared this information on the blog though, I checked in with the bride to get her thoughts on the process and product and thought I would share her experience here:

The video system we used was Storymix Media.  Here is their link.  http://www.storymixmedia.com/  I would recommend them, but there are some things about it I wish I knew prior and would caution other brides about.  

 In my endless search for simple and affordable wedding video options, I came across Storymix on Weddingbee.  For $700 (paid in two payments) we got 5 flipcams, which were sent to us a few days prior to us leaving.  We took video of the trip to the airport, hanging out during the week, the welcome dinner, the wedding day, and even a little bit of our honeymoon on Puerto Rico.  Then, once we got home, I put it in the prepaid box they sent me with the kit and mailed it back to them.  Within one week they had uploaded all of the video files to our personal account and it became available for editing.  In addtion to all of that, they have an iPhone APP.  So, any family member or friend who took video on their phone can upload it to our personal account and we can make their videos a part of our video as well.  Once everything is uploaded for editing you are given two editting options...you can do it yourself for free or if you want Storymix to do the editing, the cost is an additional $300.

Now for the cons and tips I would suggest for other brides...

1.  It's been 3 months since our wedding, I chose the DIY route and haven't looked at them since the week they were uploaded.  Not everyone would fall under this category, but I should have known I would be that person.  When I come home at night the last thing I'm thinking about is editting a video.  I would much rather relax and enjoy the summer.  So...it is likely that I will just bite the bullet and pay the $300 to have them edit the video for us.  Regardless, at $1000..it was still less than a basic video package on the island and we were able to capture events from prior and after the wedding day. 

2.  Only 3 of the 5 video cameras got used, which means I could have gone with the 3 camera package and saved $250.00.  We had 50 guests for the weekend and I thought for sure that 5 cameras would be needed.  For the ceremony we asked my friends husband if he would ensure that the video was taken care of...he did and having that makes it worth it.  However, we weren't.  After that, we left it up to everyone.  What we found is that, the people in our group who are normally the photo takers (about 3 or 4 total) are the exact people who were video taping and no one else really did.  When I go through the video clips there if anything that was missed, but 5 cameras was definitely overkill. 

3.  AND THIS IS A BIG ONE.  There is no light on the camera!  This means most of our reception came out dark.  Now...Storymix said there are things they can do to bring out the image in these dark shots and there is a sample of this on their website.  However, I haven't gotten to that point in the editing and won't know until then whether it works or not.

All in all, it was a very cost effective alternative and I think it was a lot of fun for destination weddings. I would recommend it, but not without a few words of caution.

Thanks for sharing Danielle! 

I am a Sky Lantern scrooge. I am very sorry.

I hate writing a negative tone blog post. I have two whiny children at home and am always singing "if you can't say something nice than don't say anything at all". So I feel a bit hypocritical coming on and sharing my dislike for sky lanterns. Because honestly, they are so very pretty, I do like the overall look. Who wouldn't?

I mean..I totally agree, that is very cool! I've had a lot of brides ask me about these, what the rules & regulations are, and if they can do them for their wedding. Instead of writing this out for each email, I decided to do a blog post that I can link my answers to (so you may be reading this after asking me about sky lanterns and if you are...hi! Glad you followed my link!).

I have to be honest...I really don't think they are safe for use. And yes, I know, I know...the websites all say they are biodegradable and safe for use but let me tell you a few reasons why I disagree and don't think they are appropriate for the islands.

1) The websites also state that these should be used in little to no wind. Here in the islands, we are fortunate to have lovely trade winds. It's almost always a little breezy here - if not full blown windy. And often times, it is dry. This means you could release the sky lantern and instead of drifting off over the ocean, it is blown back onto the island, possibly in someones yard, possibly lighting something on fire.

2) Let's say it does drift out nicely over the ocean...where it will inevitably land. Biodegradable does not mean that the moment it touches the water it will disintegrate. While most are made of rice paper and rice paper poses no threat, it's the inner components that could cause damage. The very best sky lantern I have found is made up of rice paper and bamboo...but also a small amount of wire that takes up to two years to degrade. These lanterns will mostly likely end up in the ocean and a soggy wet mess that will look a lot like a jelly fish. You know what loves to eat jelly fish? Sea turtles.

3) Airport threat.All the websites I read said that they are not to be released within a five mile radius of airports or airfields. There is a lot of small craft traffic in the islands...I don't think a big blob of floating light is a good idea. Other sites also advised not lighting them within 2 miles of a major roadway - this isn't possible in the islands.

4) Another site said not to release the lanterns in an area where the glow could be considered a distress signal. This I'm not so sure of, as I'm not really a boater, but we do have a coast guard here and perhaps the flashes of light could be considered a a distress signal? I could be stretching here...mainly I'm concerned for the turtles. =)

Overall, I just don't think they are a good idea. Am I going to stop you from lighting & releasing them on your wedding day? No. Honestly, I think most of the time they are released after the reception, as the end of the night, after I am home and in bed. So you don't even have to worry about any disapproving looks while you release them. =) But do know that certain locations may not allow them - they really shouldn't be released less than 30 metres from any building or structure. This may eliminate the ability to release them from the dance floor.