Congrats Tasha & Walter!

Another gorgeous Lindquist Beach wedding shot by the talented Kelly O!

Congrats Kim & Tyler!

Kim and Tyler were married on May 8th on St. Thomas. They stayed at the Sugar Bay Resort and had their ceremony on Lindquist Beach. Kim hired Simple Island Photos for her photography and had an hour of photos at the hotel before going to the courthouse and then on to the ceremony, where the photographer met them for the 2nd hour.

The CD you receive from Simple Island Photos allows you to make your own edits (it includes light editing) so that you can manipulate the photos as you like. Kim did just that! I love what she did to them!

I could just see this one blown up on a panoramic canvas print!

Photo taken at Sugar Bay Resort.

and at Lindquist Beach:

 I love the look of this photo!

Congrats you two! You looked gorgeous!!

Tips for Selecting Gowns that Travel Well

We have a guest writer today for the blog! Please welcome this post from SimplyBridal on tips for selecting a wedding dress that travels well:

Having a destination wedding is probably the most special occasion that can happen to anyone. It really doesn’t matter where you are going but the fact that you are at a destination with family and friends is wonderful. The question is, how do you choose a gown that travels well? Be it an airplane ride or a 6 hour road drive, you need to wisely select a gown for the occasion because not any wedding gown is perfect for traveling. 

    Go for the right gown material. Since you will be traveling, the first thing you want to stop are lap wrinkles, so you need to go for materials that don’t get wrinkles easily. The best anti-wrinkles materials are natural fibers like silk, linen and cotton. These natural fibers are not only anti-wrinkles but are easily folded and light to carry.

·   Know your location. In selecting the right gown that travels well, you need to know about the temperature, terrain, aisle setting and the most common activities at your destination. Your destination wedding is most likely to be in high temperatures so it is advisable to opt for light materials and probably a sleeveless dress. If you had a heavy elaborate wedding dress in mind, I’m afraid that may not be perfect at the beach. 

·   Comfort-ability. Make sure what you are choosing makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Something that fits you nicely and allows you to walk freely because you may have it on for more than 10 hours. If you are the type who sweats a lot, be advised to avoid a silk material as they tend to make people perspire. Also make sure it is not bulky to minimize what you have to carry in case you need to run (for fun of course). Bottom line, look for something that feels casual. 

·     Minimize opinions. This applies to choosing any wedding gowns. In most cases, brides walk in to the store with all the maids and friends to help her choose a gown but in most cases the bride ends up not with what her heart desires but what others would like to have for their day. If you need help choosing a gown it is advisable to go with two or three people. 

Choosing the right gown can either be the easiest task or can turn out to be a hassle and time consuming but the good thing is that wedding dress designers now produce a wide range of destination wedding dresses, and the sellers would be happy to help you make the right choice.

SimplyBridal is an American online retailer of high quality wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and wedding accessories, such as veils and jewelry. SimplyBridal ships to twenty-five countries in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. Our products have been featured on Style Me Pretty, Wedding Chicks, and Rock n Roll Bride.

Taming the Beasts

I stole that title from an article on WeddingBee - if you have children, you know it's appropriate! I've been meaning to blog this for awhile, I took this picture of one of my April brides name cards:

This adorable little giraffe was attached to the baby's name card! Any new mother would appreciate such a thoughtful touch. Keeping kids happy is hard. Especially when they are not the center of attention - they will pick up on that. To have a shiny new toy to entertain them with is key and when you're at a destination wedding, the shiny new toys you purchased to keep them happy on the plane may have lost their appeal by the time the ceremony & reception rolls around. For a bride to think of the little ones that have traveled so far for the wedding and have a little gift for them is not only the nicest thing to do, but very smart! Keep the kids happy and you'll minimize any disruptions or meltdowns.

Our wedding last weekend gave the children a sticker sheet - one with a bride and one with a groom - and sticker outfits to decorate them with. When I was in Indiana, I found this little sticker kit for $1 at JoAnne Fabric. The cake turns into a 3D piece of cake and it comes with yummy smelling stickers that look like icing that you can decorate the cake with. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a wedding cake version of this - this would be a great craft to keep even older kids entertained.

Or put the kids to work and place ribbon wands at their tables. It'll add a little extra decor and ribbons flying in the air will be very pretty & safe (it won't knock over any drinks or wait staff!).

There are a ton of products out there to help keep kids busy at weddings. Purchase one of these or make your own. My best advice is to keep away from adding too many sugary treats. This is one thing most parents will not appreciate! Last thing they want to deal with at a wedding reception is a child with a belly ache!

There are a ton of articles online to give you ideas. Check them out here, and here and here or do a Google Search on "keeping kids happy at a wedding".

A few more April wedding photos...

All photos are courtesy of our Simple Island Photography team!

We've been using these lanterns and moss/twine balls as simple yet elegant decor. Do you like?

I had to share this bouquet - it was a special request from the bride for all greenery and no flowers. I love what the florist made!

Yay for April Weddings!

I wish I could share a picture from each wedding, but I don't always have access to them. If you have photos you'd like featured on the blog, please share!

April Re-Cap!

It's time for our monthly recap! Here are some photos from a few of the wonderful events we planned in April. If any of my April brides would like to send me some photos of their events, please do! We'd be happy to share!

Sparklers are becoming more and more popular for the first dance or exit. Brides used to ask me to bring a mason jar to display them but but these suckers are huge! We finally found a better solution.

 

I'm a little biased here, but my favorite wedding this month was my brothers. And my daughter is probably the cutest program girl I have ever seen.

Sunset wedding at Sapphire Beach...

Trunk Bay at sunset...

April 10th was our first official "Ultimate Cruise Ship Experience" wedding! *please help me with a better name!

These two were so beautiful together.

Laura emailed me this thank you after the wedding - it's emails like this that make my heart smile:

Jon and I just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the amazing wedding you coordinated for us a couple of weeks ago.

The ceremony still brings me to tears when I think about it and the venue couldn't have been more perfect. Stuart's ceremony was the most beautiful ceremony I've ever been to; several of my guests told me the same thing.   I also never forget the feeling I felt as we walking into the reception room with our family and friends cheering us on. It was an out of body experience for me.

I've thought about the wedding everyday since we've been back and become overwhelmed with happiness to know that we got married the way we wanted to and it couldn't have happened without you and Stuart.

Thank you so much!

I'm a very lucky person to do what I do, sharing each couples love and joy on their wedding day!

One of my favorite things about my job is seeing the special touches brides come up with, like this handmade wedding cake topper featuring the brides beloved cats!

And some special elements are unplanned - much like the wedding! This couple decided once they arrived that they'd like to get married while on vacation! Last minute elopements? No problem! This bride was telling some of the staff at Caneel Bay that she was planning to get married and didn't have a dress. One of the staff members whipped up a handmade wedding dress for her!

And even signed it for her!

I'm going to be updating the photo albums this weekend - lots of new things to share, including many of our beautiful bouquets and centerpieces.

Who says wedding dresses need to be white?

I'm kind of cheating here because this couple was married on May 1st - they don't really qualify for my April re-cap! And the photo has not been edited yet - but I loved this little getaway photo! Married on Hawksnest Beach and heading out for a morning sail!

Love this guest "book" idea.

Heading to the ceremony at Villa Botanica - this is really one of my favorite parts of the day - you can feel the anticipation from the bride...

The father/daughter moments always make me tear up! Here's dad taking his girl down the aisle...

And onward we march through May!

April Fools! But it's not a joke...

So remember the puppies I was fostering? They *almost* have new homes. We are now fostering little baby boy kittens! Would any of my April or May brides like to take one home?!

This is St. Croix (he's the biggest)

This is St. Thomas

The all black one is St. John (he's the smallest)

Next week they will get their first shots and will be ready for adoption. If you are flying in, we can get a health certificate for you and you can easily fly home with one (or two or three!). It's a great souvenir from your wedding, right?! =)