A cruise ship PARTY!

It's not very common, but every once in awhile, we get a group off the cruise ships for like 100 people. It's wonderful! We often do large weddings, but most cruise ship affairs are a bit smaller, normally less than 30 people. It's always fun to work with a large group though. This bride & I have been working together since September of 2010 to get all the details together. It was a really simple affair, just a nice wooden arch and a decorated aisle. Something unique about her wedding was the fact that she brought along her own photographer. Know what's really cool about that? All day photos, on the ship, on land, in different locations...so pretty. Check out their photographers blog for a timeline of their wedding day:

http://www.michaelwachniak.com/realloveis/2011/11/stephanie-colin-st-thomas-cruise-wedding/

My favorite photos? The ones in front of the Fort. Amazing.

PS I was TICKED that there was another wedding on the beach that day (you can see the other arch in the background). There is a calendar for wedding planners to use so that we can schedule weddings on this beach, as the beach is not very big for multiple weddings (like Magan's Bay can handle). The other wedding was NOT on the schedule. The wedding planner left it off on purpose so that we wouldn't be aware of their set up. Shady!! Then they had the nerve to ask me to move my set up! Fortunately, the bride & I had discussed the set up and she liked the idea of the arch being parallel to the water, not facing it, so my spot was perfect for her. I wasn't going to budge, especially since my wedding WAS on the calendar. Please note though, if you are not using Island Bliss Weddings and found the blog by some other means, PLEASE make sure you check with your wedding planner to make sure they have your wedding on the calendar or if they know of other weddings that are taking place at the same time. I really felt bad for the other bride, as I'm sure they did not tell her that there would be a wedding for 80 people at the same time.

Floating orchids revealed...

I forgot to revisit this post about the floating orchids. We've done an arch like this before, but it had been a few years. I forgot how difficult this orchids are! We set up our normal bamboo arch (did you know this arch was stolen earlier this year?? Heartbreaking. The replacement arch took forever to get here but is finally on island!) and attached orchids to "float" down. The problem with this is the wind. Those little buggers whip around and get tangled like mad. We buried the end of the string in the sand to anchor them as best as we could. I joked with the bride that she may just be the last bride to get this type of arch!




Another thing I wanted to share about this wedding was the really cool idea the bride & groom came up with for the sand ceremony. We placed a seashell on each share:



And were invited during the ceremony to come up and place their shell in a special jar:



Close family used shells that they had found together on the beach:



After everyone had add their shells, the couple poured in the unity sand. The end result is a very memorable keepsake that unites all wedding guests together and is a great way to involve them in the ceremony.

One last thing to share - how great are these bamboo chairs?!



They just fit so well with the natural elements of the beach.

Flying Flowers

We do a lot of our weddings at Lindquist Beach and there can be a good breeze there. There is nothing worse then putting down rose petals, only to have them blow away. It's like watching dollar bills rolls down the beach. Sometimes there is no breeze at all and the petals stay perfectly in place as our bride walks down the aisle. A breeze is about as predictable as a sneeze.

On days when the breeze is particularly strong, I've made the executive decision to not put the petals down. In these events, I keep them safely tucked away until after the event, and let the photographer know that "we have petals" wink wink. After the group shot, he or she gives me the nod, and I pass out the petals to the guests. Then on que, the magic happens as the petals are tossed into the air and engulf the happy couple...

Precious, isn't it? Thanks to Blue Glass Photography for passing this photo along for me to share.

What a beach wedding is all about...

Seashell necklace, orchid bouquet, sand, sea and just a touch of tan lines!



And not to mention a lot of great friends & family. I had to share this photo - do you notice the nine year old boy trying to fly out of the picture??