Xtreme Wedding!

I've been wanting to blog about this wedding for a couple of weeks now but needed to wait until the photographer had some photos for me to share. I had my camera with me but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to capture the magic of this wedding the way their photographer could! Bob & Mollie brought their own photographer with them from home - Greg Wyatt of Greg Wyatt Photography

Check out Mollie & her maids. Don't they look great? I love the colors.



Bob & Mollie were married at Casa Del Mar on the northside of St. Thomas. This villa is situated right on the face of a cliff...it makes for very dramatic views...



Now...you may be wondering why I am referring to this as an "Xtreme Wedding"...well, a few days before the wedding, I met with Mollie at the villa to determine the best spot for the ceremony. Bob had picked out a small grassy area with a tall palm tree....right on the cliff! There were very limited ways to get to this area but we were able to have the bridal party climb down a fairly rocky path with the help of the groomsmen...(I took the next three photos with my camera)...



The groomsmen helping their next maid...



And see how close they are to the edge of the cliff?? The officiant told me after the ceremony that she has a fear of heights! She told me the entire time, there was a voice in the back of her head saying, "if you take three steps back, you'll fall off the cliff" - even though she knew she wasn't going to take three steps back, she couldn't get the voice to shut up!

Here are all the guests gathered around the deck to watch the ceremony down below...



It was hard for me to get a shot of the bride & groom during the ceremony so I give MAJOR applause to Greg Wyatt for his very hard work! I have to imagine that this type of set up is probably a photographers worse nightmare! He has some really wonderful photos of the ceremony and I hope to share some soon - here is one that I took...



And one more from Greg...



Congratulations Bob & Mollie!!

Sunset Ceremony at Secret Gardens.

I helped plan a beautiful sunset ceremony at Secret Gardens on Peterborg, St. Thomas. Secret Gardens & Coral Gardens are two villas right next to each other, sharing the same driveway. They are perfect for renting for large groups - there are NINE bedrooms between the two villas! Our bride had a total of 24 guests, all of which could stay on the grounds - it was a wedding and family reunion wrapped into one! Dinner was catered on-site, eliminating the need for guests to travel on the wedding day. It was a gorgeous setting and a fun atmosphere for everyone. It's my favorite thing about villa weddings - with a group of 24, it's the best way to provide a private, intimate reception.

The best thing about this villa is the fact that there is beach access. EJ from Paradise Pictures captured some beautiful photos of my bride & groom at sunset.



And I'm TOTALLY diggin' this shot of the bride's shoes!! Way to go EJ, love it!

The next big wedding song...

My husband came home the other day and immediately went to his computer to download this song. He had heard it on the radio and said, "this is the next big first dance song, just wait and see..."



It is a gorgeous song, and I agree, it would make a great first dance song! I didn't spend too much time looking into it, but apparently, you can customize the video and add a photo of you and your beloved. It would be a pretty darn cool way to pop the question, don't you think?

Let's do a Give Away!

Yippee!

I read tons of blogs and a lot of them are doing give-aways. Who doesn't like to win something?? Now, I know how many hits this blog gets a day and I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in my lack of comments. So, in order to win, you have to leave a comment with your first name & email address and also how you are "related" to this blog...are you a past bride, current bride, friend of mine, a local vendor or just a fan of destination weddings? The prize will depend on who you are, so I will announce the winner & prize on Monday. So do it now - leave me a comment!!

Home Sweet Home

One of the first questions I hear when picking up a bride & groom is always a variation of "How long have you lived here?" - "Did you grow up here?" - "Where are you from, originally?" - and the answer always starts with Indiana. It's where my family is, where I grew up, went to college...and escaped from as soon as I graduated! Actually, I have a deep love of Indiana and strong sense of Indiana Pride, but it's no joke that I was in a hurry to escape from it's long, cold winters.

I'm actually here this week visiting family and attending my friends wedding (so nice to just attend and not plan!). I won't be back on island until May 4th, so I want to apologize in advance for any delays in email. I always try to respond within 24 hours but being away, it is closer to 48 and embarrassingly, in some cases longer. Please bear with me as I try to catch up!

Diggin' on these accessories....

I just love the hair flower this bride had for her hair, isn't it gorgeous? You should have seen it on the beach. It was so delicate, it looked like feathers when it would dance around in the breeze. And I loved her necklace, how it tied in the back...it looked so great with her dress. I always love seeing what my brides are wearing on their wedding day. I don't think there is any other day in a woman's life where she puts so much thought into what she is going to wear. Every little detail is so special.

The importance of photography...

can be explained just by looking at the photo. Greer Rivera took these amazing shots of my wedding in St. John last month. The couple were married on Trunk Bay with their ceremony at Villa Rhapsody (I shared a few photos of the reception awhile back). I am so pleased with the results from Greer - she captured just some amazing memories for this couple. Anytime they want a little get-away, they can just open up their wedding album...

In honor of Good Friday...

I had these images put aside to blog about at a later date - just a little entry to talk about personalizing your bouquet. But I realize it has been since Tuesday since my last entry and thought, hmm...anything special I could do for Good Friday? And of course, these images popped into my head!

I'm celebrating Easter early with my family tomorrow and boating all day on Sunday with friends so I want to wish all my couples, past, present & future, a Happy Easter Weekend!

Best man or maid of honor?

Considering the flowers in its head, I'm going with maid of honor!

This lovely couple came in off the NCL Norwegian Dawn on Tuesday - just a nice simple, easy ceremony. We took them up to the overlooks to snap a few photos for them. "Monica" the donkey was up there to pose for photos with tourist - I just love these kind of shots - so quirky and unexpected! Not sure if this is one that you frame on the mantle though...=)Do you like what I've done with the photo in editing? Kind of washing it out and enhancing the colors? I love doing that sort of thing but I know it's not everyone's style...what do you think?

I want a redo!

And I want to redo it in this dress! I just love the style of this dress my bride wore last week at her wedding on Trunk Bay, St. John. The mermaid style, the detail around the chest...just gorgeous and totally my style. She looked amazing! Her make-up and hair was done by Sugar & Spice, I love what a great job they did.

Here is the bride with her sister - having two daughters myself, this just warms my heart and I love how one is brunette and one is blonde. I currently have two little blondies and it makes me excited to see how they will grow and change into women - how they will look so similar and yet different at the same time. Ah...sisters...they are the best!


And look how amazing Trunk Bay was for her photos. I can't wait to see the professional photos taken by Alain at Blue Glass Photography. He showed me a few on his camera and they were just gorgeous. You can see him & Mike at High Definition Video busy a work.


Sunset...


Absolutely beautiful wedding - Trunk Bay is just magical!

"Wave" of Love...

I am so behind on my blogging - I've had some absolutely beautiful weddings this week that I am so excited to share. But, it's getting late and I'm getting way too tired. For now, I'm just going to post this picture from my wedding this morning - look at that wave in the background!!

I will definitely be posting a lot more photos of this wedding. The bride added so many personal touches, I love that. And I can not wait to share with you a photo of my bride from earlier this week. Her. Dress. Was. Killer. Totally my style. Don't get me wrong...all of my brides are beautiful in their dresses (case in point, check out the bride in the photo above - GORGEOUS!) but...this particular dress was exactly what I would wear if I could ever talk my husband into a vow renewal. Loved it. So check back in the next few days, I won't keep in you the dark for long. =)

Trunk Bay, St. John

Trunk Bay on St. John is a wonderful location for a ceremony. I can not wait to get the professional photos to share with everyone. This bride added a lot of personal touches. I love the fabric used on the arch - so colorful!



And her reception was just outstanding. Held on the deck of their privately rented villa (Villa Rhapsody), the view was just stunning!



I'll post professional photos as soon as I can.

Every once in awhile...

I have a groom that tries to escape. Don't worry ladies. Part of my coordination fee goes towards dragging their butts back to shore...

Sorry Disposable Camera Industry

I know you're not going to appreciate this post. But these days, I just don't see your relevance anymore. Everyone owns a digital camera and almost everyone knows how to upload their images to the internet. I just feel that the days of leaving a disposable camera on the reception tables are long gone. But how, do you ask, do you get everyone to share with you their digital photos? Ah...I have the solution for you! Most photo sharing & printing websites (like shutterfly, snapfish, etc)allow you to create websites easily (and for free) to allows friends & family to upload their photos to. I have a website like this for Island Bliss Weddings (www.islandblissweddings.shutterfly.com) and even have a site for my daughters so that the Grandma's can see & order photos of their grandkids (www.marleyandmaya.shutterfly.com). Personally, I love Shutterfly but mainly because it is what I'm familiar with. I'm sure the others are just as easy and great (although if you have any experience with any of them, please feel free to leave a message in the comment section to share with others).

The best way to inform guests of these sites are to leave a little card on the reception tables (a little note such as, "We'd love to see the photos you've taken of our wedding day! Please share with us at www.ourwedding.shutterfly.com) or to put a note in your welcome letter, programs, etc.

Now, before the disposable camera industry issues a hit out on me, I do want to recommend this little treasure for the welcome bags. Wouldn't everyone love a cheap little disposable UNDERWATER camera for their Virgin Islands vacation?? I found this cute little thing at www.weddingcameras.com

Are you on Facebook?

Island Bliss Weddings is! Become a fan!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Island-Bliss-Weddings/59742451415?ref=ts

And just for fun, check out this hilarious video clip. If you've been a member of Facebook for awhile, you will definitely get this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVA047JAQsk&eurl=http://www.stthomasblog.com/&feature=player_embedded

Adorable favor idea...

I am a favor nerd, I will totally admit it. Cake and favors are the two things I totally look forward to when I attend a wedding. Which is probably not what a lot of brides want to hear since the big trends lately have drifted to dessert tables instead of cakes and charity donations instead of trinkets. But I'm a traditionalist - I love the little tulle bags of Jordan Almonds and the big slice of cake with thick sugary butter cream frosting! And if I can, I always steal a second piece...at weddings I'm attending mind you, not the ones I'm coordinating. =)

A post or two ago I posted about my friend Maddie's wedding here. As I was taking her and her groom (ooops! I mean, husband now!) back to the airport, I subtlety asked if they would be doing favors at their reception back in Indiana and had a plethora of ideas to share. Maddie actually already had in mind what she would like to do for favors, since she had attended a wedding last summer and loved their favor idea. This isn't exactly what she described, but the best I could find online...



A coworker had silver drink stirrers, or swizzle sticks as favors. These pictured above are acrylic and can be personalized with your name & wedding dates were found at www.hqweddingfavors.com. Maddie says she uses hers all the time - which is exactly what you are looking for in a favor - something that won't be tossed out at the end of the night or forgotten on the table! I like the silver idea best but couldn't find any online in the short search that I did. I suggested adding a little something to make it more "Virgin Island-y" since this is where they were married. Why not attach the swizzler to a miniature bottle of local Cruzan Rum?



How cute could that be? A little bottle of rum and a silver swizzler at each place setting? Definitely appropriate for a drinking crowd, which I'm sure Maddie's reception will fall into! And if you really feel confident about your crowd's drinking abilities, just skip the swizzler and put a little shot glass at each setting with the bottle of rum inside!

Congratulations Maddie & Corey!

My very best friend from college was married here on St. Thomas this past Friday. It was absolutely beautiful! I had so much fun planning for her and her guests but I'm looking forward to her reception back in Indiana this spring where all I have to do is party!

Glowing

Look at that smile on his face and that little smirk on hers. Just amazing the love you feel on your wedding day (and every day after, of course). Psst...click on the photo to make it larger.

Mmm...memories...

I did a wedding this past weekend at Oceana. This is the same venue where I was married four years ago this May. I have to say, this wedding totally put my wedding to shame. There were flowers everywhere...a trio of guitarist for the ceremony...steel pan for the cocktail hour...the best DJ on island for the reception (ok, I had steel pan & the best DJ too, but still...the trio of guitarist was pretty cool!). My favorite aspect of this wedding had to be the flowers though, I didn't have a 10th of the amount of flowers they had. Look at what an amazing job our florist did...