Elbow Beach Photo Shoot by DM Events + Allan Zepeda

From the e-mazing (yes, with an e, it’s that good) table runner to the brilliant pops of Bermuda color to the Kate Spade welcome bag and fab shoes to Bermuda’s national cocktail, this photo shoot by the lovely ladies at DM Events captured by the ever so talented Allan Zepeda is most definitely my sunshine on a cloudy day. All of this pretty took place at the Mandarin Elbow Beach Bermuda, which has also been added to my “must visit” list (this list is getting quite long thanks to this Destination Weddings blog!) Of course you should sit down and stay awhile, because the gallery is full of vibrant, sun-filled images for you to soak in!

Click here to see the entire image gallery!

From DM Events… After a long winter in New York, our team stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac in Bermuda and all thought the same thing: Hello Sunshine!  And so the theme of the trip was born – from the amazing Bermudian sunrises, to the design of our table, and every cocktail in between, the sun never left our side!

When you have an opportunity to design for a resort as world renowned as the Mandarin Oriental, in a location as gorgeous as Elbow Beach, having the right person to capture the details is key and Allan Zepeda was certainly the man for the job!

When creating this design, we knew that color was going to play a pivotal role, but the elements we were able to find far exceeded our expectations.  DM Events spends tons of time in the fabric stores of NYC’s garment district finding just the right fabrics to create custom linens for our clients so that is where we started our hunt.  Believe it or not, the bright pink/yellow/orange patterned fabric was one of the first we found and we built the rest of the design around it! In order to allow the linen to be a showstopper, we used neutral colors and textures in the rest of the table top design.  Large white blooms were placed in clear and white vases of varying shapes and sizes and, along with candles, filled the center of our oversized table.  Rattan chargers and burlap napkins provided a great natural beach feel.  If you have ever been to an event on the beach, you know that wind is always an issue – to combat place cards blowing away, we stamped each guest’s name onto their napkin – it was a fabulous custom look and uber simple!  When we arrived at Elbow Beach and realized that our table could be set up on the beach right in front of the gorgeous Bird of Paradise private cottage, we were ecstatic – sometimes nature adds the best design elements!  The cottage also had a large balcony overlooking the beach- the perfect place for a lounge at our nighttime party, complete with decadent desserts made on-site by Elbow Beach’s talented pastry chef. (Yum! Trust us!)

It was important to find the perfect bold stationery to match our design, so for the ceremony programs, it was all about finding fun, colorful paper to complement the already beautiful outdoor ceremony location… and then picking just the right seashells to hold them down!!  (Note to brides- Bermuda beaches are filled with soft sand, partially because there are no shells on the beach!  Don’t forget to pick them up at a craft store and fly them down with you!)  We like to keep outdoor ceremonies simple – flowing fabrics and candles are great for this!

Guests at destination weddings love welcome bags so we filled the cutest Kate Spade tote bag ever (Check out the words stitched on it!) with all the local treasures you need for a day in the sun!  The goodies didn’t stop there – from the jewelry to the shoes, Kate Spade had the perfect colorful accessories for our sunshine wedding.  And guess what?  Lord & Taylor has an amazing wedding shop where we found amazing, light weight dresses for the beach soirée!  The local cottages on the property provide the perfect serene environment to prep for your special day – it was amazing to listen to the waves crashing outside our window as we set up the accessories- we are an NYC-based company and are used to hearing taxi horns as we set up.

Not only was the staff of Elbow Beach accommodating in every way possible (Ask for Sophie Dier – she rocks!), but they told us a key bit of info before we arrived: Bermuda has a national cocktail!  Not only are Bermuda Rum Swizzles delicious (Again, trust us!), but they are colorful- just what our cocktail hour design needed… and reason number 1,758 that we fell in love with the island!

Planning, Design & Stationery: DM Events / Photography: Allan Zepeda / Location & Dessert: Mandarin Elbow Beach Bermuda / Rentals & Flowers: Exclusive Events / Dresses: Lord & Taylor / Accessories: Kate Spade