Caribbean Weddings

Most of our features are all about the photos … photos from every imaginable wedding style, every imaginable type of couple ~ from across the many parts of the world that our Little Black Book members travel.  Today’s feature was sent to us by Soroya and Candice at The Finishing Touch, an event and wedding design & coordination firm with offices in Metro New York and London. And although the photos we have for you today are great, this feature is more about the story. The story of Jenn and Eliu. If you are in the midst of planning your own wedding, and are feeling even the least bit stressed … be sure you read to the very end for a real pick-me-up reminder of what it’s all about!

Their story …

Jennifer and Eliu met in Bayonne, New Jersey many years ago during high school. Hear what Jenn says about the ensuing years …

Although we had our bumps in the road, our paths always stayed together- fighting with passion toward our vision and what we knew in our hearts and souls- that our love transcended that of husband & wife.  So for a long while, we never saw the need to marry. We were revolutionaries and non-traditionalists and we loved that about ourselves.

Honestly, we struggled with what marriage would provide that we didn’t already have. We didn’t feel the need to be like Nike and “Just Do it!”    Our lives had taken us through so many new situations, states, homes, phases of development and personal growth. As each year passed, we didn’t think about not being married or how it seemed, we thought about being mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally prepared for the beauty and challenges of marriage.

In 2007, after a particularly long period apart, Eliu showed up on Jenn’s doorstep and asked her to marry him!

Again, from Jenny …  Time literally stood still. Eliu said that he had traveled across the country to say that he loved me more than life itself. After many hugs and kisses, he said there was one more surprise!  ANOTHER? He popped in a video tape and started playing a home video of his mom, sister, nieces and MY parents flooded with emotion and CONGRATULATING us on our engagement! Truly, it was the best day of our lives.

from Candice at The Finishing Touch …

The fun began on Friday when Jenn and Eliu, along with many of their guests arrived in Punta Cana at the Paradisus Palma Real. Their wedding weekend kicked off with welcome drinks ~ a “Bienvenidos Gathering.”  Saturday was filled with an amazing excursion … swimming with the Dolphins and Sting Rays.  Although the water was chilly, all had a wonderful time and got some amazing pictures.  They all came racing back (literally racing) for the rehearsal on the beach.

The Rehearsal Dinner was held at the Bana Bistro where guests enjoyed family-style Asion Fusion fare. Our design team had created a photo book that featured all of the guests in attendance, along with a write-up about their importance in Jenn & Eliu’s lives. It was during dinner that they shared this special gift with each of their guests.

In all my years as a Wedding Consultant, I have seen and been touched by many wedding ceremonies … but none more so than the one I witnessed on Naos Beach at dusk.  One of Jenn’s closest friends performed the ceremony. It was a mix of culture and spirituality that brought tears to EVERYONE’s eyes. Jenn’s brother added a special touch by providing all the music, played on his saxophone.  We often tell our brides and grooms to always remember that although they are hosting a great party, the importance of the day is found at that moment when they become man and wife, and this was certainly true for Jenn and Eliu.

And here is the part that sums it all up … from Jenn …

Eliu and I work so well because our spiritual beliefs sustain us and carry us when the road appears too long and too dark.  He trusts me- even when I over analyze and make him take psychological assessments and bring my work home- he humors me and honors me and what I do- he appreciates that I will be a doctor and that I am a strong woman who occasionally roars. We work because we LIKE each other more than LOVE each other.  We work because we are best friends with benefits. We work because when one of us is almost out of steam the other picks up. We work because we take mini-getaways to revive our spirits. We work because we respect each other.

Jenny, you have reminded us ALL what this thing called LOVE and MARRIAGE is all about. We truly thank-you for sharing your story with us today!

You can see more photos and details from their wedding over on Candice’s blog!

Right when I started my blog, my girlfriend Jill sent me pictures from her girlfriend’s recent wedding. The couple had rented out an island to host their affair (seriously) and the bride, in a HUGE/PERFECT/COMPLETELY AMAZING ballgown was brought up to the dock by a canoe, where her groom waited patiently in his tux. It was beyond perfect, beyond gorgeous.

And ever since I laid eyes on that wedding, I’ve had this thing for fancy, formal affairs on the beach. A tuxedo. A beautiful gown. A city style affair next to such an organically beautiful backdrop. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Thank you so much to Grazier Photography for spending the day with us and for sharing such stunning photographs. The last one, in the series above, is the reason that I love my job. And, to the beautiful couple…your wedding was absolutely lovely.

More coming up!

If you are just now popping in, we are featuring the photographs from Friday’s incredible Elysium video. The wedding was complete bliss and to see it unfold on camera was such an awesome treat. But the photographs…oh the photographs. They tell the story to perfection and I am so thrilled that Grazier Photography allowed us to share them with you!

Perfect right? And the best part…the couple was thoughtful, gracious and totally in love. So it was beautiful inside and out! Here are a few more words from Enna…

Ashley travelled from St. Martin to Anguilla via ferry a week before the wedding with 30 pieces of luggage… (what I wouldn’t give to have been able to photograph that!) she and her family put together the most thoughtful personalized gift bags and delivered them to each place of lodging before any of the guests arrived.  For the day after brunch, Ashley arranged to reserve the cafe for her guests… AND she arranged for the rental car companies to allow car dropoff there and then shuttle the guests to the airport and ferry.  Seriously, every detail was thought of!

The wedding planner behind the event was the fabulous Alexis at Weddings by Alexis.  More to come in just a bit!

We are showcasing a GORGEOUS Anguilla wedding today…one that will make you so jealous you aren’t soaking up the rays on this amazing island, you’ll hardly be able to stand it! Photographed by the amazing husband and wife team, Matt and Enna, at Grazier Photography…this wedding is all beauty.

The wedding actually took place on Sunday after a weekend filled with fun activities. Which is kind of cool…the guests really built a vacation out of the visit and the gorgeous bride and groom did everything to make it perfect. They had a pool party to welcome guests on Thursday night, croquet for kids and tennis for adults on Friday, a BBQ on Friday night, a sail for the boys on Saturday while the girls hung out on the beach. Seriously a wedding weekend!

INSANELY beautiful. It’s the only thing that I can say about all of this. Ridiculously, insanely beautiful. And we have so much more to come!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We actually scored a few beautiful days in Boston so we took the bubs to the pool, hung out in my in-laws’ backyard, did real Summer things. It was perfect.

So, on to wedding things. Remember the AMAZING video that Elysium shared with us on Friday? For those of you that haven’t watched it you, it really is a must. Anyway, the photographers behind the Anguilla wedding were none other than Grazier Photography…two of my very favorites! And, they are sharing the entire, absolutely gorgeous wedding with us today!

From Enna Grazier…Oh. My. Gosh.  This was one of our favorite weddings ever to photograph.  Obviously the scenery and setting were a treat, but what made the whole week a dream to photograph was how sweet and romantic and sincere Ashley and Jamie were to each of their guests as well as to us and the other vendors.  They thought of every last detail in order to make the whole trip pleasant and easy for every guest, right down to arranging for EVERYONE to be met at the airport and ferry docks, and then seeing them off as well.

Sigh. Don’t you wish you were there? We have the whole beautiful affair coming up in just a bit!

These Vendors are members of our Little Black Book.
For membership information, click here

Elysium Productions

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I have been holding on to this little piece of heaven for a while, so I am REALLY excited to share it with you today. The amazing team at Elysium (and by amazing, I really mean…unbelievably good, unbelievably talented, unbelievably awesome) sent us the most incredible, moving, bring-you-to-tears-beautiful vignette of a wedding that they recently shot in Anguilla.

Ahhh, aren’t you obsessed? I’ve watched this clip three times and all three times…I’ve cried.

I had the sheer pleasure of meeting the forever brilliant Julie and team at a recent wedding and saw one of their GENIUS same day edits. The entire reception was in tears, the bride had a smile that could light up the room and I was, well…floored.

We have the photos from the equally incredible Grazier Photography coming on Monday. Up next a sneak peek!

These Vendors are members of our Little Black Book.
For membership information, click here

Elysium Productions

View Portfolio

Earlier today we mentioned that Laura Burlton with D. Jones Photography had sent us two weddings, each with their own distinctive “style”. Well, this is the second of the two, and is simply a drop-dead gorgeous destination wedding that took place at Paradisus Palma Real Resort on Bavara Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. If you are even toying with the idea of a destination wedding, you have to look at this place! Punta Cana is all about the beach. Twenty some odd miles of the finest, silkiest sand.

And as far as stunning bridal parties go … hold onto your hats!

This is just a tidbit of what the beautiful bride, Laura,  had to say about their story …

We first met during a modeling runway show in Houston, Texas but we actually did not speak to each other until we met up through mutual friends at a birthday party. From then on we began our love relationship. Alex proposed to me on the 1st of February. My birthday is on the 31st of January and he took me to California to visit for my birthday gift. As we were traveling to our destination, we wanted to enjoy the beautiful scenery from highway 1. Once he found the perfect spot we got out of the car close to a cliff near the water and he got down on one knee and asked me to share the rest of my life with him.

I am a recent graduate from the University of Houston with a major in Computer Engineering Technology and I have been modeling for over 6 years.  We enjoy working out, training, dancing and outdoor activities like white water rafting.

I actually chose my wedding location from a magazine I was looking at from Barnes and Nobles. As long as I can remember, I always wanted to get married on the beach. The only problem was … where?  I went to Barnes and Nobles and picked up a magazine that had all the wedding destinations across the world. Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was my favorite place … and that’s how I chose my wedding location!

As far as flowers, this was very important to me. I knew I wanted orchids. I looked online for the perfect flowers and I sent them to Viviana the wedding planner and she duplicated the picture. Other than that, I wanted our wedding to be as easy as pie ~ the least difficult as possible …

If you think these two gorgeous people ought to be on the cover of a magazine … they very well might be! {They are both models!}

Laura’s dress is a Badgley Mischka design. Our congratulations to Laura & Alex on your marriage and wish you the very best!!

Thanks SO much to Laura Burlton with D. Jones Photography for sending us both of these fabulous weddings featured today on the Little Black Book Blog!

For more of this fabulous weddings from Laura Burlton and D. Jones Photography, please visit the website and blog.

Day After Session

Resort Details

More of Laura & Alex’s Wedding Images (and here)

We have a slightly different, but very brilliant affair for you today from Kristin Shepelwich and Angie King of AK Event Design of Dallas,TX. This event was planned by their very own Sarah Herman for her brother’s rehearsal dinner! I’m sorry … I just have to start out the feature with these cutie pies!

Jason’s mother is from Puerto Rico and wanted a Latin flair for her son’s rehearsal dinner in San Diego, California. The location was the Loews Coronado Bay Resort on Coronado Island, with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean and the Coronado Bridge as a backdrop!

Instead of a normal guest book, guests took pictures with a Polaroid camera, filled in information about where they had traveled from to be with the couple, cute stories about the bride or groom and advice for the couple.

One touch that was special to the groom was using his late grandmother’s Puerto Rican recipes for some of the items on the menu. She would spoil her grandchildren with her cooking and as a surprise Sarah was able to give the chef at the Loews the grandmother’s recipes. The groom said, “It was like she was here with us, and the food tasted just like hers, made with love.”

All these beautiful images were provided by Bouchér Photography. Floral Design by Kathy Wright and Company. Invitations by Simply Personal.

Kristin, Angie and Sarah added so many festive touches throughout the affair. From Kristin, “We also incorporated a specialty drink to fit the theme of the event and they were styled with cute stir sticks. The stir sticks were imprinted with the name of the specialty drink. One of our favorite sites to get stir sticks, napkins, coasters and other items to personalize your event is For Your Party.”

We have a few more photos and details from Kristin coming up … so check back in a few minutes!

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

It’s all in the details. I admit, a bit cliche, but when it comes to a wedding, it’s so true. Chances are, most of your guests won’t remember the pretty flowers you placed in the bathroom or the flawless topiaries that covered up corners, the crisp linen napkins that are the perfect shade of green or the pattern on your cake that took weeks to design. What they will notice, however, is the big picture…the style. And most of the time, that style is the result of many, many beautiful details that you thoughtfully infuse into various elements throughout the entire affair.

My friends over at Wiley Valentine recently told me about this incredibly talented wedding coordinator, who really knows how to create details…lovely little anecdotes that when brought together, create a grand impression. Here are some pics from Oh How Charming event design studio that are sure to inspire!

Lisa, at Oh How Charming, is brilliant. She has been featured in all of the best magazines…Town & Country Weddings, Grace Ormond and InStyle to name a few. She has a truly beautiful perspective and I am sure that my girls over at Wiley Valentine are right…she’s sure to be the next big thing!

What are some of your favorite details? I would love for you to share your thoughts!