Shealynn and Ross were married in Sunny Turks and Caicos this past March. Their whimsical wedding weekend was filled with the memories that dreams are made of. Before it all began, Anticipate Invitations crafted an amazing stationery suite that started with a Save-The-Date that invited their guests to “Fly Away To Turks and Caicos!” Held at The Shore Club in Long Bay, a remote resort with crystal blue waters and soft sandy beaches, this is a wedding that celebrates all things warm and sunny and fun and… well, just out and out exciting. Erich McVey and Sculpting With Time Productions were there to capture the emotions, the details and the fun. Read on for more from event planner and designer extraordinaire Two Be Wed!
Shealynn and Ross invited their friends to Fly Away with them on a beautiful vintage Save the Date travel poster. The airplane in the save the date is the very same vintage aircraft that Ross’s father owns.
Their entire stationery suite was designed by Anticipate Invitations. The incredible letterpress foiled invitation suite was multilayered with a vellum sea fan wrap and gold speck cork liner.
The wedding design was inspired by 1960’s Luxury Island life ~ a combination of tropical chic + casual elegance with a bold primary color palette of navy, red, yellow, and orange.
In his vows, the Groom shares a quote with his Bride:“True happiness is found in unselfish love. A love which increases in proportion… until it is shared.” The officiant tells them that they ‘… will weather many storms, together… to shelter each other during those storms.’
Watch and listen… as Sculpting With Time Productions captures their words, and the essence of Shealynn and Ross’s forever kind of love…
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More from Natalie at Two Be Wed… Anticipate Invitations made individual pieces of hanging art of ocean life that was hung on a large wooden installation leading guests to their seats where acrylic menus with gold grommets sat on top of the plate and a custom ikat napkin and coral beaded napkin ring lay.
Erich McVey and Emmy Award winning duo Whitney and Alex Douglas from Sculpting with Time captured the essence of this destination experience.
Lead Designer Ernst Jansen of Flowers by EA created eclectic island inspired centerpieces using colorful and textural elements including miniature bananas and fruit.
From the Bride… As a small town Canadian girl, I never dreamed that my career goals as an engineer in the oil and gas industry would lead me to Texas, let alone to Ross. Ross grew up in rural Pennsylvania and got a master’s degree in energy management which eventually put him in the same business where our paths crossed. After many business lunches in Pennsylvania where we would talk as friends about our struggles balancing success, family, and the dating world, we eventually realized that something more than a friendship had developed.
I had always wanted to visit NYC at Christmastime and shared this with Ross who responded with a carefree “let’s go”. A few days later, on a cold December evening, we officially became a couple at the top of the Empire State Building. We then spent many months dealing with the challenges of a long distance relationship while trying to get Ross a job transfer to Texas. Borders couldn’t keep us from finding each other nor could the distance of many state lines tear us apart. During this time we were forced to strengthen our relationship by talking about what we wanted out of our lives and enduring many plane rides to visit each other; besides what better way to truly know a person than by traveling with them?! Very early in our relationship we discussed our mutual desire to have a destination wedding (someday) and that became a reality for us as a couple when Ross finally got his transfer over a year later and then planned a surprise proposal at the top of the Empire State building where it all began.
We envisioned a beautiful locale that would allow us to mix an elegant black tie affair with laid back, island cool to prevent it from feeling stuffy.
Gown shopping will forever be one of the most special experiences in this process since it brought my mother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law together at Kleinfeld NYC. I was very worried that the experience would be overwhelming and that I would be steered towards a simple beach gown rather than the showstopper I desired. Kleinfeld provided a superior experience and we had the lovely Camille from “Say Yes to the Dress” as our stylist. She selected a stunning Lazaro ball gown as the first dress and I was in disbelief that it could be that easy! My maternal grandmother passed away many years ago and left me with some gifts for purchasing my gown. I was wearing her vintage onyx ring during the selection process and I have no doubt she was there in spirit to lead me in the right direction.
Some of my favorite moments on my wedding day: Having a first look with my dad… and having him sing the first song Ross and I danced to. It was the same song he sang to my mom over 30 years ago at their wedding! Not to mention laughing hysterically while running down the beach during photos and trying not to trip over the giant dress! We also loved the incorporation of some simple touches that signified the joining of our two countries – Canada and USA flag cufflinks for the groomsmen, a humorous bar menu representing where we come from, and a thoughtful gift from my parents at the rehearsal dinner which was printed with “united we stand”. Ross and I both come from families who’s parents have been married for more than 30 years. This is such a rare thing in today’s society that we wanted the ceremony to have some special moments to honor them. These moments with our family and speaking out loud the vows we wrote for each other will always be the most meaningful of our entire marriage celebration!
We have countless special memories from our wedding celebration. We also had the chance to give back to the island that hosted us. Mission “Two Be Wed” was a unique idea from Natalie, our wedding planner, that we couldn’t wait to be a part of. A group of our wedding party and family spent a day helping paint school classrooms that had been affected only a few months earlier by Hurricane Irma. Seeing how happy those children were reminded us that the power of love can do good things in this world!
One of the most important pieces of advice I can give brides-to-be is to hold true to the vision you have for your wedding regardless of what others think. Even if… it is out of the ordinary or over the top. Others may not see how this will translate into a unique experience, but your guests will certainly feel appreciated, and most importantly, YOU will have fun! Let your groom feel like himself with his wedding attire, too. Ross insisted on wearing cowboy boots for our island wedding but he truly looked like himself coming down the aisle (in a new, stylish pair, of course!)
Finally, I can’t say enough how much a wedding planner helps with your sanity. Not only did Natalie of Two Be Wed, execute a perfectly styled and on-time event, she also kept us calm when a hurricane hit our venue only months before the wedding!
Photography: Erich McVey Photography | Cinematography: Sculpting With Time Productions | Event Planning and Design: Two Be Wed | Floral Design: Flowers By EA | Wedding Dress: JLM Couture | Cake: Cakes To Di For | Stationery: Anticipate Invitations | Makeup: Thea Makeup Artistry | Hair : Brigitte Wildt | DJ: DJ Dayoh | Suit: Balani | Venue: The Shore Club | Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Somewhere Cafe and Lounge | Rentals and Linens: Got U Covered | Resort: The Shore Club | Steel Pan Drums Band: Kelci Talbot | Welcome Party: Da Conch Shack
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