I have another gorgeous couple and Caribbean destination wedding for you! Surrounded by a sweet island vibe and their closest family and friends, Adrienne and Stephen were married on the fantastic island of St. Lucia. Staying true to their style, Adrienne and Stephen had a vision for their wedding- and it was just as wonderful as they imagined it. Here’s Adrienne to tell the rest…

I am the youngest of 3 and Stephen is 1 of 4, so after attending many huge weddings of our siblings—although beautiful, it was not what we wanted. What Stephen and I dreamed of, was an intimate and romantic wedding. At first we actually considered eloping but soon realized we wanted those that know and love us the most, to share in our wedding day … our family. That’s when the idea of a destination wedding came to us. We thought it would be wonderful for the two families to spend some quality time together—before and after our wedding day. 

Our wedding style was chic and natural, small and intimate on the beach at beautiful St. Lucia island in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Our colors were natural linens, light green and my Maid of Honor (my sister) and only bridesmaid, was in coral. We were married on a pier overlooking the Caribbean with the reception following a short walk to the beach.

The venue Sandals Grande St. Lucia. Our on site wedding planner was Monica. Our wedding coordinator, prior to arrival was Meka. The beach-themed wedding stationery by : MagnetStreet Weddings

The best part of our wedding day was watching my husband’s face as I walked down the pier with my Dad right before saying “I do”. Also, having the two families together from all over the world to celebrate our love. We had family from Russia, NY, CT, and MA.We were honored.

The best advice we took- arriving a few days prior to the wedding was the best advice we took. We had time to adjust, relax and make final arrangements with our wedding planner. Also switching rooms at the resort to a honeymoon swim up room after the wedding was wonderful.

As far as best advice- remember, it’s your day. Do what you and your husband have dreamed of and not someone’s else’s dream. You can’t please everyone so make sure you please yourselves.

Advice I wish we took- nothing, we don’t have a single regret!

Steel drums playing added to the island theme.

Highlights of the day- included a romantic sunset at the reception, my dad playing the piano & me accompanying him singing, Stephen’s Dad singing too & the next day we all set out for an Island catamaran cruise.

Getting their guests in the spirit of their perfect beach destination theme, Adrienne and Stephen personalized “Names Written in the Sand” mini save the date magnet, as well as “Starfish” the Gate-fold wedding invitation {embellished with “Starfish” Slender Vellum Band} suite and “Destination Wedding” Thank You Cards.

Congratulations to the newlyweds! Thank you Adrienne and Stephen for sharing your day with us                             and for inspiring couples to follow their hearts when planning their dream wedding. Awesome- I love it!

Much joy, love & happiness & to you both!

Melissa & Travis …

A barefoot Melissa and Travis said “I do” in tropical Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. A beautiful couple, a dreamy destination, soft white sand, a crystal blue water backdrop, towering palms and a sun soaked beach … can this destination wedding get any more relaxed and fabulous? Oh, yes it can – they were surrounded by their closest family and friends!

~ Sail along and enjoy this lovely trip to the tropics as Melissa shares sweet details and savvy wedding advice!

Vendors

Photographer Gabriela Pahor with Tropical Pictures.
Ceremony & Reception Our ceremony and reception was on the beach. We were at the Dreams Palm Beach, Punta Cana Resort. Our reception took place poolside, in the middle of one of the resort pools.
Stationery by MagnetStreet Weddings: Mini Save the Date Magnets, Wedding Invitations, Thank You Cards

Advice you’re glad you took Relax, and take in every moment!

Advice you wished you took I wish we had stayed at our resort a week longer, because everything went so fast.

{bride + bouquet = so beautiful!}

Highlights of the day There were several highlights of our special day! It started out seeing Travis at the end of the beach waiting to marry me. The location was beautiful and took my breath away. Our reception was amazing; I think the entire reception was a highlight, especially our first dance. We danced to Plain White T’s “Rhythm of love” outside under a full moon!

Advice you’d like to give It’s about you and your husband to be, and don’t let anything change that!

Best part of the whole day The best part of the whole wedding day was that I was finally married to my best friend, and we were surrounded by our closest friends and family.

For their save the date, Melissa and Travis chose a seashell themed, mini save the date- perfect for their beach-themed wedding! For their wedding invitations, they changed the colors on Forever Yours to a beautiful blue. The font is elegant and exquisite! Their thank you cards boast five gorgeous wedding photos! Gorgeous indeed …

Thanks so much to Melissa and Travis for sharing their special day with us! So fabulous …We wish you a lifetime of love, joy and happiness!

xo

Yo ho ho. In honor of Capt. Jack Sparrow and the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean today, here is inspiration for a Caribbean destination wedding. Full of beautiful people and beautiful scenery, the Caribbean is rich in history and rich in culture. So many islands. So many places to get married … a luxury villa, a botanical garden, on the beach at sunset. Being surrounded by the turquoise waters and island mystique is nothing short of pure paradise and extreme romance!

What’s your favorite Caribbean island?

sources:

hairpiece, etsy: key necklace, etsy Elizabeth Swan wedding dress, tablescape and drummer via Vintage Caribbean, cake via Caribbean Destination Wedding, couple on the beach via Leslie St. John, Photo booth Save the Date via MagnetStreet Weddings

Take another trip … follow me to see the beach Save the Dates or simply the destination Save the Dates.

~feather bouquets
~colored wedding dresses
~non-diamond weddings rings

These are a few of my favorite non-traditional wedding things. Oh, and let’s add this …  a love story that includes a girl named Dovie, who throws convention to the wayside, to ask a boy named AJ, to marry her. Blunt and direct, Dovie has no problem in going after what she wants. Enjoy their story as well as these fun engagement pictures from Pics By Becca.

Go Dovie. Go Dovie.

My fiances name is Andrew Pearson, but everyone just calls him AJ.

My proposal… Where do I start?  We had been talking one day and I asked him when he was going to ask me to marry him. He said he was coming up with ideas. Well it was driving me insane with the waiting and plotting, so a few weeks later, I looked at him and asked him if he wanted to marry me … he said YES!.. I laughed and looked at him and said lets do it… and he was like what? Really? And I said yes. Then again, I asked him if he would marry me… {it seemed proper} and he said yes again! And that is how it happened.

Do you see yourselves as non-traditional? I would definitely say that we are very non-traditional. I had been married before and I have two children. We had both served in the military and had seen our friends marry and divorce and marry again… its a way of life I guess. We knew very quickly that we loved each other and moved in together. We had been living together for a year when I popped the question. We decided to take a long engagement because nothing was going to change.

Destination Wedding We are getting married at Dam Neck Naval Annex in Virginia Beach, VA on June 4th of this year. Our wedding colors are Ivory, Khaki, and Cobalt Blue. AJ picked the blue.

We got engaged in May of 2010 and started planning in June, so we have been planning for nearly a year. This is a destination wedding for us because we live in Clarksville, TN and AJ’s parents live in Virginia Beach~which presented the amazing opportunity to get married on the beach…

Made for each other We are definitely made for each other and started out as friends first. I know that some people say that it’s not really a good thing to fall in love with your best friend, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Although we share hobbies, we’re also very different from each other. We work well together and bring different skills, goals, and ideas into the relationship. We are like a well-oiled machine and if something breaks, we work together to fix it.

Can’t wait … I am most looking forward to committing my life to AJ in front of God and our family and friends… and the celebration of our relationship… and a few days off work haha.

Its hard to put into words how much we both have grown in this relationship and how much we depend on each other. We laugh and we joke and have such respect and love for the other, that it’s just easy. We have our schedules but never get stuck in a rut.

Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands! Way to go Dovie! It’s a lesson of the heart, for all of us! Congrats to you both and best wishes for the blending of your beautiful family. Thanks so much for sharing your story and engagement session!

Starfish Mini Save the Date Magnet with linen paper Carrier Card via MagnetStreet Weddings

Anyone else humming “Last train to Clarksville” right about now? *wink.