Weddings the Island Way

Music is a very important aspect of your wedding. It walks with you down the aisle for the marriage ceremony, accompanies you when you leave the ceremony as husband and wife, entertains your guests while you are being photographed and throughout the reception. It’s important to set the correct mood for your reception, and music helps you do just that!

Take some time out to decide what mood you would like to convey. You want it to represent you and the type of atmosphere you would like to have.If you are looking to have a formal wedding, you may consider having a harpist or violinist preform. If you are looking for more of a light and uplifting feel, try hiring a saxophonist or guitarist. Steel pans and Caribbean bands always bring the fun for the bride wanting to have a true island style wedding!

Planning the perfect wedding involves much thought about spending as well as the number of attendants, and what will look best on them; all the while supporting the way you want your bridal party to look. With some research you can find wonderful selections of bridesmaid dresses at a good price.

Here are a couple of tips to help you find the perfect dress for your bridesmaids:

• Choosing a dress that flatters all figures can be a challenge. If you want one dress style that will flatter your plus size best friend and your model figured sister, then go for an A-line cut. The A-line cut is figure flattering across the board!

• If you don’t mind not having the same style, then have your dresses made out of the same fabric, but change the style to suit each of your bridesmaid’s figures best. Switch it by making one dress long with halter straps and another short and strapless!

• Take color into consideration. Although you may have a certain color in mind, it may not be suitable for all skin tones. Even though the final decision is yours, it’s easy to get feedback from your bridesmaids about your choices. If your stuck on two colors, try incorporating both or variations of the one color. Don’t be afraid to add in some print!

The Unity Sand Ceremony is a meaningful and  unique visualization of the joining  and blending of two lives. It is a great alternative to the traditional Unity Candle Ceremony; especially to those who are perhaps getting married outside.

Many Brides and Grooms choose to involve their family, by giving various colors of sand to different family members to create a one-of -a kind symbol of unity of the entire family.

By incorporating this great element  into your wedding ceremony, you’ll be sure to create memories to last a lifetime!

The wedding cake is one of the most important elements of the wedding ceremony, after the bride’s dress, of course!  What began humbly as an ancient  tradition symbolizing  the bride’s fertility; wedding cakes have taken a life of their own, and  grown into a sugar extravaganza with thousands of endless possibilities!

Wedding toppers are a wonderful way to express your personality and style on your cake! No longer are there just the traditional Bride and Groom standing side by side;  there are a wide variety of toppers including sports themed, ethnic and monogrammed letters that have all made their way to the top of wedding cakes everywhere!

Choosing to use flowers in lieu of cake toppers has been a very celebrated alternative, that can turn a plain cake into something spectacular. Popular ways to incorporate flowers on your wedding cake include placing flowers in between the layers of your cake, or simply decorating the cake table with petals. Check out a wide variety of cake toppers here.

Your wedding day is approaching, and fast!  With all the small and many details you already have to worry about in planning your wedding, why should your makeup be one of them?  On your wedding day every kiss, caress, and loving stare will be photographed hundreds of times. Whether your pictures are being taken by a professional photographer or by family and friends; here are a couple of tips to make sure you look absolutely  flawless in every single shot!

• Take some time out to look through some magazines and find makeup styles that you like. You may like the lipstick on one photo or the eye makeup on another. Be bold! Don’t be afraid to do a little mixing and matching!  Check out some of the many bridal makeup tutorials available on YouTube!

• If you plan on doing your own makeup, make sure to do a trial run. Play around with all different types of looks, colors and schemes. Let your imagination run wild!  As a general rule, bridal makeup is applied a bit heavier than your everyday makeup so that it will show on photographs; but sometimes rules are meant to be broken! Do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Invite your bridesmaids to join in for a day of beauty and fun! Be sure to take some photos of your practice run so you will have a feel of what your photos will look like on your special day.

• If you are planning on hiring a makeup artist, take a little extra time to research and schedule a consultation before your wedding. This gives both you and the makeup artist a chance to perfect your look for the big day!  Be sure to take examples of the look you would like to recreate as well as your dress.  Having pictures makes it easier for you to explain what you would like the final product to look like and just as easy for the artist to recreate.

As a major cruise ship and airport hub in the Caribbean, St. Thomas is both a convenient and cost-effective location for planning a wedding.

• St. Thomas has flights from all major US airlines as well as daily flights making connections to other islands and Europe.
• St. Thomas is established as a major cruise ship port in the Caribbean.
• Because of the flight and boat traffic, St. Thomas has access to amenities, services and items that may be hard to find on other islands.
• The USVI Tourism department is robust and enthusiastic, revitalizing their campaign over the past year. As a result, they work to promote the travel industry by keeping flights, voyages and accommodations at comparable rates to other stateside locations to attract visitors.
• The year-long sunshine and warm temperatures offer many opportunities for sunny wedding ceremonies.
• There are multiple beaches with different settings (shady, sandy, rocky, great views, sunset locations, etc…)
• The island offers a variety of different types of settings, from garden villas to beaches to restaurants.
• The island has wedding coordinators with resources and knowledge to help you plan. Other details that might get lost in the planning, like licensing, can be taken care of without worry.

Happy new year! Will you or someone you know be getting married this year?  Now halfway through the first month, we’re well on our way to planning this year’s wedding ceremonies.  Please let us know if there are any topics you would like us to cover to help prepare you for your experience.

In the meantime, we’re noticing some trends with this year’s weddings. We’ll post these from time to time for your own ideas. If you’re curious or would like more information, call us! Our first feature is loose, free-flowing handties… (see photo).

Want to preserve your flowers after the ceremony? Check out Keepsake Floral. You’ll have the actual flowers that you carry on your wedding day displayed within a piece of artwork that you select…and will enjoy for decades!

Looking for some inspiration for your wedding hairstyle? What are you in the mood for–romantic, chic, relaxed…? Will your ceremony be outside in the breeze or indoors? Will you have a veil or tiara? Are you feeling traditional or exotic? Browsing photos of bridal hairdos can give you many ideas if you feel like you have none.

Here’s several sites with thorough galleries of hairstyle examples:

http://www.brides.com/beauty/hairstyles

http://hairstyles.free-beauty-tips.com/wedding_hairstyles.html

http://weddinghairstylegallery.com/main.php

http://www.weddinghairstyles.org/

Brides.com offers a useful timeline for your wedding hairstyle, posted below. You can explore further at their site: http://www.brides.com/beauty/hairstyles/guide/checklist/

From Brides. com:

Thinking of exchanging your vows on a designated holiday? There are advantages and disadvantages for marrying on holidays.

Advantages:

- You’ll be more likely to remember your anniversary each year
- If it’s a holiday where your families usually come together (i.e. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter), all of your families will likely attend your ceremony when they come for the traditional holiday
- You’ll have the day off from work every year for the holiday and your anniversary (if you marry on a nationally recognized day)
- Everyone is generally festive in the holiday mood, adding to the gala of your wedding

Disadvantages:

- You’ll need to make reservations 6 months-1 year earlier than other dates, as places will fill up much more quickly on holidays
- Courts will charge an extra $150 on 12 holidays & won’t open at all for 9 holidays + a lot of times vendors charge additional fees for holidays such as New Years, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving & Christmas.
- People are in the mood for the holiday, and maybe not so much for your wedding
- If a destination wedding, flights are often more expensive during holiday times
- Your anniversary may be overshadowed by the traditions of the holiday
-  Everyone is generally festive in the holiday mood, adding to the gala of your wedding (see above)…or more stressed due to the holiday hustle & bustle.
- If doing a beach wedding the beaches are a lot more crowded (just like weekends).

Holiday Ideas

New Year’s Day Wedding
Start a fresh year with your new life together! Consider marrying at midnight as the year turns over. Often New Year’s weddings are more formal in dress, with lots of confetti throwing, sequins, cocktail dresses, sparklers, fireworks and noise blowers

Christmas Wedding
Exchange vows with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree behind you, decorated in the colors of your wedding. Wedding gifts can be wrapped like Christmas gifts. The bouquets can be poinsettas, with warm cider, cookies and eggnog served afterward.

Valentine’s Day Wedding
By far the most popular wedding holiday. Send wedding invitations on Valentine’s Day cards; decorate with heart-shaped doilies. Use candy hearts with traditional messages on them to decorate the table(s). Have small heart-shaped boxes of chocolates instead of cake for your guests.

Take the opportunity with your wedding party to experience the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean as it was 75 years ago. Jost Van Dyke, B.V.I, offers exquisite simplicity, world-class lobster and limitless solitude.

The island is about a 45-minute boat ride from St. Thomas. You can ride the ferry, or set up a day trip with any of the local sailing and powerboat rental companies. Jost Van Dyke is a popular getaway for locals and tourists alike, year-round.

Jost Van Dyke is an island of pristine coral sand, making its beaches among the best in the Caribbean. And it’s  so quiet, chances are you won’t see another soul on the beach. But you can always find a shady spot at one of the friendly beach side bars to sit and sip a cool drink or lounge in the hammocks.

Local hot spots include Soggy Dollar Bar, Sydney’s, Corsair’s, and Foxy’s, to name a few. You can also find shopping around each of these places. You can check out accommodations and stay a night or two, enjoying its beaches and even venturing to the neighbor island of Tortola, BVI.  Sea Crest Inn, the Pink House, and White Bay Villas are among some of the villa and hotels, or you can find info from BritishVirginIslands.com.