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.

• 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.

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!

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:

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.

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.

We decided to reserve the larger boat, and it turned out wonderfully. I would recommend the bigger sailboat because it had so many perks. Even a slide! The crew took us to a remote place where we could swim and snorkel for a while.

The only thing I would do differently is plan to have more food prepared. The food went quickly–anytime you add water and sports, people get hungry! I didn’t think of that. Plan ahead with more than you think you need if you are planning an excursion. I would also arrange transportation from the catamaran when you arrive back at the dock.

If water is your thing instead of first dances and formality, then this activity is perfect for you! As you noticed, the emphasis was on the actual ceremony (2 hours on the beach!) and our adventurous spirit! We had a blast and would not change a thing…except maybe jumping off that boat in my dress then leaving it there! Carrying that thing around was more than a hassle. Hah! In closing, go with the bigger boat, more food, and order more waterproof cameras on the boat!”

…From one of our brides, Amber Speakman. If you would like more information to plan your own sailing excursion, let us know! We can help you prepare with all you need and suggest details to suit your party.

• No white outfits, men or women; let the bride shine alone in all white
• No black outfits; can be viewed as bad luck for the superstitious
• Men: if you wear a colored suit, wear a subdued tie
• Keep hair neat and groomed, not shaggy and unruly
• No hats or caps; can be too casual
• Men: if you’re wearing neutral colors, stick to neutrals for the whole outfit
• No sneakers
• Men: if wearing shoes (i.e. not barefoot on beach), keep your socks dark and matching
• No bold patterns
• If wearing a tie, no clip-ons
• No jeans
• No holes, tears or stains
• Women: nothing too sexy or revealing
• Nothing shiny

Choosing a beach location for your wedding often means that weather no longer is a worry. Being on the beach, next to the gentle lap of waves on the shore, toes in sand, feeling the breezes…it’s sensory overload. Whether clouds roll over head, or a rain shower comes–the weather changes very rapidly in the Caribbean. Light showers are sometimes a blessing, cooling the temperatures after the bright sunshine.

Surrounded with the natural beauty of the sea and sand, you’ll easily relax and everything will fall into place. The beach atmosphere causes you to take a breath, enjoy the moment and savor the experience–clouds or not.