Caribbean Weddings

Thank you so much to the always inspiring Gia Canali and Yifat Oren for sharing today’s ridiculously gorgeous wedding with us. We feel really lucky to get to brag about some of our favorite vendors and you two are very high on our list of favorites. I hope that all of you found this wedding as inspiring as I did. And like yesterday’s Lisa Vorce feature, I hope you discovered ideas tucked inside that you can replicate on any budget. I’ve included a few budget ideas below!

The main thing to note when finding inspiration within this wedding is the natural elegance. They looked to the beach…the colors, the textures, the natural beauty…and translated that into each and every detail. Starting with the color palette. With a blend of whites, greens and natural hues the look just faded perfectly into the backdrop.

Next up, the details.

1. If you are getting married at a hotel on the beach, ask the hotel to borrow some of their lounge chairs. They always have extras on hand and although they might make you pay a rental fee, the look will be totally relaxed and chic.

2. Keep the details simple. Look to IKEA for accent pieces like these amazing floor cushions. A runner using plain muslin fabric. Branches instead of flowers to frame the aisle. Think organic, simple and refined. These adorable fans are a pretty affordable accent and your guests will love them.

3. Keep your flowers ultra simple and tidy. Wrap your bouquet in natural linen and twine or leather. With centerpieces, go for simple and low white flowers. Accent with big bowls of styrafome balls wrapped in twine (make your own based on these from Target). You can also fill in with artichokes and other pretty veggies without spending a ton of money.

4. Gift your boys a clean, casual white shirt that they can wear with khaki’s from their closet and a pair of brown flip-flops.

5. Finish off the look by creating wooden signs to mark each area of your wedding. The Ceremony…The Drinks…The Dinner…etc. You can even add in fun things like this couple did like a Jewelry Making station or Domino Dock. White paint on a sturdy wooden board will go a long way for making your affair seem a bit more homegrown, a bit more charming.

Every now and then I feel like a total wedding stalker. I OBSESS over the details, the perfect brides, the flowers, the design. And this wedding has me in total crazy stalker mode. Aside from being one of the most beautiful destination weddings I’ve ever seen, it’s also refreshingly edited. Designed by the insanely talented celebrity designer Yifat Oren, this wedding is all about the gorgeousness… with decor that blends seamlessly into the beach backdrop and every detail appearing cohesive and simply beautiful.

The ridiculously stunning photographs that Gia Canali shot only make it that much sweeter.

A few details from Gia…

The couple held a simple, gorgeous, ceremony – the bride’s uncle co-officiated with a local officiant, who ended the ceremony by saying, “And now, not only by the laws of these islands, but also by the laws of your hearts, I declare you husband and wife.”   Then there was a blessing stone ceremony that everybody joined in!

Are you madly, madly in love yet? The dress on the beach, the lounge chairs, the effortlessness and total luxury placed side by side within every detail. We have more goodness coming up in just a bit!

You should probably sit down for this next feature. Even if you have no interest in a beachside wedding, even if you aren’t going to rock out a ballroom wedding gown, even if traditional gorgeousness isn’t your thing…you will still LOVE this wedding. It’s impossible not to. Photographed by Gia Canali and designed by the world famous Yifat Oren, this wedding is the definition of beauty. It’s perfection through and through.

And I have to say…a ballroom gown on a beach has to be one of my favorite wedding luxuries. It’s impossibly gorgeous and will forever be a look that gives me butterflies. The gown in particular, by Monique of course, just might be as close to perfect as you can get, setting the tone for the ridiculously beautiful wedding to follow.

As for flowers, I love, love, love the concept that GD Designers put together for the affair. For a really expensive, absolutely luxurious affair, the flowers were a welcome, understated style.  They were muted, they were organic, they were simply stunning. And the invitations, designed by Jennifer at Tiny Pine Press. Ummm…hello gorgeous.

Here area a few deails from Gia Canali, the photographer behind these perfect images…

Jennifer Parsons of Tiny Pine Press designed gorgeous stationery across the board.  The save-the-dates were printed on wooden paper and a luscious handmade paper and wrapped in turquoise blue threads.  The invites were letterpressed on handmade paper and mounted on wooden paper (like the opposite of the save the dates) — with little turquoise waves stitched in at the top. The decor behind this wedding was perfect–simple, modern, earthy, and sweet.  Each event, from the beginning to end, was planned to be fun and meaningful — with good food and lots of time for friends.  There were surprises, too, like fireworks at midnight! Each groomsman’s boutonniere matched a bridesmaid’s bouquet, featuring a single (different) bloom.  My favorite boutonniere featured something that looked like asparagus.

You are not going to want miss this next wedding. It’s stunning. Straight out of a glossy stunning. But before we get to all of the wedding goodness, I wanted to mention that we’ve listed our latest job opening over on Backstage! If you are interested in working with Style Me Pretty, now’s your chance!

The next affair for you to devour was a three day Destination wedding, planned and designed by celebrity wedding planner Yifat Oren and photographed by Gia Canali, who we love here on SMP. The bride and groom, who are from Grand Cayman and the UK, respectively, flew their closest friends and family to Parrot Cay for a wedding that would literally blow their socks off.  The result was a picture perfect weekend where very detail was perfectly designed and beautifully executed.

Here is a little peek at the beachside welcome party that the couple held…after all, one girl’s welcome party is another girl’s wedding!

From the photographer behind the day, Gia Canali…

The welcome party was a laid-back, beautiful event with great food and decor. We loved how it was all set up, dotted with fires for warmth and lanterns for mood. In addition to regular tables and poolside seating, Yifat’s crew made the beach an additional seating area.  They spread wicker seating cushions and bamboo mats and pillows from Ikea on the beach, along with the lanterns and fires for warmth.

It’s really essential that you make your guests comfortable at all the wedding events.  And destination weddings are no different than local ones, except that you might not be used to thinking about what those comfort issues are–heat, cold, sun, humidity, dehydration, mosquitoes the size of Rhode Island, etc.  (Another reason why wedding planners are worth their weight in gold).

The couple actually had a “bead bar” for the guests to make their own necklaces, bracelets, etc., if they wanted to.  The beads were divine and I saw some of the creations afterwards – great.  I think it’s always good to have something fun for the guests to do! There was also a domino hut set up if guests wanted to play dominoes — that’s a thing in the Caribbean.

The bride’s uncle made his special rum punch recipe (with the chefs from Parrot Cay) … I think it’s fantastic when couples incorporate beloved family recipes into the festivities.  Behind the scenes, I heard one of the chefs saying how fun it was to learn his recipe and “cook” with him.  But I’ve seen lots of variations of this (not all of which involve a caterer) — couples using favorite dessert recipes, for instance.

Wedding coming up next! And it’s so good…you’ll hardly believe it’s real.