THE DETAILS
Dress: Alon Livne | Suits: Black Lapel
Bridesmaid Dresses: Reformation
Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Hair & Makeup: Jackie Soriano & Trina Biliti
Venue: Private Home | Planner: Cassondra South
Floral & Set-up: Celebrations LTD | Music: Bona Fide
Ok, red alert! I am going to start gushing about Harriet’s and Simon’s stunning wedding day! The couple were married at a private residence here in the Cayman Islands, surrounded by their friends and family from around the world. I must say that Harriet was the most calm bride ever- totally at ease on her wedding day surrounded by her mother, sisters, and special girl friends. I just love some of the shots as she peacefully gazed out of the window, watching the wedding decor set-up during the day while her bridesmaids lounged, chatted, and laughed their way through the day. A special shout-out goes to Simon, who totally gave us ‘movie star vibes’ in his custom navy Black Lapel suit- looking totally dapper and ready to marry his gorgeous bride!
Along with Cassie from Celebrations, this couple planned an absolutely stunner of a wedding day with special touches along the way. The couple’s 2 dogs were honored with drink stations: Lola’s lemonade stand and Penny’s Pimms Station which the guests absolutely loved. The ceremony was divine amidst the trees, stunning greenery, and bird’s chirping.
The day capped off with a stunning reception full of live music and dancing! I think everyone at the reception had their turn showing off their moves and the couple laughed and smiled through their first dance.
Cheers to such a special couple!
Let’s start with a tough one. Describe your wedding day in 3-5 words!
Etherial and elegant, with a touch of botanical bohemian.
The Dress. Tell me about your experience choosing it! Where did you find it, how did you choose it and how many did you try on before you found the one?
My dress was designed by Israeli designer Alon Livne and had a lattice inspired embroidered lace body with a pearl collar, and draped skirt that created wonderful flowing effect when you walked. It was purchased from Mark Ingram Atelier in New York, which was a recommendation from a friend in Cayman. With my mum and sister (maid of honour), I tried on around 35 (!) dresses before finding two dresses, strikingly different, at Mark Ingram. Loving both, I had to go away and sleep on it before returning the next day to make a final decision! This dress was the winning combination of modern and relaxed yet feminine and glam, which fit the wedding theme and setting perfectly.
Do you have a favorite photo? If so, which one?
Ooh that’s tough. Simon doing his best Tom Hardy impression up at Beach Bay, me with my mum and sisters and Simon and I in front of the cocktail cart that me and my bridesmaids decorated that morning.
What photography related advice would you offer the camera shy?
Eek, don’t overthink it? Some of my favourite photos from the day are the more candid moments caught on camera.
How would you describe your overall wedding experience?
I’m a creative so I loved the early planning stages of putting together mood boards for each part of the day – from the ceremony to the cocktail reception to the sit-down dinner under the stars for 175 people. Our wedding party was also made up of an interior designer, a jewelry designer, two art curators and more, so even though everyone was scattered across the globe (from New York to London to Sydney) we had so much fun over the months leading up to the wedding discussing every design detail and sourcing decor items from all over the world. I am very grateful for my mum’s support in the final few weeks leading up to the wedding thanks to her fantastic organisation I knew the day itself was going to be seamless and could just enjoy myself and try to soak it all up!
What made you choose your venue?
I really wanted to create a day that was unique and stood apart from the ‘typical’ Cayman beach wedding. From the get-go, this included finding a one-of-a-kind venue; one that many of the guests wouldn’t have been to, ideally hadn’t played host to a wedding before, but that could cater to approx. 200 people. We were incredibly fortunate to be offered the opportunity to have our wedding at a private home, which made for an incredibly special setting with gardens filled with lush tropical greenery and a white sandy beachfront with perfectly placed palm trees.
Did you do a first look? Why or why not?
No, I’d always imagined walking down the aisle and to see my husband-to-be for the first time right there ‘in the moment’ so a first look wasn’t something we ever considered.
What specific moment will you hold onto forever?
Our ceremony: the light was just perfect at that time of evening; the atmosphere was electric; and I’m told the birds were singing as I walked up the aisle! While we didn’t write our own vows, our service was still very personalized; we chose Brett Basdeo as our officiant because he is a longtime friend of ours who we knew would get the vibe just right. Everyone sang Three Little Birds by Bob Marley (which my mum used to sing when I was little) and Give Me Joy in My Heart (a favourite hymn from school days). Two of our dearest friends read A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton (a book I had given to Simon in our first year of dating) and Us Two by A.A. Milne (a favourite of my granny).
What advice would you offer couples planning for their wedding?
Make a master list of t0-dos and a plan of action and tick items off one by one rather than trying to do too many tasks at one time, which can get unnecessarily overwhelming!
How was your experience taking photos with Jenna on your wedding day?
Seamless and totally relaxed! Jenna and Jonathan did a fantastic job at capturing every moment while being completely uninvasive.
How did you find me?
Instagram I think!
