Jill and Mark's Wedding

Jill and Mark had never been to Bermuda before, but it was both of their mothers' favourite holiday spot and with the stress of a traditional wedding proving too much for the couple, they opted for an intimate ceremony and celebration in a location so loved by their parents. They chose Elbow Beach from the photos they saw of the hotel online and asked Joann Veney of Destination Bermuda to help out with the planning.



Click on the below diptychs for a larger view of how fabulous Jill looked in her Vera Wang dress on her way to see her husband-to-be.





I discovered that all the bridesmaids were Jill's sisters, and Mark's groomsmen were all of his brothers - so incredible and kudos to their super mamas - 4 girls and 5 boys - wow!







The ceremony was on the beach, just past Mickey's and all the guests gathered in an intimate circle around the bride and groom as they said their vows. Their ring exchange was rather amusing as obviously their fingers had swelled in the island heat and the rings were tighter than the last time they had tried them on. But with a bit of pushing and pulling and helping each other out, both rings popped over their knuckles in the end. It always makes me laugh when this happens at weddings I shoot - they tend to be the destination couples whose hands have reacted to the higher temperatures. In fact, it happened to my own husband on our wedding day, and then we moved to Bermuda to live and so he has not been able to get his ring off ever since!



























After months of clear skies (and a seemingly endless drought!), the clouds have been looming for over a week now and scattered showers have watered our gardens, made mild progress in our water tanks, and on Wednesday, forced Jill and Mark's reception inside. But we were so lucky when the sun shone for their couple shots on the beach, and the dramatic clouds made for some striking backdrops.











Rings from DeScenza Diamonds in Massachusetts.





Cake by the Elbow Beach pastry chef.



For more images from this wedding, click here to see a slideshow. Amazing song, Mesmerised, written and performed by Heather Nova.