Melanie & Ed Wedding - Elbow Beach, Bermuda

Melanie and Ed chose Bermuda for their destination wedding due to its proximity to New York City, not to mention they had always wanted to get married on an island and the gorgeous pink sanded beaches were just too dreamy to pass up.

This dreamy dress was designed my Romona Keveza and was found at Kleinfelds.

Melanie's fabulous Kate Spade shoes were to die for. She has searched long and hard to find the perfect pink shoes, and although she had originally wanted a dress with some pink in it, I think the splash of colour that occasionally flashed when she walked was just sensational!

This wedding was meticulously planned by Nikki at  Bermuda Bride and Melanie cannot say enough good things about her nor could she possibly have pulled off the wedding without such attention to detail and amazing service. Nikki had also recommend Marguerite at Petals who provided the sumptuous flowers.

Vernon Gerstner did the bride's hair and make up and make Melanie feel gorgeous. He also provided the bride and her attendants great moral support in the hours leading up to the wedding and Melanie admits she owes her new found love of port to Vernon!!

Ed and Melanie decided to have an intimate first meeting before their ceremony. They believed this would be a special, private moment that they were keen to keep between just the two of them. I love it when couples see each other before hand as it allows us to capture some tender moments before the excitement of the day and they feel less rushed in the couple shots as they do not have guests waiting at the reception yet.

Both Melanie and Ed were quite emotional at the moment when they first saw each other that day. They day they had been planning for so long was finally upon them and they were able to speak, touch and express their intense emotions privately rather than remain quiet during the ceremony.

The couple chose to hold their entire event at Elbow Beach since the property is utterly beautiful and the hotel offered to allow the couple to throw a big welcome barbeque on the beach the night before the wedding, which was a wonderful way for their guests to experience Bermuda on their first night.

Melanie was a very wise bride and rented her stunning diamonds from Adorn Brides, and although she was crushed to have to return it all the day after the wedding, she was thrilled to be so sparkly on her big day.

As the guests arrived at the ceremony site, they were greeted by trays full of Kir Royals which they were able to sip in the shade while taking off their shoes before heading out to the stunning ceremony location on Elbow Beach. Even Melanie was able to sneak one down before heading down the aisle to meet her groom and although her bridesmaids were terrified she would spill some on her dress (that little bit of pink she had been looking for?), the bride remained pristine throughout her wedding day.

I am just smitten with the movement of Melanie's train as it caught the breeze - just so delicate and feminine and beach wedding-ish!

Randy Lambert played the classical guitar throughout the service and he learned the song, "Always better when we're together" especially for the recessional. So as we were heading off to do some group shots after the ceremony, he spontaneously came up and serenaded the couple with their song which was a huge hit.

Nikki of Bermuda Bride helped the couple choose the Lido and she had told them that it was the perfect restaurant for big foodie people. The guests were thrilled with the exquisite menu and outstanding service.

The bride ordered this pretty guest book on Etsy from a lovely woman in England who has a company called Sarah Louise Designs.

The couple's first dance was to Sarah McLachlan's "Ice Cream" which was quirky, fun and romantic. Ed chose it because they have both always loved the artist's music and it was also a bit cheeky given bow obsessed Melanie is with all things foodie.

The cake was created by Lido and was exactly in keeping with the elegant beach theme of the wedding, in all white with seashells. Each layer of the cake was a different flavour - the first was rum and chocolate chip with chocolate icing, the second was red velvet with cream cheese icing and the top tier was mocha with vanilla butter-cream icing - such a lovely detail and I hope the couple were able to taste each layer!

Melanie and Ed - thank you for allowing me to capture your love and I wish you all the best in your future together! xx