Kevin and Shawn - Mid Ocean Club, Bermuda

Kevin and Shawn first met in 1976 - yes, you read right - 34 years ago. They were 14 and 15 years old and dated for 8 months before parents and circumstances ended the relationship. They each went on to finish their educations, marry others, build great careers and have wonderful families. And then, in 2006, the two happened to meet again after not even have crossed paths once in all those years, despite the Island's size. And in that meeting, the pair discovered that sometimes, first love never dies.

Kevin is the Head Golf Professional at the Mid Ocean Club so it made sense to tie the knot at such a beautiful location that was also close to their hearts.

All the details were beautifully done. Since it was a beach wedding, the couple chose to have sea stars and sand dollars as their theme. Kay Annie of Kreative Koncepts created a simple and elegant event that was a joy to be a part of.

Flowers on the day were designed by East End Flower Alley.

At the last minute, Shawn's two sons, Tyler and Dylan, agreed to walk her down the aisle which was one of the most special moments of the day for the bride. It was incredibly important and deeply appreciated by the couple that all of their six children were in attendance and meant everything to them that their families were joining. It was not an easy day for some of the children, so for them to have shown their support meant the world to the couple.

After the ceremony, Shawn's father and son, Dylan, performed a song called "I Believe In Happy Endings". It was just beautifully and emotionally sang and I was completely goose bumpy and on the verge of tears being party to such an intimate service shared by their closest family and friends.

Now I know I don't usually post quite so many photos, but for some reason, while I was (attempting) to edit down, I just became so swept up in the emotion of these two that I felt like every image told too much of their story to not include so here goes...

Kevin proposed to Shawn unexpectedly on Valentine's Day, 2009 while they were out for dinner at Fourways Inn. They later spent the weekend at Pompano Beach Club, planning their future together and dreaming of how much happiness lay ahead.

Anyone who has ever been photographed by me in a family capacity knows how many times I will request some nuzzling. I've had clients ask what I mean, but on the day of this wedding, if there was one word I did not have to keep on repeating, it was nuzzle. All I needed to do was stand back and shoot with a longer lens and let these two just savour every moment of their newly wed togetherness. It was special to watch and reminds me of how much I love my job.

The pair had white gold bands - Kevin's was brushed and plain, while Shawn's was sprinkled with miniature diamonds.

Shawn's hair was styled by her friend April, and her niece Courtney did her make up. The bride had wanted a Swarovski Crystal hair piece in the worst way but decided that she couldn't justify the price so nobly gave up on the idea. Then a few days before the wedding, she had the opportunity to purchase one at a fraction of the retail cost. She was smitten and it is such a yogi lesson to let go of something and it will come to you. Love that story, and such a beautiful addition to her hair.

Shawn's something old was the diamond ring on her right hand. The diamonds were from her grandmother's wedding ring that her grand father had had made into a ring for himself. Both have since passed but Shawn wearing this ring on her special day kept them close to her heart. Her something new were new shoes. And her borrowed and blue was a crystal that a fiend had given her which was buried within her bouquet.

Loved these sexy Steve Madden wedding sandals.

Two glasses of much deserved wine were waiting for the pair when they returned from the beach. They were serving a couple of their faves that day - Earth's End Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Shawn's mum struggles with some physical ailments so is more fragile these days. Although she is not the the woman she used to be physically, she is still Shawn's hero. Until she reached 70, she was one of the most active women Shawn had ever known, having raised Shawn and her sister on her own while having a fabulous job. You can still see the spirit in her eyes, even if her body is not cooperating and it was beautiful to see how Shawn was with her.

I loved that all these women all were in pink - not sure if it was planned or not, but they are a group of St George's friends and I could stop snapping pics of them - loved the colours all together.

The simple beach themed wedding cupcakes were the handiwork of Kristen of the Barefoot Baker. One half were chocolate with rum chocolate ganache inside and chocolate icing, and the other half were lime with lime curd inside and lime cream cheese icing - yum!!!

Kevin and Shawn chose Peaches N Herb's "I Pledge My Love" for their first dance, but due to technical difficulties, it was unable to be played at the time of the couple's entrance into dinner so something similar from the same era was played, though Shawn doesn't even remember what it was - perhaps that was due to all that intense nuzzling with Kevin that she could think of nothing else!

Tim was the best man and gave a lovely speech about some history and then the couple's happiness. He and Kevin grew up together in St Georges and are very close to this day.

Kevin spoke of how thankful they were that all of their children were present at their wedding, and how much they loved each of them - it was a real family affair and was honest in acknowledging how difficult it was for some of the children and that both Kevin and Shawn were deeply grateful for all their children did for them.

Shawn and Kevin - here is to happy endings - I am so very happy that you found each other and wish you all the love and luck in your new journey through life together with each other and your children. Thank you for including me in your special day. xx