The brides' maids dresses were also Vera Wang and as it turned out, the beautiful black sash came in ivory too so it tied everything together perfectly, right down to the darling flower girl's dress, sash and tutu.
The Anne Klein shoes were very last minute as Rebecca had forgotten about shoes until two days before the wedding! She wore them for the ceremony and photos but was barefoot for the rest of the wedding day.
The dreamy veil was also from Vera Wang.
And how wonderful will it be for Rebecca and Andrew to tell their little one that he or she was there on the wedding day! And what a beautiful bump!
Rebecca's daughter, Sophie, helped put the lovely veil in her mother's hair.
This sweet little angel is Poppy. She is Fiona, the matron of honour's daughter. The two mama bears were laughing about how many years earlier, it had been Rebecca's daughter, Sophie, who had been crying and clinging to legs at Fiona's wedding and now it was happening again with Fiona's little one.
Rebecca's hair and make up were done at Strands and they were very warm and accommodating. Her something borrowed was this elegant necklace from Fiona, which was also old and Fiona had worn at her own wedding. Her earrings were new and matched her rings. Her garter was blue.
Designer Flowers at Heron Bay did all the bouquets and boutonnieres. They were extremely efficient and did exactly as the couple wanted based on a photo they had supplied from pinterest.com - Alba at the flower shop had very little time to work with and was so accommodating and helpful.
It had already started to rain a bit when I arrived at the beautiful ceremony site but Andrew's spirits could not be dampened!
Quick last review of his vows before the ceremony.
Rebecca and Fiona found an image on pinterest that totally inspired them for the aisle. The bride went to the fabric store, Ouija, and chose several colours in the palette of her dress and sash. Next, she tore and cut the material into strips and together, the bride and her matron of honour tied the strips together until there were two 18 foot lengths to line the aisle. Fiona did most of the tying as her living room became a workshop for a day or so. On the day of the wedding, the finished product was hung on wooden dowels that were pushed into the earth amidst raindrops by Rebecca's son, the groom and his best man's wife. Smaller versions were made for all the lamposts at Landmark where the reception was to take place and hung by the bride's mother.
Andrew and Rebecca wanted an outdoor ceremony. Heydon Trust is a place where Rebecca had spent a lot of time jus wandering the property and taking photos. It's very quiet and unspoiled and the cedar trees are her favourite trees in Bermuda with their gnarly silver branches. Andrew had no problem with the location once he saw it. Being a farm boy at heart, he loves anything with a pastoral setting. The hillside was blustery and the rains were light but driving sideways but somehow, given the untouched feel of the landscape, the wild weather was almost in keeping with the setting.
Sophie did a wonderful reading - an excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit that just made me want to cry - in fact, I think I did cry!
These two are Rebecca's brothers - I could see during the group photos that they were not into cuddling so I took it upon myself to torture them and insist they both give their sister a massive smooch! There mum was so excited she was pleading fot it to actually happen and there was a massive crowd all capturing this momentous occasion on camera!
Zach, on the other hand, had no problem snuggling his mama bear - so cute.
I do so love the setting at the Heydon Chapel - it is full of old world romance and so small and intimate. We had hoped to sneak into the church, but the doors were already locked, but outside is just as beautiful with its simple drift wood cross and those dramatic cedars as a back drop.
The horse and buggy arrived just in time as we had finished family and couple shots. Rebecca loves horses so had a little snuggle before heading to the reception.
The carriage was a lovely traditional Bermuda wedding touch. Andrew brought a special cooler bag along for the ride filled with Sophie, Zach and Rebecca's favourite drinks. They had thought about canceling the buggy given the inclement weather, but decided to let it play out and are so happy they did. The rains missed them the entire way and the ride was relaxed and a wonderful family interlude, providing some down time between the ceremony and reception.
The reception was helt in the main house at the Landmark Condos where Rebecca's parents live. They have spent a lot of time there and the space was perfect for their event. The bride had underestimated how magical it would look once decorated. Under the creative guidance of the matron of honour, together with her mother, sister in law from Canada, Andrew's step mum and all of their husbands, plus the best man, the room was transformed into a dreamy space.The bride was not allowed to see it until the light was fading, when the full impact of all they had done could be appreciated.
As Rebecca walked in, her breath was taken away and she felt so much love from her family and friends that day - it was amazing - and it kept going all weekend - everyone was just so wonderful.
The couple's rings were from Walker Christopher and Brittany was incredibly helpful. Although Rebecca and Andrew are not "designer brand" people, they ended up selecting rings created by Italian and German designers. They had originally thought they might design their own but when they saw their rings, they just knew.
The couple had cds made up as gifts for their guests. On them were a mixture of songs that Andrew and Rebecca love - some of the songs have special meaning to the couple, some they remember fondly from another time and some are just plain great tracks. They noticed they seemed to gravitate towards the dreamy / electronic numbers. Andrew has an incredible music collection and so burned the discs while Rebecca designed the cover of the case. Zachary, who is very into cartoons, designed a super hero character for each of them in the family a few years back before Rebecca and Andrew had met. He addedAndre into the family collection and those are the drawings on the cd's label inside the box.
This darling thumbprint tree was an idea they had seen online and thought it would be a unique version of a guest book. They have limited space in their home so thought something they could hang on their walk would be ideal. Fiona drew a most beautiful tree for them and everyone who attended was a very good sport about greening up their thumbs to leave a print. They had wipes to remove any ink stains which worked beautifully. It was also a wonderful way for all the children at the wedding to be a part of the guest book in a way that would be fun for them.
Andrew proposed to Rebecca using a Scrabble board. They like to play together although he always wins because he is so slow and deliberate. Rebecca was sure he wouldn't be able to surprise her because they had talked about getting married but she tried to leave it alone and leave it up to him. One Friday evening, he suggested they play and she had no idea what he was up to. She remembers thinking he was acting a little weird but it was more annoying than anything else! She didn't say anything though and just thought she would humour him and then he made her set up the board and she saw there were letters on it already. She thought to herself what slobs they were that they hadn't even tidied the board from the previous time they played, yet when she turned it around to clear off the letters, she saw what they said: "Hi Marry Me". At that point, Andrew slipped down on one knee and presented a very shocked Rebecca with a ring. She was so surprised that he had managed to surprise her that she just started laughing and laughing. And of course, she said yes!
Ben Tompkins a chef and very dear friend, did the chocolate and lemon cupcakes. They didn't want a cake that had to be cut and plated and handed out as their food was heavy hor d'oeuvres and carving stations but more importantly, they wanted something simple yet elegant and more personal where people could help themselves. It was Ben's creative talent that came up with smaller and larger sized cupcakes which was adorable. They also had lots and lots more than probably necessary but that's just how they roll! They still have cupcakes in the fridge!
Rebecca and Andrew's first dance was "I Want To" by Best Coast, an alternative band based in California. It was one of the first songs Andrew introduced Rebecca to and she loved it from the get go. They blot like the contrast of slow and sultry then into a rocking out free spirited jam. They wanted the kids to jump in when the rocking part of the song kicked in. Only Sophie was around at that moment though!
No comments:
Post a Comment
I'd love it if you left me a note!