Jon surprised Ana with a trip to Bermuda. On the flight, he asked to move to some free seats at the back of the plane as he was being elbowed by his neighbour. When the plane landed in Bermuda, Jon and Ana were the last off the flight. As they walked down the stairs from the plane, Ana was in awe of the beauty of this majestic island. They were walking across the tarmac towards Customs when Jon gently grabbed Ana's arm and asked her to wait a second. She turned around, ready to help him with the bags, but he wasn't holding any. He stroked her hair out of her face and said, "Ana, you are my best friend and I love you with all my heart. I love having you in my life and I couldn't imagine a day without you." At this point, security was suspicious and began to walk over to ask them to move along, but Jon quickly dropped to one knee and the guard realised what was going on and stepped back. Just then, all of the baggage claim workers, the welcomers of Bermuda, and everyone else on the tarmac gathered around to see what was about to take place, including a stewardess whom Jon had asked to film the whole thing. "Will you marry me?" Jon asked a very shocked Ana, but of course she was so excited and before she could even respond, she bent over to kiss him, and hug him, and love him, and then said, "Yes!" As Jon slipped the ring onto Ana's finger, there was a huge round of applause from everyone who had gathered on the tarmac. It was their most memorable moment and a great beginning to an unforgettable holiday, during which they decided they would have to get married on the same special island where they first promised each other their hearts.
Ana's shoes were Christian Louboutins - Very Prive.
The bride's dress was made by Reem Acra and the design is called Glamour Pearls.
Ana's something old was a platinum and diamond bracelet that had belonged to her aunt. Her something new and something blue were the darling blue sapphire with diamond earrings that were a gift from her beloved sister. Her borrowed as it turned out was from me - some safety pins to hold the straps from the dress inside the dress so it remained strapless for the ceremony, but then easily accessible for the first dance.
The bridal bouquet were designed by Gimi and Ana loved working with them as Michelle instantly grasped the bride's vision.
Since Bermuda was where they became engaged, and the island is under two hours flight from the East Coast, why not have the wedding here too. As soon as Jon and Ana checked in to The Reefs after the proposal on the tarmac at the airport, the couple thought they had arrived in Heaven. While they were swimming in the ocean and discussing potential wedding plans, a man swam by saying how he had married at The Reefs the year before and that it was the most stress free, relaxing wedding. The newly engaged couple knew that was exactly what they wanted for their own wedding, though decided not to get too excited but rather look around the island at other potential venues. Yet after seeing all the other options, they felt nothing could compare to Coconuts and Caso's Point. It had the perfect combination of stunning views, island charm with a homey feel. The next day, they asked the manager what they needed to to to get married on the property and were put in touch with Kathleen of Bermuda Event Solutions and the rest just fell into place perfectly.
Jon was sneaky about the ring and months before he proposed, he had asked Ana what her perfect engagement ring would look like and she showed him a photo. He held onto the picture for many months until he was ready to purchase it from a jeweler in California - Blue Nile. He did extensive research to find the perfect stone and of course to make sure that it was non-conflict. For her wedding band, he carefully selected a platinum band with diamonds all the way around. When Ana went in search of Jon's ring, she couldn't find what she was looking for anywhere so she had it custom made. She worked closely with a jeweler in New York to come up with a platinum band with an 18k gold liner. She wanted the liner to line the side of the band for a subtle accent. He loved it when he saw it, though it wasn't the only band she gave him. Since Jon spends a lot of time in the garage, she gave him a second band made of tungsten carbide with his favourite stone, tiger's eye, going all around down the middle, so he could bang this one up a little while working - she didn't want him to look single for a single moment!
The starfish tree was an elaborated idea that started out as a name card tree, but that idea was scratched when they thought about potential sea breezes. So to keep the idea of the Manzanita tree, they decided that shells would be a nice touch and they would instead just have a sand box for the place cards. The couple crafted the name cards themselves. They found plain cards, picked a pretty font and colour on the computer, and printed them out. Ana found the turquoise sand dollars and golden starfish in a craft store and they just finished the cards perfectly. They took close to eight hours to make all the place cards and I think it was utterly worth it for they are so charming and complete the theme of the day.
Ana and Jon danced to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" as their first dance as a married couple. When they heard this song, they immediately identified with the lyrics and the beat and it felt like theirs from the first moment.
The cake was created by the chef at Coconuts. Ana came up with the theme of starfish, shells, coral and sand because the beach is her happy place and now it is her and Jon's happy place. She wanted to add the orchids in order to soften things up by adding a little bit of life here and there. She was keen to have the cake look a bit rough to really embody the beachy feel and the chef nailed exactly what Ana was hoping for with this elegant yet beachy cake.
Thank you Ana and Jon for asking me to document your beautiful wedding. Ever since the first time I met you, I have sort of secretly wished you lived in Bermuda so we could become friends - you have such warm and giving hearts and I loved every moment of your special day. Wishing you much love and happiness and may your lives be as beautiful as was your wedding. xxx
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