Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Lauren and Karl - The Reefs, Bermuda Wedding


Karl and Lauren had always known they wanted a small destination wedding and Bermuda seemed like an obvious choice with such easy travel from the East Coast. Neither the bride nor groom had ever even visited the Island before, so they picked the ceremony location just from seeing photos online. The stunning backdrop coupled with how highly recommended Kathleen of Bermuda Event Solutions had come made the couple feel like they didn't even need to visit the Island prior to arriving here the week of the wedding. Once they arrived, they were blown away by the beauty and serenity of Bermuda and know they couldn't have chosen a better place to get married.



The bride's dress was a Casablanca design, and her shoes and clutch were Jimmy Choo.


 





As soon as Lauren's Maid of Honour, Shannon, heard that it was going to be a destination wedding, she coordinated a special gift and picked out a pair of starfish David Yurman earrings for Lauren to wear on her wedding day, towards which all the friends and family contributed.


Lauren's something old was the stones in her ring from her late grandmother. The earrings were new. The necklace was borrowed from Karl's mum which she carried in her purse, and her blue was under her dress.



The flowers were by Gimi.

 

It is rare I post two versions of the same image, but I was seriously swimming deep in the pool of Lauren's eyes in this photo and simply couldn't choose between the black and white and the colour.


 





Lauren and Karl decided to have an intimate first meeting before the wedding so that they could spend some time enjoying a moment or two alone together and saying how they feel about the day, how they look and all the excitement. It is a very tender moment that I try to stay out of as much as possible so the couple can just take it all in privately. It also allows us to take as many photos as possible before the ceremony so the couple can join their friends and family sooner, rather than having to spend that time on formal portraits while their guests are having cocktails. I never mind either way, but do get the chills when I photograph this first moment of them seeing each other.




 


 
 
 



Just before the wedding party headed down to the ceremony site, the bridesmaids and bride all had Lauren's personal favourite, lemon drop shots.



 

The ceremony was held at Caso's Point, which is a magical spot out on a peninsula at The Reefs. To them, it seemed the perfect way to have a beach wedding without actually having to stand in the sand!






 
If there is one thing Lauren and Karl learned during their time on the Island, it is that the weather is very changeable at the drop of a hat. On the morning of the wedding, Lauren woke early to go for a run and the skies were grey and it was pouring. The weather lifted a little during the day and then just as we finished our group photos before the ceremony, it started to rain again. But then the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon for the service and reception, making the wedding a dream come true with sunny skies on top of the fact that 60 of their closest family and friends had traveled to Bermuda to share in their special day.













   

I adore that these two met playing co-ed flag football - it is always fun for me to hear these stories since I only meet them on their wedding day when they are dressed to the nines so hard to even imagine either of them being all sporty but so thrilled it brought them together.





 


 
 

Poor Lauren sliced her toe open while walking barefoot up the steps, though luckily the pain didn't hinder her dancing later in the evening.





The theme of the wedding was Beach Chic, so the starfish and other sea creature icons all tied in perfectly with the turquoise palette.








 


Lauren and Karl's first dance song was Lee Brice's "I Don't Dance" because the pair are both country music fans and adored this song the moment they heard it. They thought it was appropriate as they didn't take any dance lessons or prepare for their dance prior to the wedding - they just winged it.






Thank you so much Lauren and Karl for asking me to document so much happiness on your wedding day.