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Wedding Planner: Raquel | Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman
Officiant: Jeff Musgrove
Hair + Makeup Stylist: Jackie Soriano
Videographer: Wild Love Artists | Noah + Oregan
Venue: Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman
Bridal Gown: Milk & Honey Bride
Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal
WHERE ARE YOU FROM
John, Kayleigh and I are from Grand Cayman!! Well, actually from Chesapeake Virginia but we dream big!
THE PLANNER
The maestra of our wedding was Racquel Moreau from The Ritz. We don’t have enough words to describe how amazing she is. She is brilliant, kind, caring and thoughtful. Racquel was always one step ahead of us in everything that needed to be done and without fail, she led us to the right choices each and every time. We literally never had a moment of worry. We miss her so so much and already. A week after the wedding we emailed her to ask if we could still meet with her every few weeks even though we no longer had a wedding to plan. We’d be willing to renew our vows each and every year just to keep working with Racquel. She became one of our best friends and we want to hold on to that.
THE DRESS
My dress was the one. Not just the one but actually the very first one I tried on. My mom and I loved the beachy vibe of the dress and how it highlighted my favorite feminine features.
EXPERIENCE
The diverse and euphoric experience of the whole wedding weekend made our wedding unique. Our wedding featured 5 distinct and immersive environments. The morning before, wedding guests relaxed on 2 catamarans with the wind in their hair before plunging into the turquoise sea to play with the stingrays. Then the welcome party followed that night on the grand balcony overlooking the lush gardens where a Caribbean beat was complimented with the delicacies only the Ritz can provide. Saturday’s sun brought everyone together in the beach cabanas for a relaxed respite of sand, sun, swim and laughter. Then the main event, a breathtakingly beautiful sunset beach wedding followed by drinks, appetizers and a Cayman photo op. And a perfect wedding ending in the ballroom with family, dance and love in the air. Our wedding wasn’t just a wedding, it was a once in a lifetime adventure for all.
THE VENUE
No one does it better than The Ritz. We were always going to find paradise for our wedding but the Ritz took it to another level. We fell in love with the resort being so large that it could provide beach, garden and bay venues. John and I briefly looked at other resorts and islands but every venue seemed to confine us to beach or traditional ballroom. As a couple we wanted to be more than that. The team at the Ritz has no peer. The kindness, the discipline, the unparalleled success in preventing or solving any issue make life events feel effortless. But I have to say, the food closed the deal. we were so inspired by our tasting; we truly spent more time before the wedding weekend telling friends and family about the food than we did any other aspect of the wedding. Every guest knew every aspect of their meals before they left for the wedding. As I said to start, we chose the Ritz because no one does it better.
DECOR
Our decor was breathtaking. I cannot begin to say enough about Natasha Liebster at CELEBRATIONS GROUP LTD. She has incredible vision and is so creative. We were amazed at how she truly listened to us in collecting our dreams and then put our dreams to paper. It helped so much to see our wedding rendered in her presentations and even more astounding to walk into the live settings and realize they look just like the renderings she created for us month before. She was amazing in choice, design and action.
TRADITIONS
The one tradition we adhered to was “something olde, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” For our wedding the something new was my pearl jewelry, the something borrowed was a $1 bill from a friend who had a long, loving marriage. My something blue was a charm that I tied to my undies and my something old was John. LOL
HOW DID YOU BOTH MEET
We met at a Mexican restaurant when one of my best friends asked her boss, John, for a ride to a girls margarita night. My best friends from high school and I got together regularly and I was surprised to see this guy walk in with my friend Emily. She had asked him to come in to say hello and he did. He was only there for a few minutes but in those few minutes he and I instantly sparked. Everyone could see it. Emily later asked him what he thought of meeting me and John told her, “All I need to know is her ring size.” And now we are married.
FIRST LOOK
We originally weren’t going to do first looks but they are truly our favorite photos so far. Your team was so thoughtful and creative in the setups. The staging of the rings, the capturing of the “getting ready” hours and the mother/daughter photos are brilliant. Then the first looks of father, daughter, bride and daughter and bride groom and daughter truly capture the joy, the love and the excitement of the entire day. Luckily our room had the balcony glorious enough to provide the stage and background for easy first look photos. Rebecca, you and your team are incredible. We are so lucky to have met you. I cannot put into words how much we have enjoyed working with you all.
HOW DID JOHN POP THE QUESTION
It is a story full of romance and fun. We were at the Ritz Carlton in Aruba for a long weekend and unbeknownst to me, our 2 best friends, Jeff and Holly, were also at the resort waiting to surprise me during the proposal. John worked with the Ritz team to surprise me with a private beach dinner, a guitarist to serenade us and photographer to capture a perfect sunset proposal. As we were escorted to our private beach dinner, John walked me to the water’s edge and dropped to his knee in proposal only to start “pretend” searching his pockets for the ring. I in disbelief thought he had actually left it in the room when suddenly I heard our friends calling my name as they walked towards me carrying my engagement ring. I was so surprised. We laughed, we cried and the 4 of us had the best 3 days Aruba has ever seen.
THE AISLE
As I walked outside I had the butterflies that come with knowing that everyone was going to be looking at me and the excitement of what we were beginning. I did not know that John had arranged to have Carlos live painting our wedding and was happily surprised to see him at work. As we turned to walk down the aisle towards the ocean the sun was blinding and I honestly couldn’t even tell if I was at the right wedding and that was truly John at the end of the aisle. Luckily, I was at the right wedding. 🙂
THE KISS
The kiss was exactly what a wedding kiss should be. For me I was counting to 3 because our photographer told us to hold a kiss for three seconds to get the perfect shot. And we got the perfect shot. For him it was him thinking how lucky he was that he was getting to kiss me. 🙂
THE RECEPTION
Our reception was truly amazing but the dancing was my favorite part. Craig Urchyshyn at OneWorld was exceptional. The music and dancing filled my heart with love and joy seeing how much fun everyone was having with each other. From toddlers to grandparents everyone danced, laughed and loved right through the closing song. It truly brought all guests together as one big happy family.
THE PRETZEL MOTION
The only concern I had was if John was going to remember all the moves in our 1st dance. He did not, LOL. He completely forgot one of the most important moves at the finale. After a few fails to start the “pretzel” motion, we ended up and nailed it and it turned out to be a funny moment that we will joke about for a lifetime.
THE PHOTO/VIDEO TEAM
Rebecca, Noah and Oregon were what was the most fun. Their positive and playful vibe pulled the best out of us and our guests. It was so easy to have fun and so fast because they knew the resort and the perfect staging for each and every shot.
WE LOVED YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!!!! Rebecca, Noah and Oregan