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Kimpton Seafire and Avalon Wedding
Mr. & Mrs. Vande Vrede
{Jessica and Justin}
Detroit, Michigan
Planner: Sarah | Save the Date “best wedding planner ever” (quote by bride)
Venue: Kimpton Seafire | reception/getting ready
Venue: Avalon | ceremony
Cake Maker: Kimpton Seafire
Officiant: Reverend Myers
Wedding Colours and/or Theme: Blush, gray & shades of green
Guests: 81
Assistant Photographer: Guy | Picture This Studios (amazing!!! quote by photographer)
hite hydrangea white roses dendro orchid seagrape leaves
ocktail hour,  steel pan band | Ceremony violinist (Kate)
DJ Moses – the best! (quote by bride)
Bellissima Bridal – Rochester, Michigan
We are both attorneys practicing in Macomb County, Michigan. We met in the hallways of the Circuit Court and really got to know each other on a summer softball league for local attorneys.
He proposed the day after Christmas in 2015. There is a spot near my parent’s condo where he first told me he loved me. We had just arrived in Grand Cayman for our annual family trip and everyone was getting ready to go down to the beach for the first time and they were taking forever! My brother was getting his camera equipment out and I could’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal about going down to the beach together. I started to lead the way between two of the condos. As I walked past the place where he first told me he loved me, he stopped me and said, “Do you remember what happened here?” and I said “of course, this is where you first told me you loved me!” and he said “well what if I asked you to marry me right here?” It was so special to have the proposal in front of my family and my brother took beautiful photos for us.
Bellissima Bridal in Rochester, Michigan was the first and only bridal salon I went to. I told them roughly what I was looking for and they pulled a few dresses for me to try on. The very first dress I tried on was the one! I tried on a few after that but we just kept coming back to that first dress. My mom, daughter, and sister-in-law came with me. It was a great experience. I customized the dress by adding the belt and straps. I felt so beautiful in that dress.
We did see each other before the ceremony and I wouldn’t change that. It was so special to get that moment with my husband and to get to spend a few hours alone with him and the photographer. It really took away any nervous feelings and I think it really shows in our photographs that we were so comfortable.
Besides the obvious ceremony, first look, there were a few things I really loved – The dancing! I loved dancing with my husband for the first time and all of the guests got up out of their seats when the first song came on and we danced the night away. I can’t say enough good things about DJ Moses – we needed a bigger dance floor! I loved our first look and I loved the half hour before our ceremony started. Our wedding party and immediate family were all upstairs in a condo above the ceremony celebrating. It was so fun to get ready with everyone and it really calmed everyone’s nerves before the ceremony started. Getting ready with my mom, daughter, and bridal party was really special too. We had such a great time with Jackie, Rebecca, and the Picture This staff.
It was the best day of my life. We wouldn’t change a thing and it was everything we hoped for and more. The people we worked with in Grand Cayman were true professionals. They far exceeded our expectations.
Excitement! After so many months of planning, I was so excited to see it all come together.
We can’t say enough good things about working with you on our wedding day. Even our guests keep talking about the fun photographer! You made everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. I loved that you had worked with so many of our other vendors before. Your knowledge of the island and of shooting weddings was unbelievable and I totally trusted you to take us wherever you thought would get us the best shots.
I sent Rebecca and the wedding planner a list of what group shots I wanted ahead of time and put two of the groomsmen in charge of organizing people. We found a great spot on the beach and just moved people in and out of the shot. I would recommend getting photos with any elderly guests done first so that they can find shade or a seat and then doing the wedding party photos last. We really had a great time with the wedding party after all the other guests had moved on to the cocktail party.
Our song was, “Is this love” by Bob Marley and the father-daughter dance was “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac.
I think I listed all of the vendors above but I want to give a special mention to Sarah Parker from Save the Date. She was so wonderful to work with. She was in constant communication with me about the plans. Her response time to my questions was so fast that I felt like I was her only client (although I know she has many!). We always felt that she had our best interests at heart. Her suggestions were practical, cost-effective, and her recommendations for vendors were spot-on. We couldn’t have pulled this off without her.
It is a special place to us. The bride’s parents reside there most of the winter and have been traveling there since she was a little girl. We really wanted to share this place with our extended family and friends as we think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world.
If you can, do your engagement photos with your wedding photographer. We learned a lot about posing and how to work with Rebecca. It definitely made us feel more comfortable on our wedding day because Rebecca was like an old friend at that point! The groom also recommends bringing a few shirts and a sweat towel. It’s beautiful here but do not underestimate the heat!
Do it in Grand Cayman and use my vendors! They all worked together well and they all know what they are doing. We got to share our special island with all of our friends and family. Our guests had such a great time making a vacation out of our wedding. We made so many memories that we won’t ever forget. Instead of only getting one day with our guests (many of whom we only see every few years) we got to spend nearly a week with everyone. It was so special.
Practical Tips: 1. Delta Airlines allowed us to reserve a roundtrip flight for our guests. That made it really easy for our guests coming from home and it was so much fun to have everyone on the same flight. 2. Don’t over plan the week. I underestimated how much people would just enjoy sitting on the beach and exploring on their own. 3. Other than the wedding day, the Stingray City trip with Moby Dick Tours was a huge hit. Guests are still talking about how much they enjoyed that.
Del designed our beautiful flowers and centerpieces – http://www.theflowerdell.com. Jackie Soriano did hair and make-up for the bridal party- she was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t imagine my day without her. http://jackiesoriano.com/ Nadine Dumas did spray tans for myself and the bridal party, she is so kind and was so accommodating to our crazy wedding schedule. http://www.nadinedumas.com Picture This! did our photo booth and our video. They were wonderful to work with. http://picturethis.ky Calico Jacks hosted our bachelor/bachelorette party. We did a joint party earlier in the week. They came up with a drink special for us and were so easy to work with. Marty was very helpful in planning the party. https://www.facebook.com/CalicoJacksCayman/?ref=br_rs Catch Restaurant and Lounge hosted our welcome party. Walter was so easy to work with and our guests loved seeing another side of the island. http://www.catch.ky Moby Dick Tours took our guests on a tour of Stingray City. It was a huge hit for many of the people who had never been to Grand Cayman. Their staff made the trip so much fun. They provided transportation for all of our guests as well! https://www.mobydicktours.com The reception was held at the Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa. It was simply beautiful. http://www.seafireresortandspa.com Debbie Denomme designed our welcome bags, we had so many compliments on those. – https://debdendesigns.com My jewelry was from Lucido Fine Jewelers in Sterling Heights, Michigan. http://www.lucidojewelry.com.