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Kevin and Lisa
The Wharf
Venue: The Wharf
Planner: Livia Kwong
Officiant: Friend of the Bride | Theresa Ojala
Hair and Makeup: Self and friend of the bride
Flowers: Celebration
Dress: Marah’s Elegant Bridal in Mount Horeb, WI. Mikaella was the designer
Grooms Suit: Ted Baker
We got engaged in August, and it was not until January that we decided on where/when. In looking at our busy life schedules and bigger life happenings coming up over the next year, we realized this winter was the best option for us. Without ever having been to Grand Cayman, we chose it as our destination location as it checked almost all of our must have boxes. With a three month notice, 26 of our closest friends and family decided to join us. We were surprised and felt incredibly lucky that so many people chose to come.
I knew from the beginning I wanted something simple. The bridal shop I went to had a great selection of beautiful dresses. I went out on a whim and asked to try on a two-piece option. This dress was actually three pieces and as soon as I put the lace overlay top on, I knew it was the one.
We knew from the start that we wanted something dressy, but worn with a relaxed look. A friend recommended we try the Nordstrom men’s suiting shop. Our first trip there we found a Ted Baker suit in the perfect shade of blue for our beach wedding.
Yes, we did. We originally were not going to do a first look, but decided to, and are happy we did. Once the wedding starts, the night goes so quickly. Doing it this way, we were able to get great pictures, and spend some time with just the two of us prior to the wedding (well, with our photographer and videographer, but still 🙂 It also gave us a little more time to do pictures with our families/guests after the wedding.
We met on Bumble – an online dating site. I was actually Kevin’s first online date! We went to one of my favorite wine bars for our first date and talked for hours.
We took an end of the summer trip to Northern Wisconsin and my best friend and her 5 month old son joined us. Kevin packed a “picnic” of all of my favorite things for the 4 hour ride up. Our first stop in Door County was a park on the lake. We walked around and took pictures in a few places. After one of the pictures, Kevin turned to me and proposed. As my friend was taking pics of us – we have it all well documented 🙂
There are so many reasons. A friend recommended the location and after we looked into it – realized it was perfect. There were so many reasons we chose the Cayman Islands, but to name a few: the weather (warm and sunny) , clear blue beaches, safety while on the island, fact that it is Zika free, it was a short 3.5 hour flight from Chicago (easy for our guests to get to), and friendly vendors/island residents. We already can’t wait to visit again soon!
I was excited to walk down the aisle, but knew I was going to be emotional. I took my moms arm and we shared a few laughs as we walked down the aisle. She’s my rock.
The remembrance charm on my flower bouquet. It’s for my Dad. I wish more than anything he could have been there. I know he would have had the best time.
HAVE FUN! I think that makes for the most natural pictures. Although we wanted great pictures, we really just enjoyed the experience and tried not to stress about making everything perfect or worrying about what the pictures would look like. We trusted the photographer was doing her job and capturing everything.
We did not have a bridal party, but due to the size of our group, we were able to get pictures with each of our guests. We had everyone line up and did it rapid fire – it was fun, and now we will have great pictures with all of our guests.
Try not to stress out about things. I planned our wedding (we did have a small group of 26) in a little over 3 months. Once the venue and any other major vendors are set, things just fall into place. Also — talk to your vendors! They will be able to give you recommendations on other vendors. Also — if you are planning it on your own (which is totally doable) , hire a day-of coordinator. It was nice to know that someone else (other than myself, my friends or family) was ensuring the day went smoothly. Also — it is not necessary to visit before your wedding, so if you can’t make it happen – do not worry! We had never been to Grand Cayman and did not visit prior to our wedding. We actually didn’t even go to see the venue until the day before our wedding, despite being on the island 3 days before. There were just so many fun things to do, we were enjoying vacationing with our guests. As long as you do a little research – you will be fine. I found the reviews to be honest, and pictures accurate.
It was amazing! Working with Rebecca was a dream. We had her for 3 short hours, and she really helped us make the most of those hours. She was professional and fun and make the whole processes easy!
Initially we planned to have dinner on the beach after the ceremony. As we got close to the date, I started second guessing myself (and polling EVERYONE to get their opinion). I was worried people would want to put their shoes back on for dinner, be closer to the restrooms, etc. At the last minute (literally last minute – 4 pm the day before the wedding), I made the call to go as originally planned with dinner on the beach – and it couldn’t have ended up more perfect.
It was everything we wanted and more – simply amazing. We would recommend a destination wedding, especially in the Cayman Islands, to anyone.
My highlight (Lisa) was when I was sitting next to Kevin at the end of the dinner table. We were married, sitting side by side with so many of our favorite people. We had the most romantic setting, the the beach with soft overhead lights and candles on the table. It was really great to look down the table and see everyone talking, laughing, and simply enjoying the night. We couldn’t have asked for anything more. I remember wanted to pause that moment, and I think back on it often.
