Thursday, 27 January 2011
Suzanne & Matt - Bermuda Wedding
Suzanne and Matt had the wedding of their dreams. Although it was a long time in the making, and morphed into several different ideas before the final day was set in stone, it was exactly how they had always hoped. The two of them alone on a cliff top and surrounded by a panoramic ocean view, and with the arresting beauty of nature all around them. This was what it was like when Matt proposed, and again when they sealed their personal vows with a long sweet kiss seven years later.
Suzanne's wedding dress was designed by Claire Pettibone, who had the perfect vision for Suzanne's style. When the couple were first engaged, the bride to be pictured herself on a beautiful beach and knew she wanted her dress to have a vintage quality to it, and somehow be timeless, yet modern as well. Suzanne went to the designer's boutique in Los Angeles, and as she selected several dreamy dresses to try on, little did she realise that Claire herself was in the salon preparing for a show. Having neither friend nor her mother with her on the trip, she asked Claire, without recognising her to be the designer of the gowns, what she thought of the favoured dress, the Cybelle. The designer treated Suzanne to a personal fitting and in that moment, Suzanne knew this was the dress. To complete the picture, Suzanne flew her mum to LA for a visit several months later to be part of her fitting and to share in the joy.
Loved this sweet little box which contained the heel decorations. It held Suzanne's fun little blue rings that she wore on each heel of her fabulous Manolo Blahnik shoes. Her something new was her wedding dress, and her something old was a sixpence her mother had given her at her sister's wedding which she tucked into her bouquet. The bride had brought from home a seashell, and some sand, borrowed from nature, to hold their rings.
At the time of finding her dream dress, Suzanne could not have imagined that she and her dress would have a five year relationship before she wore it on her wedding day. The whole time, the dress was kept hidden from Matt so as to be a surprise. Mostly, it was hidden quite literally under the bride to be's pillow, for it was tucked away in a box under her side of the bed. When it was finally time for her finally fitting, Suzanne was as excited about her dress as when she had first tried it one, and grateful that it was indeed truly timeless. I think I would have been grateful that it still fit!!
Suzanne and Matt opted for a first look before the ceremony. I love it when couples do this as it not only allows for some relaxed photos rather than the nervousness of knowing guests are waiting, but also it allows the couple to actually speak to each other rather than just squeezing hands in silence throughout the service. It is always so intimate and I feel honoured to be able to witness these once in a lifetime moments.
Matt and Suzanne had not intended for their engagement to go on so long. Since Matt had originally proposed in Big Sur, California, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Californian coastline and panoramic ocean and mountain views, the dramatic coastline made an early impression on the couple as they began to plan their elopement. They decided an island destination wedding was perfect for the two of them and they broke the news to their family and friends that it would be just the two of them when they tied the knot.
They started scouting for the ideal location on the big island of Hawaii, where they found a spectacular coastal bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As they were in the midst of planning, an earthquake struck off the coast of Hawaii permanently closing their ocean view site.
As they tried to re-envision their wedding site, the pair leisurely researched possibly romantic destinations and enjoyed several more scouting trips looking for that perfect location that spoke to their hearts. On a return trip up the Californian coast, the couple decided to revisit the location of their proposal. They decided then that their original romantic spot was where they would wed later that summer. With all the wedding details planned, her wedding dress and his suit in hand, their rings purchased and the officiant booked, a hurricane hit Puerto Rico where Matt was completing filming of a movie he had written and was producing. Unexpected delays in wrapping production meant their planned wedding date wasn't going to work, so they let that dream go as well.
With a sense of humour, they told family and friends, "first an earthquake, now a hurricane - what next?" And then they decided to take a break from planning and just simply enjoy the life they were building together, with or without the official documents.
Time passed and in early July 2010, they turned to each other and said, let's get married, and this time, let's plan it quickly so that nothing can stop us. They selected a day between both their birthdays which are one week apart.
Suzanne went to Strands where her hair was done by Fannan and Jana did her make up.
Marguerite of Petals designed the sweet hand tied posy of ivory dendrobium orchids, white cymbidium orchids and freesias with accents of pink roses and mokara orchids, as well as Matt's striking deep pink mokara orchid boutonniere.
Fannon's fashions are always the finishing touch; best way to compliment such excellent artistry.
ReplyDeleteSimply- Beautiful storytelling via Sacha's images!
Beautiful story and what a beautiful dress!
ReplyDeleteTemi
Sacha,
ReplyDeleteWe are grateful to have had you as our photographer, sharing in our special moments of wedding bliss, and so beautifully capturing in intimate images what you saw. We love our photographs and are excited to now share them with our family and friends. We look forward to seeing you again on our visit to Bermuda.
Suzanne