#realchicbride Dana's Bahamian Wedding Wearing Muse by Berta
Tell us your love story! How did you meet and how did you get to a proposal?
Justin and I actually went to high school together but we never spoke in school! I remember having one class with him freshman year and he remembers me as the girl who wore Sperry shoes to school. Fast forward to four years after high school graduation and I was attending a concert with a girlfriend and she asked if she could bring along a guy friend who wanted to bring Justin with him as well. I work in the concert business so the show we were attending was a show I had pit passes for so I tried to show off and brought him into the pit and I guess it worked! The rest is history and he proposed on November 19th, 2017.
When you started planning your wedding what did you envision? How close did the actual wedding get to that vision?
When I first started thinking about the wedding, I was at a loss for what I wanted visually. I originally thought to get married in Palm Beach where we live and have our reception at the same place my parents got married at but something about that vision overall just didn't seem right. One night when I was having trouble sleeping, it just sort of dawned on me it would just feel right to have a wedding in the Bahamas (Justin and I travel there frequently). And from then on my vision was a true authentic Bahamian wedding without an overkill on decor because the location itself is the best decor you could ask for. I think I got pretty close!
What were a few things that were important to you as a couple to include (or not include) in the wedding?
We got married on a very small island in the Abaco's and something that was really important to us was using as many local services as we could to give support to the local community there. All of our flowers came from the Bahamas, the band was a local band from an island nearby, our Priest was from the Bahamas etc. We wanted everyone to really utilize their time in the Bahamas since it takes a bit of travel time to get there. So my main priority was making sure there was something planned out every day so everyone could get the full Bahamas experience. It was a lot to plan a full 4 days for everyone but it was worth it! We did a BBQ with the locals on Thursday night, went to see the swimming pigs on Friday, a big welcome party Friday night, the wedding Saturday, and then we took whoever was still there to Nippers which is a bar on an island nearby on Sunday! We liked to call it adult spring break!
“ The Bahamas is the first place Justin told me he loved me!”
How did you decide on the location? The Bahamas is the first place Justin told me he loved me! We both have grown up going over there with our families. We also have been to Green Turtle Cay (the island we were married on) multiple times and it really holds a special place in our hearts.
Let's talk dress! Give us all the deets!
I will be honest, dress shopping was not my favorite thing during the wedding planning process. Mainly because I've always been one of those girls who prefers to shop alone and I hate trying things on in front of other people. I started shopping in May 2018 and went to multiple stores all over the state of Florida, I even traveled to Kleinfeld in New York! However, none of the dresses I tried on really felt like they were "the one."
In August 2018 I went to another boutique in Miami and found a dress I really loved and was ready to say yes but there was some part of me that still hesitated. So one day my mom and I decided to go back down to Miami and I told her to stop at Chic Parisien because I've heard great things about it and if we don't find a dress there, we can go back to the other store and get the dress I loved. So low and behold, we go to Chic and I tried on a few dresses and I loved every single one, but then the last dress I tried on, a Muse by Berta, was literally a combination of every single dress I had tried on in my 3 month search for a dress and I knew it was the one!
How did your family, friends, etc play into your wedding planning and wedding day?
My mom was my wedding savior! She traveled to the Bahamas with me about 5 times over the year and a half planning process to narrow down every detail. My sisters were my maids of honor and made sure my day went exactly as I wanted! My friends were also the best support system I could ask for throughout everything. And of course, the whole wedding could not be possible without my dad!
What's one specific memory you have from your wedding day that you don't think you'll ever forget?
One thing that did worry me about getting married in a tropical climate was the chance of rain. And March does tend to be a windy/rainy time so my aunt told me an old wives tale was to bury a bottle of alcohol upside down in the sand on a day that the weather was nice out, and that would be the weather on your wedding day. On our last trip over to the Bahamas before the wedding week, we buried a bottle upside down on a beautiful day and it must have brought us good luck because we had great weather the wedding day. After the wedding was over, we all went out to the bar and on our way back to the hotel Justin said, "we have to dig up the bottle!" And we did so and I think one of my favorite pictures is him holding the bottle at 2:30 in the morning that he dug up! That is a memory I'll never forget.
How did you decide on your hair and makeup look?
I knew I wanted half up half down because my hair doesn't really hold style well so I knew if I had some of it up it would hold better. I also knew I wanted some sort of fishtail because fishtail and Bahamas go together! I also don't wear a ton of makeup so I didn't want to overdo it so I went for a more natural look.
Was there one vendor you used that you wish everyone knew about? Bohemian Mint! You can find her on Etsy. She did my invitations, map, and welcome booklet and she was beyond amazing.
Where did you go on your honeymoon and what was the best part?
Since we did a destination wedding, we didn't want to do a honeymoon right after since we stayed in the Bahamas after our wedding. We are planning to go on a delayed honeymoon for our anniversary/30th birthdays in 2020 and are thinking of going to Hawaii!
Here are some ideas about ways to help with Hurrican Dorian relief in the Abaco Islands.
Vendor List/instagram handles:
Photographer- Jack Bates Photography @jackbatesphotography
Venue- Green Turtle Club @greenturtleclub
Hair- Brittanne Hammond @beascenehair
Makeup- Alyson Khanna @alysonkhanna
Dress- Muse By Berta @musebyberta
Dress Store- Chic Parisien!
Flowers- Bud's N Blooms Marsh Harbor @bahamabloom
Bridesmaid dresses- Show Me Your Mumu @showmeyourmumu
Planner- Glitter and Twine events @glitterandtwineevents
Invitations- Bohemian Mint @Bohemian Mint
Day of Coordination- Visit Green Turtle Cay, Ash Gardiner @visitgreenturtlecay