Poolside Wedding
Danielle and Philip, 2011

Danielle, on how she and Philip met

Philip and I attended the same university in Canada. We were both studying Engineering, and though we didn’t have any classes together, we would run into each other almost every day. And of course he’s Bajan, and I’m Trini, and West Indians tend to stick together in foreign countries, so we were always at the same “limes” and parties.

I was infatuated with Phil almost instantly, and of course, after getting to know him better, I realized what an amazing person he is, and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love. Although we are from different countries, it turns out we had very similar childhoods. We both pretty much grew up in the sea, and were both raised with similar morals and values. We also both love children, which was a big must for me!

The Proposal

Funny enough, neither my nor Phil’s parents dated for very long before getting engaged - my parents waited a mere three months, and Phil’s were engaged after three weeks!

Needless to say, both sides were baffled that it took us over six years to get engaged. I guess there are a few more logistics to work out when you’re from different countries; plus, we were both still in school when we got together.

Somehow Phil was able to convince me to give up Carnival (my other love) for February, 2010, so that he could take me on a Caribbean Cruise. Keep in mind that the cruise was on Valentine’s Day week, and though everyone else was convinced that this would be “it”, I was certain it wasn’t.

On the last night of the trip, I was busy dragging him to two live shows, and to the fancy restaurant, not knowing that the whole time, he was “sweating” and worried that I would notice the ring in his pocket. I, of course, was oblivious! After dinner, he took me for a late night stroll around the top deck where we would be alone. He then pulled out the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. I stood in shocked silence for, what Phil said, felt like an hour, before finally hugging him and saying yes, of course, yes!

The Wedding

Although St. Finbar’s is my parish, we decided we wanted a smaller, more intimate church, so we went with St. Anthony’s Church in Petit Valley for the ceremony.

For the reception, we wanted an open-air venue with a seaside view, so we decided on Pier 1 poolside. We did have a little scare, since it rained for three days before the wedding; but thankfully, the sun stayed out for us on the big day!

Gustavo did an amazing job with the decor. He transformed the venue into a fairy tale with lots of soft lighting - candles on the tables and lanterns hanging from the tent - and crystals sprinkled everywhere.

Memorable Moments

My most memorable moment has to be the “Ants’ Nest Incident”. I felt a sharp sting on my knee as we were taking pictures at the old church in Chaguaramas. I lifted my dress and saw that my entire cancan was full of stinging ants! I ran out to the road and started jumping up and down to get them off. Of course this all happened just as the bus carrying the whole wedding party and our families pulled up. I could only imagine how funny that must have looked; too bad the videographer wasn’t there to capture it!

It’s amazing how the things that go wrong turn out to be the funniest memories…another being the unsuccessful flight of the Chinese lanterns. I don’t know if it was the strong sea breeze at Pier 1 or if it was just bad design, but they simply refused to take off. There were about ten floating in the sea by the end of the night. I guess Poseidon would have to grant any wishes sent with those lanterns!

Personal Style

Our wedding was very much a family affair, which made it very personal. My great uncle was the priest at the ceremony; my cousin, Zach, played the steel pan as the prelude; my aunt did my hair; my grandmother’s cousin came from Florida to make the cake (she also made my parent’s wedding cake so that was extra special).

Certain things I made myself such as my headpiece (which I based on my mother’s, but updated with crystals rather than pearls, to match my dress), our bride and groom champagne glasses and the bridesmaids’ earrings.

Other than that, we tried to add little things that we hadn’t seen before, like the bottle and spoon table (which was a hit when the party got going) keepsake matches, and cake charms for the bridesmaids.

We are both traditional people, but are in no way formal and we thought the wedding reflected that beautifully. The ceremony itself was very traditional, even with the “ole time” wedding songs like the Trumpet Vuluntary and Latin hymns.

The reception was very laid back; we had the traditional speeches of course, and the first dance and father/daughter dance, but there was no fancy sit down dinner or anything like that, just plenty hor d’oeuvres, drinks flowing and great music!

Must-Haves

Apart from the dress, which was the first thing to be organized, the most important things for me were: good food, good drinks, great music, and, of course, a great photographer to capture all the memories!

The Dress

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to shop on Miracle Mile in Florida for my dress. It was a big ordeal; my father, mother, grandmother and maid of honor came with me. We finally found the dress at Brides of Florida, about fifteen minutes away from Miracle Mile. The dress was a Sottero-Midgley called Hillary. I knew I had to have it from the minute I put it on; it was the first dress that I actually didn’t want to take off.

Music

We used very traditional songs. My dad walked me up the aisle to the Trumpet Vuluntary whilst Phil and I walked down to the Wedding March.

My dad actually chose both the first dance song, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and the father/ daughter song, Am I That Easy To Forget, which is quite perfect when you listen to the words.

He called me randomly from his car, cracking up, saying, “I have the perfect songs for you,” whilst all the while I’m hearing his Engelbert Humperdinck CD blasting in the background! Funny enough, I thought they were perfect too!

Recommended Vendors
Photographer: Gary Jordan, www.garyjordan.com
Decorator: Gustavo Molina, Managing Director, Paprika Restaurant, Cocorite.
Bride’s Hair: Michelle Bentley-George, 633-7174
Bride’s Make-Up: Gianna Barcant on Facebook
Nails: Amanda Ferreira, 481-7505
Caterer: Gwyneth Pogso, 637-7814
Wedding Coordinator: Laura Darwent, on Facebook
Trini Seamstress (Bridesmaids’ Dresses): Lisa Mouttet, 622-3222
Bajan Seamstress (Bridesmaids’ Dresses): Hazelann Smith, (246)-435-1852
Cake: Carroll Dougall, (407)-921-3656
Videographer: Wendell Mitchell, 637-6633
DJ: Kern Crosby, 328-3044
Flowers: Romance Garden, Long Circular Mall, 622-8553
Bride’s Dress: Sottero-Midgley retailer, bridesofflorida@yahoo.com
Kalloo’s Bus Rental, 680-8283
Venue: Pier 1, 634-4472