Hoang Anh and Tim wed on the beautiful island of Nassau, Bahamas. The bride and groom traveled from the UK to the picturesque Caribbean destination for a beach wedding unlike anything they could find in Europe. But this location wasn’t only beautiful, but had sentimental value to them as well. The groom’s parents retired in Nassau and have a house in Old Fort Bay. As members of the Old Fort Bay Club, they not only had access but ties to the historic property. The bride shared a bit of its history with us. “The Club itself is steeped in history, having started life as a real fort built by the British in the 1700s to keep pirates, privateers and buccaneers under control. It became a private home having been won in a game of poker and was furnished by art and artefacts by its worldly owners. Finally after much redevelopment in the area it became the centrepiece of a development to be enjoyed by members and guests. We have spent many wonderful holidays enjoying the Club and its facilities. When we were deciding where to marry, the stunning private beach with turquoise water, the classic laidback Caribbean feel and superb service at the Club meant that it was an easy decision to make!”
The couple opted not to hire a wedding planner. Instead, the groom’s parents helped out on location. “Given that Tim’s parents live in the Bahamas, we managed the wedding preparations remotely and chose not to have a wedding coordinator. Tim’s parents were fantastic in helping us with our menu and drinks choices as well as coordinating lunches/brunches and bbqs during the wedding week. They were also really helpful in putting together the table decorations, the place names and sourcing the bubbles for our confetti. We did have to adjust a little to the Bahamian pace of life when arranging the timings for the wedding… everything fell into place but not always exactly when we had planned it!!!”
When we asked what the inspiration was for the wedding details, they looked to the location! “We were very fortunate that the Club was already brimming with history and character and had a truly authentic Bahamian feel. We didn’t have to really come up with a theme as the location and venue were already so beautiful.”
The beach wedding ceremony incorporated a beautiful canopy with fabric and shells swinging in the wind.
Such a beautiful ceremony site on the white sand!!
…The very happy couple :)
The entire group even got together for a photo op – a great idea when you’ve got a smaller guest count.
And into the cocktail reception they went. “We had two steel drummers who played Pachelbel’s Canon in D as my mother gave me away and continued to play throughout the champagne reception.”
In addition to steel drums, they also enlisted some unique and even more incredible entertainment. “We surprised our guests with a junkanoo rush after the champagne reception. The junkanoo consisted of 15 traditional carnival dancers and musicians who danced towards us playing drums, trumpets and cow bells. It was typically Bahamian; fun, colorful and energetic. The junkanoo looked stunning against the backdrop of the sun setting over the sea.”
“At the reception, we offered our guests key lime pink lemonade before they went down to the beach for the ceremony. Our canapés all had a Caribbean or Asian twist using local ingredients such as Bahamian lobster, Mahi Mahi and tuna.”
Table numbers were names of places of importance to the newlyweds – tying in the truly global nature of this destination wedding.
“As we had 40 guests, we wanted to create a unique favour, which they could remember our wedding/the Bahamas fondly. So we found fun images of them all and superimposed them onto playing cards with us as the aces, and our parents as kings and queens.”
“At the end of the evening we had aged rums and cigars! We chose to present the cigars in a panama hat in keeping with the feel of the venue.”
“As we wanted to keep the wedding ceremony intimate – we shared the day with only our closest friends and family. However soon after we returned from the Bahamas, we held a big party which incorporated a steel band, mojitos and speeches thereby bringing some of the Bahamian vibe to London!” Great idea to get the best of both worlds! Congratulations!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Focus Photography Inc.
Wedding Location: Old Fort Bay Club, New Providence Island, Bahamas
This event was submitted via TwoBrightLights.com
The arch is so pretty and it proves that you don’t always need flowers to make a statement on your ceremony decor.