Arlene and Chris held their destination wedding in the beautiful Bahamas at the sprawling Atlantis Resort. We asked the bride and groom how they landed at such a special place. The couple had traveled there many times before and Chris had it set in his mind he would one day wed there. In April of 2012, “we were sitting at Cain pool just basking in the sun and soaking in the chill atmosphere and we just both knew that this was the perfect place to us to get married.” According to Chris. “Arlene comes from a very large family and both Chris and Arlene have a number of business associates and collectively they decided that a destination wedding was the only way to keep the guest count to a reasonable number. They also planned their wedding in less than 6 months, so a destination wedding seemed like the best option. The couples also have a very mixed background. The bride is Italian-Canadian, and the Groom is Jamaican/Lebanese/American. There was a lot of pressure to have a big Italian wedding, but the couple wanted something more intimate (68 guests). Another reason they chose the Atlantis is that they can always fly back every year and celebrate their anniversary, and eventually when they have kids, they can bring them too!”
“Atlantis is a stunning property, so the bride & groom chose a simple décor theme while leveraging the natural surroundings. Coral-Orange was the color for the Bridesmaid dresses as that is the color of Chris’s company SafeBridge. Wildflowers did all the beach décor and floral arrangements that were used to decorate Nobu. Guests were all given homemade welcome baskets upon arrival with a personalized letter from the bride & groom. The bride’s sister did all the wedding invitations and place cards.”
“As beautiful as the Bahamas is, it was not without its challenges. With a very short planning window (Chris proposed May 11th in Toronto at the ROM & they were married Nov. 3rd, 2012) it was hard to get everything booked on time. In fact- the week before the wedding the Hurricane Sandy whipped through the Caribbean and consequently all the weddings were performed indoors. Chris and Arlene were lucky and ended up with a location on Cove Point which is typically not used for weddings, but provides one of the best views/sunsets on the Atlantis property.”
“Right before the Bridge and Groom had their reveal, the Groom had given the brides sister a Tiffany’s key necklace to give to the bride. The card was inscribed – today I give you the key to my heart.”
Because their guests were all flying in from different locations around the world, the couple decided to host a pool party at Cain Pool in place of a traditional rehearsal dinner, which was followed by the beach ceremony the following day.
“Photographer Nikki was incredible to work with- I had seen her do my best friend’s wedding a year earlier and loved her work. Nikki makes everyone feel so comfortable and had so many amazing shot ideas.”
“The bride’s dress was custom made to morph from a bridal gown to a party dress. Between the ceremony and the reception, the bride revealed the secret zipper and between photos surprised the Groom with a new look- he loved it.”
“The seating chart for the dinner at Nobu was themed around all the cities the bride & groom like to visit (Rome, London, Miami, NYC, Vegas etc).”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Nikki Leigh McKean
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Hotel: Atlantis Resort, Bahamas, Wedding Planner: Director of Weddings at Atlantis ~ Albertha Edgecomb, Wedding Designer: Nina Duong Haute Couture, Flowers & Décor: Wildflowers, Wedding Dinner: Nobu at Atlantis, Hair & Makeup: Julie Neff, Officiant: Dave Robinson (friend of the Bride & Groom), Invitations: Mirabelle Press
Love the groom’s shoes. Who’s the designer?
Congratulations Arlene & Chris. And thank you for choosing to have your wedding in the Bahamas. Wishing you perpetual happiness!