Meryl and Danny said “I do” at a destination wedding on St. John, USVI with an intimate group of family and friends by their sides. Full of tropical wedding details, beautiful moments (and settings), and lots of personal touches, the bride shared their story with us. To start, they chose to wed atop a hill on St. John at Villa Kalorama, a setting with stunning views! “Villa Kalorama has some of the best views on St. John and they loved it’s modern design. It has the perfect floor plan for events including sliding glass doors that open to the beautiful island breeze.”
“Meryl is an artist and wanted to incorporate painting into their theme so she painted watercolor backgrounds for their invitations. Her sister-in-law, Michelle Manfre, designed the rest of the invitation suite. The invites had the look of Caribbean water with a modern gold design which was the first indication of their wedding style. The theme began to evolve when Meryl and her mother decided to hand dip dye the welcome bags along with the napkins and table runners for the reception. They used the same blues of the water and incorporated gold into the rest of the décor. The flowers were kept simple yet stunning with the use of single King Proteas in clear vases.”
“All guests received a hand dipped canvas welcome bag with a wedding week itinerary, large plastic cups with Meryl and Danny’s names and wedding date, island snacks, flip-flops and other goodies!”
“Aside from the blue and gold elements in the invites and décor, Meryl wanted the bridal party to remain neutral so the colors around them would truly pop. The girls were asked to pick their own nude toned dresses and the guys were in a simple grey suit with understated blue ties. Danny wore a blue suit with a grey bowtie that stood out from the rest and the ring bearer was in blue and grey. Everything tied together in an elegant and unique way making Meryl’s vision come to life!”
“The reception was beautifully kicked off by their first dance, the cutting of the cake, a toast from the father of the bride and with Meryl thanking everyone for coming. Dinner was truly magical under the glowing lights, the island breeze and the view of other islands in the distance. Once dinner wrapped up, the party got started and the dancing began. The highlight of the reception was when the mother of the bride busted out HUNDREDS of glow products and musical instruments! The entire party got into it and the groom was even wearing a light-up fedora. Guests went crazy over the glow products making it extra fun for everyone. There was also an ice cream bar open for guests to serve themselves towards the end of the evening. When it came time for their exit, Meryl and her mother surprised Danny with an accordion player which was in memory of his mother who had passed nearly 10 years prior. She loved to embarrass Danny by playing her accordion in front of his friends and it is something his family laughs about often.”
“Meryl used single King Proteas for all of the ladies. The bride’s bouquet had some additional greenery. For décor, King Proteas were placed in simple vases lining the center of the dining tables.”
“They wanted cake was simple and showed off the island’s flavors. It was vanilla and mango for one tier and rum cake with key lime for the second tier with butter cream frosting.”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Lindsay Vann
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Location: Villa Kalorama, St. John, USVI, Wedding Coordination: Paradise Planning, Catering: Passion Fruit Chefs, Flowers: Roses Too, Bridal Hair and Makeup: Sugar & Spice Artistry, Music: DJ Snow, Steel Drum player: Albion Sewer, Ice cream vendor: St. John Scoops, Dress: Temperley London, Shoes: Ilenia P., Hair piece: White Orchid Bridal, Earrings: Crafts and Love, Suit: Suit Supply, Shoes: Cole Haan, Bowtie: The ZB Savoy Bowtie Company, Pocket square: J Crew, Socks: Happy Socks
