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DESTINATION CELEBRATION |GRAND OLD HOUSE WEDDING CAYMAN ISLANDS | LOLA AND JULIAN
Lola and Julian chose the Grand Old House for their Caribbean Wedding in the Cayman Islands. This classy wedding with the men all in white dinner jackets was just stunning.
GRAND OLD HOUSE WEDDING
Planner : Livia Kwong (Grand Old House)
Cake : Grand Old House
Officiant : Reverend Forrester
Flowers/Decor : Celebrations Ltd.
Live music/band : Steel Drummer and Violinist (Kate Allenger)
DJ : DJ Craig – Oneworld Ltd.
Dress : Something Blue Bridal
Hair and makeup : Jackie Soriano
Videography : Deep Blue Images
How did he pop the question?
He arranged a dinner with myself and his grandmother at a special restaurant his family had been going to for 50 years and as soon as we walked in he got down on 1 knee. I was totally shocked and he had champagne coming out, a waitress video taping and the whole restaurant clapping!
How did you feel during your vows or just before you walked down the aisle?It was very surreal and i was trying to take it all in.
It was amazing from start to finish! I feel very blessed to have so many of our friends and family make the trip and everyone had a wonderful time.
If possible, fly down several days before to de-compress and handle any last minute details. You don’t want to be rushed/stressed. We also stayed 2 extra days after to come down from the wedding madness.
It helps to spend a lot of time researching your vendors so you can trust them planning remotely. Being as organized as possible makes the planning easier so you don’t have to worry the week of.
What photography related advice would you offer to a couple?
Listen to Rebecca! She made sure we were on time so we caught the best lighting and I reviewed the timeline with her weeks before to make sure we were planning accordingly. We didn’t want to rush.
I found the dress in a small shop in upstate NY (Saratoga, NY) which is close to where i grew up. It was the first one i tried on, go with your gut (and leave plenty of time – 6 months for it to ship). I ended up having 3 fittings in 6 weeks so you want to leave enough time.
The groom ‘s father/best man picked his tux first as he had a special suit in mind. The groom loved it and ended up getting the same one along with buying the 3 dads their’s as a gift.
How was your experience taking photos/working with me on your wedding day?
Wonderful! We loved your sense of humor and how relaxed you were! Some photographers are barking orders at the bridal party and very serious, this tends to make everyone more nervous then they already are. You made us feel great and really at ease.
One of my favorite moments was the quieter ones – when it was just julian and i taking photos on the beach or the 2 of us dancing etc.
Did you see each other before the wedding? If not, did you like waiting or would you have rather done it differently? Tell me why or why not!
We didn’t see each other. It was harder to plan/coordinate but I’m glad we waited. I wanted to keep us apart the day of to add some suspense to the day.
Any tips on how to prepare for the wedding photos? Did I give you enough time?
Be honest with Rebecca on things you don’t like so she can help you pose for the best shots. Yes, we felt great on time.
Any tips that you have about preparing your wedding party for the photos? What did you tell them, how did you get them to cooperate, what did you do or what would you have done differently?
Be on time! I had to remind my father several times “just be in the lobby at this time to meet Rebecca”.
We love to hear about vendors you love. List any vendors here and feel free to share your experience.
DJ Craig – One World. He was amazing, super easy going and really understands timing and the crowd. He’s well known on the island and plays a great mix.
Celebrations – Andrea Gergely. Hands down the most organized vendor I’ve ever worked with. She worked with me over 6 months and customized our decor.
Grand Old House – Livia Kwong, We hired her as part of the wedding planner packages since we were planning everything in 6 months from NY. She was organized and great at re-assuring me they were on top of it and everything would work out. They also worked with us to customize the menu and pricing, a huge help! They also have an in house pastry chef and the cake was the best i ever had. Guests had 2 pieces!
Violinist – For the ceremony was kate@caymanviolin.com, great. Very classy touch!
Marriott – Amazing attention to detail, we had all our guest here – so a room block for 63 people and the welcome party. The staff is exceptional!
Reverend Forrester – A very kind, sweet man who customized our ceremony and put my groom at ease!
Deep Blue Images – Irene was great, she worked well with the photographer and was very reasonably priced. She created a 3 min highlight video along with a 35 min full length video and had both done within 2 wks!
Jackie Soriano – Super nice and talented hair and makeup artist! She was able to come to my suite and do 4 updo’s and my make up the day of the wedding. She was very easy going and flexible.
Did you find a store/site that had everything you were looking for? Use this space to talk about favorite shops. You can include where you got your dress, sites you got your veils/décor/accessories, etc.
I was determined to find unique items that i could easily transport/ship/order since it was a destination wedding. I found my bouquet on Etsy, table runners online and used Celebrations for most of the decor. They were great at working with us to customize our look and copy pictures i had found on pinterest etc.
What were you most anxious, nervous or fearful about regarding your wedding day and what was the outcome?
I was most nervous about everyone being on time since we had planned the entire day and ceremony around the sunset. It worked out great. I reminded people about the shuttle and put someone in charge of doing a quick head count. Our ceremony was very short so we had plenty of time.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to other couples for planning their wedding?
Be super organized and communicate! Don’t assume everyone is on the same page about when events are taking place, who is included and the cost.
What made you choose the Cayman Islands for your destination wedding?
We loved how friendly the people were and how beautiful the island was! It was very easy to get around and we felt our guests would feel safe and have a hassle free trip so they could just relax and enjoy.
How did you find your photographer? Online research? Word of mouth?
Online research and word of mouth – EVERYONE recommended Rebecca!