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Gillian and Greg
Elegant Cayman Islands Wedding
Venue: West Bay Church | Cracked Conch
Wedding Planner: The Poppet Studio-Priscilla Maragh | Mummy Mae, Annie Mae, Kathryn Walsh & Heather Roffey
Cake Maker & Gourmet Donuts: Tanya Foster | Fosters Food Fair (Donuts Still talked about!)
Officiant Pastor Randy Von Kanel
Hair & Makeup: Jackie Soriano & Trina Biliti | Hair and Makeup by Jackie
Flowers: Del | The Flower Dell
Decor: The Poppet Studio & Bride and Groom’s Crafty Shopping
Live Music: Yoan & Antonio | Violin and Piano & Steel Pan | Olujimi La Pierre
DJ: Brother-in-law Raph
Dress: BHLDN
Second Shooter: JJ
The bride’s bouquet included the small bible that her Great Grandmother carried on her wedding day – which has been in her sister and cousins’ bouquets as well!
Del Child of The Flower Dell. I can’t recommend her enough! The bouquets were a stunning combination of blush roses, ivory lisianthus, safari sunset, hypericum berries, eucalyptus greens, and [the standout finish] burgundy hanging amaranthus.
A variety of designers. We decided to go with mis-matched dresses so each bridesmaid got to do their own thing!
In December 2017, Gillian & Greg visited his home town in Pennsylvania. On their last day in town, Greg took Gillian on a full tour – showing her his family homes growing up, his schools, where he played baseball and kickball in the street, etc. Months prior, singing along to the Ed Sheeran song ‘Castle on the Hill’, Greg promised to take Gillian to a castle on the hill when they visited PA. Said castle on the hill was where he went to high school. They jumped out of the car, climbed up on the big boulders out back and listened to some music. It was a really great vibe, the air was crisp and cool, and the sun was just about to set. It was at that very moment that Greg…did NOT propose. Of course, he can’t be predictable! And so came the end of their tour. Apparently, Gillian seemed a little down after this (which she has yet to admit). They didn’t get but one minute’s drive away from the castle and Greg pulled over; he said there was one more place to show her. They walked up to a huge, boarded up, abandoned building . It was the hospital where Greg was born. Greg took Gillian’s hand and led her to the front of the building and said, ‘This is where my life officially began, but I feel that my life really began when I met you. I was hoping it could also be the place our lives officially begin – forever.’ With that, Greg was down on one knee, asking Gillian to be his wife!
About 2.5 months before the wedding, I flew to New York City with my Mum, sisters and closest girlfriends (party of 11). We were on a mission to not only find the dress but leave the city with it in hand! I had a good sense of what I wanted but was open-minded. We went to 3 stores on the first day and must have tried on 30 dresses. There was one that I thought could be the one but decided to keep looking. BHLDN was our first stop on day two. The sales associate was shocked how quickly I tired on dresses….at that point, we were pros! After I tried a few on, the sales associate said she had one in mind. I would never have chose it off the hanger myself; it had a tulle skirt which I didn’t think I’d like. As soon as I stepped out in front of the girls I saw looks I hadn’t seen before. Some cried instantly, some fought so hard not to cry they looked like they could burst. It was absolutely perfect – delicate, romantic, timeless. It was a bit hard for me to get a true sense because it was the first dress that was really big on me. After being pinned up and adding a belt – there was no question this was the one. Before I even took it off calls were made to cancel the rest of our appointments! Dress shopping with a group of ladies so dear to me was one of the most special times of the whole wedding process. It’s something I will never forget.
Bride – seeing how beautiful my girsl were and realising this was really happening!
Intimate, Fun, Beyond our wildest imagination, Unforgettable
It was a morning wedding so guests were greeted with a coffee/tea station, a newspaper and a pencil to complete our wedding crossword puzzle. Our newspaper was a huge highlight…full of personal stories and jokes!
Groom – walking across the zebra crosswalk like the Beatles!
We bribed the ring bearer and flower girl to come down the aisle with toys…and it still didn’t work. Not a single petal was laid on the aisle!
No, we did not. We didn’t even consider a first look. We knew that seeing each other for the first time when walking down the aisle would be extremely special…and it was!
Excited, nervous about remembering them, relieved we had reached that part of the ceremony. Sitting in the car alone watching my (Gillian) bridesmaids getting ready to walk into the church was one of the most special moments of the day for me. It was silent and it all set in in that moment. I was calm, at peace and excited to marry my Gregory!
I walked down the aisle with my veil covering my face. When my Dad gave me away, Greg didn’t understand how to roll my veil back off of my face. He didn’t know it was attached so he thought if he pushed it too far back it would fall off. So he neatly rolled it back and place it on top of my head…I silently coached him through it because I knew something was off! It was one of those things we didn’t discuss or practice so it was naturally hilarious!
Making sure that all of our guests would be comfortable and enjoy themselves – they couldn’t have had a better time! Memorising our vows…which turned out beautifully!
Lighting of a unity candle
The Poppet Studio and the Bride & Groom’s crafty shopping!
First Dance – Into the Mystic – Van Morrison Father/Daughter – Summerwind – Frank Sinatra
Sharing our vows Going around and saying Hi to everyone at the reception – feeling like we had the right number of people because we could actually hug everyone! Watching everyone smile, laugh, get to know each other and enjoy each other’s company Special words shared by those closest to us The maple smoked bacon! (big up Island Taste)
Yes – Yoan & Antonio on the violin and piano during our ceremony & Olujimi La Pierre on steelpan during our cocktail hour.
Our brother-in-law, Raph, won’t call himself the DJ but he definitely stepped up to the role!
If possible (or weather-forced), get all dressed up again the next week and take pictures – just the two of you. It’s so nice to be happily married, relaxed, not pressed for time…and not as concerned about messing up your dress!
Our story is as common and uncommon as they come… we met at work, simple! However, chances of ever being where we are today seemed like the longest shot, back then. After a year and a half spent working together, we built and experienced the level of respect that a lasting relationship relies upon. We realised that we worked really well together and work was made simpler because we genuinely liked each other. One day, some personal time allowed us to realise we both had deeper feelings. Knowing this was special, we immediately agreed we’d do it right…and are married 1 year later 🙂
Extremely easy-going and enjoyable. Rebecca can make anyone feel comfortable in front of the camera…and actually have fun doing it!
