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Kaibo Beach Wedding
Karolyn + Cole
Venue: Kaibo Beach Club
Planner: Juliette Heath | Five Star Events
When I met Karolyn and Cole over a coffee over a year ago, I knew before the first 30 seconds I wanted to be part of telling their wedding story! I was totally relaxed and laughing with them about the whole wedding planning process and the 30 minute meeting turned into 2 hours. I think one thing you will see from their wedding story… is the pure love and emotion and the obvious family connection.. from crying dads, to hugging and loving siblings and to the special first look on the balcony when they exchanged cards and we quietly captured the raw emotion of the tears flowing as they started their life journey together. Enjoy this gorgeous Kaibo wedding in the Cayman Islands.
What City are you from: Houston, TX
Cake Maker: The Cake Studio
Officiant: Rev Myers
Colours: Neutral with a touch of silver sage
How many Guests: 60
Flowers: The Flower Dell | Proteas, garden roses, spray roses, astilbe and greenery
Decorations: Massive
DJ: DJ Craig | Glen Scott Guitarist | Olumjimi LaPierre Steel Pan
Hair and Makeup: Jackie Soriano
Second Shooter: Jenna Leigh Photography
Cole and I met at Louisiana State University at a local college bar. I just transferred from St Edwards University in Austin, TX, and moved in with one of my high school friends. She worked at the bar with Cole, and introduced us! We immediately started dating and been together ever since then!
Cole surprised me with a weekend getaway to my favorite city, Austin, Texas in late July of 2015. He mentioned it was for my early birthday gift, and I totally fell for it! He rented a VRBO apartment off the Colorado River near South Congress- it was beautiful! We were on the balcony enjoying a charcuterie board with wine, waiting for the sun to set. I was on my phone taking photos when he started to say the sweetest words about how much he loved me. Before I knew it, he was down on one knee! My heart immediately started to race-I just kept saying ” yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you!” We toasted with a bottle of Perrier-Joulet and immediately started discussing a Cayman Wedding!
I love Anthropologie and immediately looked at their wedding store, BHLDN, shortly after we were engaged. I’m an online shopper and did some researching prior to visiting the store. When my sister was trying on wedding dresses, only my mom and me went with her. She kept it intimate, and that’s what I wanted. Unfortunately, my sister was living in a different city when it became my turn. I remember when BHLDN just came out with a new collection, and I was worried the dresses I was researching were going to become unavailable. When I told my mom, she told me to go ahead a book an appointment, after all, what’s the worst that could happen? Well, I tried on my favorite dress first, and knew the dress was it! My mom FaceTimed sister and we all couldn’t stop smiling- we knew this was THE dress! I was even lucky to find my veil, and rehearsal dinner dress at the same time!
Remember this day is about the two of you, and nothing else matters. No matter how much you plan, anything can happen. Come rain or shine, at the end of the day, you have started a new chapter as husband and wife. Make it memorable and happy!
We will never forget the ceremony! Mother Nature decided to take a turn from beautiful sunshine to a tropical storm within a matter of minutes! It started to rain during our first look photos , and didn’t stop till after the ceremony. We originally planned to be married on the beach, under a beautiful floral arch, but Mother Nature had other plans for us! Our coordinator, Juliette Heath, had to move everything upstairs during the down pour. We waited on the bus with my parents, while Juliette worked her magic! She was so sweet and checked on us to see how we were holding up (with our emotions). We couldn’t be happier-we we’re getting married and nothing could get in our way! I told Juliette, bring on the champagne!
It was unforgettable! Despite the rain, we were still able to eat on Kaibo’s upstairs balcony and dance in the sand! Kaibo and Juliette had to do a linen change to the tables during the cocktail hour as they got soaked from the rain. Everyone was willing to pitch in and make the best out of a rainy situation. We are so thankful for Juliette and Kaibo! My emotions definitely got the best of me before the ceremony due to the chaotic weather and change in plans. The traditional ceremony we planned sure did not take place-We ended up with a ceremony we will never forget! Cole is the more emotional one in our relationship, and I was the one who couldn’t keep it together!
Find your photographer first!! You want to make sure you feel comfortable with your photographer and enjoy their style of photos. After all, photos last forever. We went to Cayman over Christmas 2016 to do our wedding research. Rebecca met us over coffee near her studio in Camana Bay. We talked for over 2 hours!! I could tell she wanted to get to know us and enjoyed her job. She provided us with so much insight on the “dos and don’ts” of a wedding and helped us with our vendor selections. She introduced us to Juliette and Craig!
Try to relax! Everything happens so quickly, you need to remember to enjoy it!
Juliette and Craig were the best! Rebecca introduced us to both. Juliette met with us on short notice over Christmas. She was wonderful! She gave us great advice during the planning process and never tried to step on our toes. She went above and beyond our expectations. At one point, we thought about getting married on the beach of the House we were renting. When we reached out to the property management they told us no. Juliette then reached out to them for us! Juliette was also helpful when it came to the florals. She kindly would let me know If I was picking a “difficult” or “pricey” flower. I’m a bit of a control freak with details, and she was always responsive! She mentioned that I was the most organized bride she has had and made it quite easy for her-glad she saw my OCD as something positive! Craig was fabulous! He moved his equipment during the rain and never complained. We were scheduled to use mics and additional equipment, but never used them due to the weather. He removed it from his bill even though he still set it up. His questionnaire form is perfect! He also sent us the first dance and father/mother dance songs to verify they were the right versions. He also double checked on when and how we wanted to be introduced as a married couple. We also used Double Trouble for the boat day “after” the wedding. Alan also kept in touch with us on date changing due to the weather. When we finally got to go out, he dropped the family members off after our time limit, and extended the time with our friends. We have used them before and keep going back to them due to their great hospitality. We had our rehearsal dinner at Tukka-it’s our favorite restaurant on the island. Chef Ron is fantastic!! We had our welcome party at Over the Edge. The owner Phillip is so sweet! We met with him a few days before and told him our food and drink preference. They specially made “finger bites” of everything- even a special caybrew batter for the fish bites. Everyone loved it! Phillip also set up the food table with decorations without our request. (Colored table cloth, napkins, plates, and balloons). Phenomenal hospitality! Nathan Herrera. guitarist. Nathan’s music is beautiful! He played at Tukka for our rehearsal. He provided us his iTunes album as a gift.
First Dance: Ed Sheeran, Perfect Father-Daughter Dance: Michael Buble, the Way you look tonight Mother-Son Dance: Nat & Natalie King Cole, Unforgettable
Hair & Makeup: Jackie Soriano Kaibo coordinator: Elina Zavala Shoes: Bella Belle, BHLDN Bridesmaid dresses: showmeyourmumu Nails: Tips n Toes (grand cayman) Stationary & Website: Minted Boutique hand dyed Silk Ribbon: The White Glove Boutique (Denver, Colorado) on Etsy Personalized Napkins & Koozies: SipHipHooray (Houston,TX) on Etsy Dog sketches on napkins: Aniamtoreman on Fiverr Place name finders (gold palm tree bottle openers & tag) : The Blush Market (Cranford, NEw Jersey) on Etsy Namecards & ring bearer pillows: made by my sister-in-law, Cheri Menard (bridesmaid) Getting Ready Robe: Plum Pretty Sugar, BHLDN MOH, bridesmaid, mother, and mother-in-law robe: LovinglyOurs (Bargaintown, New Jersey) on Etsy House party girl shorts: GMonogram on Etsy
Rebecca was wonderful and kept us laughing the entire time! Cole and I exchanged notes prior to our first look, and while we were reading our notes, we felt the first rain drops! Shortly after, Rebecca took us quickly to our first look location and gave us our space, while photographing us. We were only able to shoot in one location as the rain started to fall faster and faster. When we got back to the car, Rebecca was completely honest with us and told us she could take more photos now, but would love to schedule another day with us to get those “perfect” photos. After the ceremony, when the rain stopped, Rebecca came to us and said “there’s a beautiful sunset now, would you guys want to go down real quick?” How could we say no! The photos turned out beautiful! She knew how to give us our space with our friends and family and came to us when she saw a “picture perfect” moment. The day after the wedding we talked to Rebecca and she was yet again, honest with us. We were on the island 4 days after the wedding, and every day we talked to Rebecca to see if the weather was right for photos. Luckily enough, we got our photos the 3rd day after the wedding! Rebecca was phenomenal! She fit us in her tight schedule and didn’t try to rush us. The best part- we were lucky she was vacationing over on the North Side during Easter, and her house was across the street from us! On Thursday night, when Cole and I returned from our honeymoon night on Seven Mile, Rebecca invited us over to her house to view the photos. We stayed and talked to her and her husband for almost 2 hours! Rebecca is the sweetest person we have ever met-her husband too!