ADRIANA Magazine (Issue IV) - Kristi & Matt's Epic Wedding in St. John, USVI

Choosing our Cover Feature is no easy task as you could probably imagine. We go through a rigorous process for about two to three weeks, going through every single feature, looking at every image within the albums sent to ensure we make the best choice that we know you will love. We get so giddy during the process also, because the cover is SO special and sets the tone for the rest of the publication, so it truly is quite exciting!

In November 2020, after having selected three possible options, we finally chose “Kristi & Matt” – the sweetest couple ever.

My team was confident in the couple, but still had two possible cover options and this is where I came in to decide on which one would truly speak volumes about what matters most here at Adriana Weddings. My husband who is definitely my right hand, decided on “the one” and I agreed. It was dreamy. It was exquisite. It was ADRIANA.

The cover is unreal, and is truly a community favourite for sure. Special thank you to Lindsay Vann Photography for your incredible photographs, you are amazing!

As I write this, there are tears in my eyes, because Kristi & Matt are such a beautiful couple, and their families are just as special. As you will see below, Matt’s mother ended up contacted us the very next day after the launch asking us for the cover so that she could give the couple a big surprise for Christmas, and she most certainly did! 🙂

Thank you so much to AW member Mary from Island Style Weddings for sharing this precious destination wedding in St. John with us, and to Kristi & Matt for your love and light.

Without further ado, see the full feature below, and check them out in ADRIANA (Issue IV) HERE!

ADRIANA Magazine (Issue IV) - Kristi & Matt's Epic Wedding in St. John, USVI, Photography by Lindsay Vann Photography

FROM THE COUPLE:

THE MEETING

We met in college. We both went to the University of Connecticut. He played football, and I was a cheerleader. We went to Teds, our college bar, on a Sunday afternoon to watch an NFL game, and we met and started chatting and the rest is history!

THE PROPOSAL

We got engaged on Gibney Beach in St. John. It was about 9am on a Tuesday and we were the only ones on the beach, besides a hidden photographer. I grew up going to this secluded beach, and Matt knew it was my favourite place on the planet. He figured, why not make it even more special? It was truly magical.

HOW MANY GUESTS DID YOU HAVE?

We had 28 guests attend our wedding. Everyone asks if Covid really affected the number of people that attended, and it really didn’t. We invited our closest family and friends because we wanted it to be intimate. We knew that having a destination would mean less people would come, and we really wanted to be able to spend a lot of time with all of the people that made the trip. We were extremely lucky to be able to have our dream wedding just as we hoped it would be even with Covid.

THE DECOR

We went with natural greenery. I wanted something that would be classic, timeless and beautiful for years to come. We wanted to stay away from things that are very trendy. Leaves and greenery never go out of style!

FONDEST MEMORIES

Wife: Walking up to him at our first look and him twirling me around to look at my dress
Husband: Standing at the altar looking at her.

THE WEDDING DRESS

I wore the Holly 2.0 on my wedding day!! It is the most pinned wedding dress on Pinterest. I found it YEARS ago- and knew it was the one the first time I saw it. Grace Loves Lace opened up a NYC showroom the month after I got engaged, and we were living in NYC at the time so the stars just all aligned.

I was able to go to the showroom and try it on in person and it was just as perfect as I hoped it would be. It was so light and comfortable- almost like spandex. Perfect for the heat of St. John. My mom, sister and Mother-in-law all came to help me make the decision.

I ended up getting a second dress, the Valeria (a two piece) because Matt and I had a sunrise pre-wedding shoot the day before the wedding. I didn’t want him to see me in my wedding dress the day before the wedding because its bad luck!! It was a much more laid back casual look.

THE GROOM ATTIRE

Oh he looked so handsome. We rented suits from The Black Tux for him and his groomsmen. He wore a tan suit, tan undershirt, white linen tie, banana leaf pocket square, pearl cufflinks, and brown dress shoes.

SPECIAL SURPRISES

I think the biggest surprise and the star of the wedding was my 86 year old grandfather. He was the only grandparent in attendance, and the only grandparent that I have left. Nobody expected it- but he danced SO much. He was truly the life of the party- the center of the dance floor! It was a blast for everybody to dance with him.

ANY SPECIAL HEIRLOOM PIECES?

I wore my late grandmother’s tennis bracelet. It was so special to have something of hers on- it was like she was with me the whole day.

THE WEDDING CAKE

We went with a pina colada cake! It was tropical and fun, and went with the natural theme we were going for. It was a personal sized cake for just Matt and I, but we had a dessert table with many desserts that the restaurant made at the reception. The key lime pie was the all around favourite by everybody!

DECIDING ON WEDDING VENDORS

I took Mary, my wedding planner’s, advice on everything. Since she works with these vendors many times a year, I figured she knew much more than I did. She did not steer me wrong once.

THE WEDDING VENUE

Matt and I were originally going to get married on May 28^th2020. However, we had to postpone to August due to Covid. Our original plan was to have our wedding at sunset on Trunk Bay Beach. Because the Coronavirus struck, there were some new rules about gatherings on the beach, and one of them was that the beaches had to close at 4pm on the weekends.

We did not want to have the wedding in the middle of the day on a crowded beach, so we looked elsewhere. We decided on Susannaberg (Neptune’s Lookout). It took my breath away the first time I saw it.

All of our guests were in awe of the view from the mountaintop. I really believe that everything happens for a reason, and that we were meant to have our wedding up there. It was so spectacular- I would not have changed one single thing about it.

THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Lindsay Vann Photography. I strictly chose her based off of her previous weddings, and I loved her style. Once we met for the first time on that Friday morning for the pre-wedding shoot, I knew for 100% sure that we had made the right choice. She is FUN and absolutely hilarious.

Matt and I have never had any professional photos of us taken before, so we were a little unsure of how to pose and act/look natural. Lindsay made it easy and fun. Her eye is unmatched. She is a photography wizard. She was the perfect addition to our wedding, all of our guests loved her as well. I cannot say enough great things about Lindsay. I could go on and on for days with how much I love her!

THE HONEYMOON

The day after our wedding, the island closed back down due to Covid. (Our wedding had nothing to do with this!) They started limiting group gatherings to 10 people, and they eventually closed all of the restaurants down and reverted back to a closed doors policy. We were going to stay for two weeks after, but decided to come home and go back once things open back up a bit more. So – the honeymoon is TBD!!

ADVICE FOR NEWLY – ENGAGED COUPLES?

Don’t sweat the planning!Especially with Covid, just go with the flow and do what feels right! Everything happens for a reason!
Don’t lose sight of the reasoning behind the day. You are having this celebration to join your life with your lover’s. It’s going to be perfect no matter what color the napkins are!!
Listen to your gut!! Whether it be with the location, your dress, a flaky bridesmaid, anything that can get in your way, just trust yourself.
Make sure to eat the dinner. You paid a fortune for it so enjoy it!!!
Take some time during the wedding to spend solely with your new spouse. It will be something that you will look back at and be happy that you did.
BUY THE NEON SIGN!!!! 🙂