Chloe & James's Bohemian Elopement in Barbados

Don’t you just love beach weddings? Oh wait…don’t you just love beach elopements? It just so carefree, fun and dare we say easier to plan?

Over the years, we have definitely heard mixed reviews about this particular style of wedding, but at the end of the day, one thing remains very clear amongst all – elopements can be cost-effective, very unique, and it’s 100% focused on you and your S.O. So it is certainly an option to consider if you are thinking of something a bit more simple, exciting and adventurous!

For ADRIANA (Issue IV), we decided to switch things up a bit and include a bit of elopement love into the mix, and my gosh has it been well received thus far!

Chloe & James’s bohemian elopement in Barbados won so many hearts over and continues to inspire couples from around the world to call up their wedding planner and “run away secretly to get married”, and to be honest, we are here for this!!!

We were so mesmerised by the elegant decor, Chloe’s wedding dress, the bridal bouquet and accessories and of course the glorious photography by Amber Dawn Photography.

So if you’re a bohemian lover like we are, or are truly feeling the whole “elopement vibe”, then today’s feature is a must! Thank you so much to this darling couple for sharing their love story with us, and don’t forget to hop on over to see their gorgeous feature as seen in ADRIANA (Issue IV) now!

Chloe & James's Bohemian Elopement in Barbados, Luxury destination weddings as seen in ADRIANA Magazine (Issue IV), Photography by Amber Dawn Photography

FROM THE COUPLE:

THE MEETING

We met on New Year’s Eve of 2012 in a local pub. It wasn’t a pub either of us would normally go to so felt weird to bump into each other there!

THE PROPOSAL

We were on holiday in Mauritius in 2018. We had been together for about 6 years so I was really hoping this holiday would be it! We had been there for a week and were having such a good time, then one night after going on quite a boozy boat trip he booked a private dinner on the beach.

I had an inkling when I saw the table all set out with fairy lights so spent the whole meal waiting for the question.

He waited until we had 4 courses and 2 hours later and said “right let’s go then” – I was so disappointed that it wasn’t it so said “oh no let’s stay for a bit more”, then he got onto one knee and proposed.

Everyone from the restaurant had been waiting just as long as me so cheered from the balcony! It was really special and we had another few days in paradise to celebrate!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO ELOPE?

We started looking around venues in England and to be honest they scared us away. We like to do things our way – we run our own business (Nelson + Pops) and don’t like too much structure of formality so talk about napkin folds and timings of the day just put us off. We just wanted to do things our way and at the end of the day we only cared about getting married and nothing else.

So, we thought we would go somewhere far. We didn’t formally invite friends or family as it was such an expense for them but our closest family booked right away and we couldn’t have been happier that they were coming to join us!

WHY BARBADOS?

We had never been to Barbados but a couple of James’s sisters had been and loved it. We wanted to go somewhere new and by the beach and somewhere we could stay for a honeymoon straight after the wedding.

FONDEST MEMORIES

Wife: I loved the ceremony! We just spent the whole time smiling and I was just beaming to be there!
Husband: The moment we became husband and wife, but I can’t really pick it was all perfect.

THE WEDDING DRESS

I went to the first appointment with my mum and always thought I would go for a really low back and fishtail. I didn’t find any that I felt comfortable in at my first appointment. The second, I fell in love with Morilee’s designs so took James’s sister with me and that is when we found the one!

I just felt so comfortable in it and like it was ‘me’. I wanted more detail on the arms so decided to add some lace sleeves. My tailor was so wonderful to work with and her eye for detail and optimism made the whole experience so lovely. She added the sleeves for me.

I loved the sleeves because I could also tuck them in when I wanted to relax a little more or have a dance so it felt like a two in one! I loved the lace detail and the bodice and it just felt so light and comfortable.

THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

I found Amber on Instagram! I think I just searched for #barbadosweddingphotographer. I fell in love with her images straight away. We had a call on Whatsapp and we got on so well.

Everything about working with Amber was just perfect. Her communication, her beautiful emails and quirky forms – we couldn’t wait to meet her. We met her the night before the wedding.

I also want to mention our planner Bianca from Elope Barbados – again I think it was thanks to Instagram I found Bianca. But she was simply the best.

Without much planning I left her to be creative and she made it absolutely perfect. She arranged the flowers, the arch, the chairs and everything and it all so well suited. Having Amber and Bianca together felt very special.

THE HONEYMOON

We stayed in Barbados with family the week before the wedding, we had the wedding day and on the morning James checked into Royal Sandals Barbados and brought our bags up there. After dinner on the night of the wedding we went to Sandals for the first night of our honeymoon!

ANY ADVICE FOR NEWLY-ENGAGED COUPLES?

Having an intimate wedding was so perfect for us looking back. Although it wouldn’t be for everyone so our main tip would be, do not stress.

I was a fairly laid-back bride – I only decided who was walking down the aisle on the day of the wedding! It rained most of the day of our wedding – apart from the ceremony but we couldn’t have cared less. It was so special to just get married and be with our family and napkins, flowers and other peoples dinners were totally irrelevant.