One of my favourite interview questions to read is always “what were your fondest memories from the special day?”. Somehow this question always brings out those unique, truly touching moments from the wedding day and not only does it add to the couple’s story, but also to the true beauty of love. It’s just incredible…
Spending quality time with family is everything, and Kirstin and Casey were able to do this in one of the most gorgeous places in the world. Captured beautifully by Lyndah Wells Photography, this simple and sweet destination wedding in The Bahamas is definitely one to remember.
Huge hugs to the cute couple and Lyndah Wells Photography for sharing this lovely wedding with us!
FROM THE COUPLE:
HOW THEY MET
Through mutual friends! Kirstin’s college roommate had been dating his good friend for a while. We were all living in Atlanta and all ended up down in Sandestin, FL over Memorial Day weekend. We met on the beach but Kirstin was dating someone else at the time. Fast forward a year later, in the same place, Kirstin was now single and Casey had been waiting all year to see her again. We hit it off, ended up hanging out all weekend, dancing the night away and even ended up driving back to Atlanta together just the two of us. You really get to know someone on a 5 hour car ride. We went on our first official date the following weekend in Atlanta.
THE PROPOSAL
We love to travel and Casey always knew he would propose on one of our trips someplace beautiful. We were in Cabo (a personal favorite), and Casey had our best friends surprise us for the weekend. He waited until the last night to really throw Kirstin off. We were on this beautiful bluff overlooking the ocean, watching the sunset and drinking rose, just the 4 of us. We went to take a photo together and that is when Casey got down on one knee (our friends were actually recording a video). It was so perfect, and then we had an amazing romantic dinner setup with a mezcal tasting (also a favorite) to celebrate!
THE DECOR
We really wanted to just accentuate the natural beauty of the island. Dreamy and natural, with neutral flowers and twinkling lanterns hanging in the palm trees. We went simple and it was perfect. Not much is needed when your venue is as gorgeous as Kamalame Cay.
THE WEDDING DRESS
We had a short engagement, so I was already very limited in the dresses I would be able to get in time. I had found a couple that were pretty, but something was off about each one. I decided to sleep on it and go back the next day to decide. When I got there, the girls from Lovely Boutique had ONE more dress they were able to show me (they only showed me ones that I would be able to get – so I wouldn’t fall in love with something I couldn’t have.) When she brought it out, it was perfect. It was the combination of everything I had loved from all of the other dresses, and none of the things I didn’t. I was starting to think I wouldn’t get that feeling that everyone describes when they found “The One” – and then, there it was. It was romantic and breezy and beautiful. Even my mom teared up, which never happens!
THE VENUE
Kamalame Cay, a private island on Andros Island in the Bahamas. We had always known that we wanted a very small wedding. Just immediate family and our closest friends. And seeing that we love to travel, a destination wedding just seemed like a given. We looked at so many venues, but with just 40 guests, we wanted something that would be intimate and give us the privacy we were looking for. We also wanted someplace that our guests could easily travel to for a weekend. We had heard of Kamalame Cay when boating in the Bahamas, and everything just lined up perfectly. The island looked gorgeous, it was only 2 hour flight from our city, and they had everything we wanted for an amazing weekend getaway for our friends.
THE WEDDING PLANNING
Kamalame has a team of event coordinators and they were amazing! No additional planners needed.
FONDEST MEMORIES FROM THE SPECIAL DAY
Seeing each other for the first time on our wedding day. We did a first look before the ceremony so we would have more time after for sunset photos with family and friends and cocktail hour. Also, the amount of quality time we got to spend with family and friends all weekend – having a destination wedding with a small group, we really got to soak up every moment together and feel like we got to enjoy every moment instead of being rushed. Although, the wedding itself did fly by!
WERE THERE ANY SPECIAL SURPRISES?
We had never visited our venue in person before – we tried, but weather prevented us from being able to – so we had only seen photos of the island. We completely trusted the team at Kamalame and their image for our big day. The entire island was so beautiful and completely surpassed all expectations, but the best of all was our rehearsal dinner. They had our party ferried over to the owner’s private home across the bay. We stepped off the boat to a lush pathway of twinkle lights.
THE HONEYMOON
We wanted to do something really amazing on our bucket list, and we had plenty of time, so we took a 3 week trip to Africa. Kirstin has sponsored an elephant at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi for a while, so that was a must while we were there. We spent a week in Capetown because it is easy to fly into, and knew it would be an amazing city to explore with all of its world class restaurants, amazing neighborhoods and wine country nearby – (hint: it did not disappoint!) Next up was Kenya – We stayed at Angama Mara for a week and it was AMAZING. An African safari was high on the bucket list and they by far exceeded our expectations! The people and experiences we encountered there were just incredible. Lastly, we moved on to Six Senses Seychelles for a week to top off our trip with the most dreamy, relaxing island getaway. Casey did all of the planning because he is a rockstar at travel planning. 11 flights over 23 days – and it was a trip of a lifetime!
ANY ADVICE FOR NEWLY-ENGAGED COUPLES?
This is about the only day in your life that you will have everyone you love in one place – celebrating you two! Don’t complicate it with people or small details that don’t matter to you! Soak up every minute and don’t forget at the end of the day, it’s about your partner and your relationship, and entering this next chapter together. Everything else is extra!
CREDITS
Photography: Lyndah Wells Photography | Wedding Dress: Riley gown by Made with Love Bridal (Purchased from Lovely Bride Atlanta) | Shoes: Barefoot Sandals from Jewelry by Angel (Etsy) | Wedding Venue, Florals, Cake, Catering, Bar Service, Decorator: Kamalame Cay, Bahamas | Rings: Solomon Brothers Atlanta | Hair Styling, Makeup Artistry: Gigi Lenora | Groom Attire: Suit Supply | Invitations: B Wedding Invitations | Wedding Planning: Donna Anderson and Lisan Bennett from Kamalame Cay | Music/ DJ: Furze Entertainment – Saxophonist for ceremony and cocktail hour, live band for dinner and DJ for the late night party on the beach | Transportation: Dove Charters (Flights to the Island) | Travel Agency: Africa (Capetown/Nairobi and Maasai Mara, Kenya/Seychelles) |
