Brian Murphy proposed to Paige Hunting on a surprise trip to Bermuda in the summer of 2008. “We quickly fell in love with Bermuda’s   charm and thought the island’s relaxed beachy feel combined with a bit of English formality suited our personalities,” says Paige.

On May 2, 2009, they married on the island, a splendid party with 64 of their loved ones.
“We wanted a small wedding and thought it would be wonderful to introduce our friends and family to this very special place, as many of our guests had never been to Bermuda before,” Paige says. The planning began in earnest in October 2008, with a trip to Bermuda to convene with wedding planners and consider venues for the big day.
“Cafe Lido was our clear favorite for several reasons,” Paige says, speaking of the gorgeous location overlooking Elbow Beach. “The Marina Terrace was the perfect spot  for an outdoor, early evening ceremony as it had beautiful views of the ocean. Our guests were certainly wowed when they arrived.”
Cafe Lido allowed the ceremony to transition smoothly into the reception. Paige and Brian opted for little additional decor as the location’s natural setting was such a sight to behold. “We wanted to host a simple and elegant event where guests could really enjoy the scenery. We held dinner and dancing in Cafe Lido’s open air gazebo, which was the perfect size for our group. Since the weather cooperated, we were able to keep the roof open and see the beautiful night sky,” Paige says. She also speaks highly of Cafe Lido manager Karen Stroeder, citing her professionalism and service.
The Rev. Judith Gardner officiated Paige and Brian’s ceremony. “She was so lovely – very warm and friendly,” Paige says. “We had not had the opportunity to meet in person prior to arriving in Bermuda a few days before the wedding, so we sent her photos and information about us in advance so she could personalize the ceremony.”
Paige and Brian’s nuptials went seamlessly. “I remember being so relaxed and happy during the ceremony,” Paige says. “I wasn’t nervous at all, and it felt so wonderful to have this gorgeous Bermuda sun shining down on us and see all the people I love the most seated before me.”
Between the beauty of the ceremony and the wondrous commotion of the reception, Brian and Paige took a friend’s advice and snuck off for a moment of solitude. They sipped champagne and snacked on hors d’oeuvres. “It gave us a moment to reflect on  what an amazing day it had been and gear up for a night of dinner and dancing,” Paige says.
Part of that reflection may have been remembering the cast and crew it took to pull off such a sensational destination wedding. Brian and Paige’s first stop: Linda Mitchell from Bermuda Travel. “We knew that we had to make the wedding weekend travel and
accommodations affordable and convenient for our guests, and Linda’s vast knowledge of Bermuda’s hotels and resorts made our planning much easier. She was a tremendous help to our guests in booking their travel,” Paige says.
Brian and Paige hired Kay-Annie Reid-Young from Kreative Koncepts as their wedding planner. “She was fantastic. It was so reassuring to know she was on the island to help us  select vendors and ensure our day would go smoothly. She made us feel at ease with all aspects of the wedding planning,” Paige says. “I remember getting ready to walk down the aisle with my dad before the ceremony and she gave me a big smile and said ‘Don’t worry, you’re ready!’ and I knew that everything was under control in her capable hands.”
Sacha Blackburne handled the day’s photography. “To say she is amazing is an understatement,” Paige says. “She was a dream to work with and produced the most gorgeous wedding photos for us. Sacha made us so at ease and most importantly, made taking all of the photos fun.”

Julie Mayor of Just Roses coordinated the floral side of the festivities. “She was wonderful and made the planning process from New York so easy. The flowers were exactly what I wanted, down to the specific color. My bridal bouquet of pink peonies was just gorgeous,” Paige says. “We did all of our communication by phone and e-mail – we never met in person, and I never even stepped foot in her shop.”
DJ Scott Simons spun tunes at the reception – even though Paige and Brian were so busy before the wedding, they weren’t able to give him a specific playlist. “But he hit the mark with each song. Scott was very easygoing and we completely trusted his judgment on music,” Paige says. “We had to practically drag people off the dance floor, they were having such a good time.”

All 64 guests stayed at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. “Our room logistics were handled by Bior Guigni, who provided us with the most lovely customer service. She went out of her way to ensure we, our families and guests were as comfortable as possible. She was incredibly responsive – we had a question, she had an answer!” Paige says. “I remember when we arrived in Bermuda, a few days before the wedding, she greeted us in the hotel lobby, sat us down at the bar with a gin and tonic and told us to relax and start the celebration! She played a huge role in making our wedding weekend go so smoothly.”

Ivan Smith from On Time Transportation shuttled guests from the hotel to the wedding site. “His service was outstanding – everything was truly ‘on time’ and his enthusiasm for Bermuda was contagious. It was very important for us to ensure our guests had smooth and comfortable travel around the island and Ivan was super,” Paige says.
For each guest, Paige and Brian ordered custom L.L Bean tote bags reading BDA – Bermuda’s airport code – with the date and a pink Bermuda shorts logo. “The Bermuda Tourism Bureau very generously gave us maps, key chains and lapel pins for the bags,” Paige says. “We also printed ‘Facebooks’ that had a photo of each of our guests, their hometown and a funny description of the person so that people could get to know each other better. People loved them.”
For the wedding meal, Paige and Brian “wanted to serve elegant but un-stuffy food and play up Bermuda’s local cuisine.” They hit a home-run with delicious appetizers during cocktail hour, bits like scallops with caramelized pineapple and mini cod-cakes with banana. With dinner came a starter of traditional Bermuda fish chowder or an arugula salad and an entree of fresh catch of the day or beef tenderloin.

And there was the cake, of course. “Cafe Lido’s pastry chef created a beautiful lemon cake with white fondant icing, and was kind enough to wrap a navy and pink – our wedding colors – grosgrain ribbon that we had brought from New York around each tier,” Paige says. “All of the food was delicious and suited our event perfectly.”

All of the wedding vendors worked expertly with Paige and Brian to cultivate a spectacular day. “The reception was a wonderful opportunity to sip champagne, pose for photos with old friends and celebrate the day,” Paige says. “Sacha [Blackburne] took us down to the beach to pose for photos and it was a wonderful feeling to look up at all our guests enjoying cocktails on the terrace during the reception and see that everyone was having a good time.”
The weekend getaway nature of a destination wedding, although something Paige and Brian never envisioned exclusively, completed the experience, making it an event to remember not just for the bride and groom, but for all the family and friends in attendance. “Most weddings go by so fast – a few hours of food and dancing and it’s over,” Paige says. By getting married in Bermuda, we were able to extend our time with our loved ones – all the people we care most about in the world – in one place for an entire weekend.”