Meanwhile, Leroy “Dean” Sisco, Jr. was being dragged out to the same show by his friends. He may not have been enthused about the night at first, but when he spotted Leah across the room, he knew he’d found the one.

“I fell in love with her the first time I saw her—absolutely gorgeous!” Dean recalls. But with dancing taking the place of conversation and loud renditions of classics like “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” blaring, it wasn’t until the end of the night that Leah learned she’d actually danced the night away with Dean, not “Dan.” Despite the misnomer, the two dance partners would eventually become husband and wife.

From the beginning, Leah and Dean have been self-described “cruise junkies,” so it was only fitting for Dean to propose on their Memorial Day cruise to the Bahamas in 2010.

“Unbeknownst to me, Dean was planning to propose for almost a year before he actually did. During that time, he told just about everyone we knew of his plans, including my parents, his parents, friends—even kids he picked up on his church’s bus route knew before me!” Yet somehow, Leah remained in the dark until the couple were on their cruise vacation.

Dean’s original plan was to sing karaoke on the ship and propose following the song, but due to a large crowd he opted for a backup plan. It was a windy, chilly night on the water when Dean suggested they take a walk on the upper deck of the ship to see the view.

“Honestly, at that point, I thought he was crazy. In fact, I kept arguing with him—Why in the world do you want to go up there anyway? What, so we can see the BLACK ocean surrounded by a pitch BLACK sky?” But despite Leah’s reservations about the late night walk and the wind messing up her neatly straightened hair, Dean got the answer he was looking for: yes!

The couple jokes about Dean’s preference for getting hitched in the backyard and serving their wedding guests burgers and hotdogs, but in the end the wedding planning centered around two criteria: their mutual love of cruise ships and a desire to be married on a beach. When Leah found a Norwegian Cruise Line ship set for Bermuda over the Fourth of July holiday, she knew it would make for the perfect destination wedding. And as a bonus, Leah adds, “Dean would never forget his anniversary!”

Having never visited Bermuda before, Leah and Dean enlisted the professional assistance of wedding planner Allister Simmons of The Bridal Suite. After hearing what the couple envisioned for their wedding, Simmons helped the couple decide on a ceremony on Warwick Long Bay Beach—“which is absolutely beautiful,” Leah adds—and a wedding reception at Coco Reef, a stunning beach resort set in tropical gardens overlooking Bermuda’s famed turquoise waters.

During the planning process, Dean quickly figured out how he could best help. “Being a husband-in-waiting, I learned very quickly to trust my blushing bride-to-be’s judgment and say ‘Yes Dear, a lot!” he explains with a smile. Leah took the reigns, and with a Bermuda wedding venue selected, she set out to find the perfect dress.

“As far as picking my wedding dress was concerned, two words can accurately describe the process: never-ending.”Over a dozen wedding shops throughout the Carolinas and 100 dresses later, Leah finally picked a beautiful, form-fitting gown designed by Pronovias. While the dress hunt may have been exhausting, Leah found enjoyment in choosing the wedding favors for her guests. “I looked through countless wedding magazines to get ideas, which allowed me to be creative while dreaming of our big day.”

Due to the guest limitations that come with a destination wedding, Leah and Dean kept the day intimate. Their 20 guests flew to Bermuda while the soon-to-be spouses arrived via cruise ship—a fitting way for the cruise enthusiasts to travel.

“God blessed us with no travel issues, perfect weather and a marvelous time!” Dean recalls. The ship docked in Bermudian waters for its two days at port there, and on July 4, 2011, Leah and Dean’s big day had arrived.

Since the ceremony would take place on the beach in the middle of summer, the couple decided on a casual atmosphere, encouraging their guests to wear whatever made them feel most comfortable. Even the bride wore a pair of white diamond flip-flops under her wedding gown. The groom and groomsmen, however, forewent heat-appropriate attire in favor of three-piece suits. Dean wore a white tuxedo jacket in honor of Leah’s grandfather, Ron Carlson, who wore one at his wedding in 1960 to Leah’s grandmother, Nancy. And the added heat was worth it, as Leah recalls, “Dean looked dazzling!”

Joseph Marable of Joseph Marable Photography was the highly recommended photographer, and Leah’s only regret from her big day was not having him stay at the reception longer. “Some words of advice to all future brides out there: do not try to save money by reducing the amount of time your photographer spends with you and your husband on your special day!”

The color scheme of the beach wedding consisted of various shades of light green and Tiffany blue. Leah walked down the aisle holding a beautiful bouquet of cascading white Phalaenopsis and Cymbidium orchids arranged by Designer Flowers, with matching white orchids in her hair, a sight that would prove to be one of Dean’s favorite memories from the big day.

As for Leah, her most memorable moment was during the newlywed’s first dance. “Being that it was the Fourth of July (which is only a United States holiday) we never expected in a million years to see fireworks while we were in Bermuda. However, during our first dance together as husband and wife, as if it were planned that way, low and behold, there they were—fireworks going off right above our heads! For as long as I live, I will never forget how wonderful that moment was.”

After a movie scene worthy first dance and a beautiful wedding day on Bermuda, Leah and Dean boarded their cruise ship to head back to the States. And as husband and wife they are already excitedly saving for their next trip together, this time to the Mediterranean via—you guessed it—a cruise ship.

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.”

Stephanie explains the train ride, provided by Oleander Cycles, Bermuda Train, “Often people use cars and horse and carriages, but we wanted to be different. The train was slow enough to enjoy the scenic roads. The best part was that 40  family and friends were able to join us, which is something most brides and grooms don’t get. Many of the overseas guests enjoyed it for they were able to take in the gorgeous ocean views along the way. Locals on the roads were waving and honking their horns and wishing us the best the whole way. It was great to have strangers be a part of our day – Bermudians are very friendly and this was a perfect example!’’

Christopher and Stephanie were married on June 13, 2009 at the Holy Trinity Church in Bailey’s Bay. The ceremony was officiated by Reverend Stephen Bailey. As they emerged from the church, a rainbow appeared before them. Who could have planned that!

Another event occurred at the reception, at the Tucker’s Point Clubhouse. As Christopher put it, “Stephanie is a golf pro and after taking some fun shots on the course, the guests gathered on the wraparound porch of the Club and asked her to hit balls. Stephanie naturally obliged and hit balls in her gown. Little did they know she had changed into her golf shoes after the church ceremony which made it easier! We don’t know how many brides have hit balls in their wedding gown, but it was natural that Stephanie would.” That must have been an amusing sight to see. Sometimes it’s the unplanned events which make the reception most memorable.

The newlyweds celebrated their wedding at Tucker’s Point Clubhouse with 120 guests. They sought to turn the reception into a get-acquainted party between the two families and friends, so they orchestrated food stations. As they put it, “We wanted all our guests to mingle and therefore we chose a food station atmosphere over a sit down meal. This allowed family from both sides to meet each other for the first time and share some great stories. We also had lots of family and  college friends travel from all over to celebrate with us. We were blessed to have so many people come down. We wanted everyone to be comfortable and relaxed and Tucker’s Point provided the perfect venue for this.” Delectables at the  stations included truffle mashed potatoes, sushi, Vietnamese rolls, a carving station, a pasta station and an ice cream bar with cake for dessert.

Chef Serge Botelli of Tucker’s Point Club masterminded the cuisine. To personalize the event, and because Chris is gluten intolerant, “Serge and his team created his own flourless groom’s cake, shaped in a ball and chain.” We’re sure Stephanie and Chris liked that!

Music during the reception was directed by DJ Paul Sofianos. Flowers by GiMi provided the uniquely modern floral display under the auspices of Michelle Geary. “Michelle was incredible, and gave us exactly what we wanted. She was great at  capturing our attitude and fun loving spirit. Our guests couldn’t stop raving over her designs and unique touches that made our wedding perfect.” Flowers do so much to exemplify the spirit of an occasion.

Wedding stationary was designed by Christina White who prepared everything from engagement and bridal invitations to programs and thank-you cards. Alisha Gibbons did Stephanie’s make-up and Bang Bang Hair arranged the locks of the  bride, mother of the bride and bridesmaids.

“We wanted our day to be preserved perfectly, so an experienced photographer was essential. Chris is very passionate about photography, and knowing Mark’s work, immediately wanted him.” Stephanie goes on. “We chose Mark (Mark Tatem Photography) because his pictures ranged from traditional family photos to very unique candid moments. Mark was very professional and knew exactly how to utilize Bermuda’s natural beauty for our photos. He is incredibly talented and creative. His professional manner put us at ease so we could be ourselves and our pictures came out incredible because of  it.” Again, selecting a vendor who knows what you are looking for is essential to meet the desires of the wedding  couple.

We asked where the newly weds chose to honeymoon. “When you live in paradise like Chris and I do, many people ask “where do you go for your honeymoon?!” We wanted to go someplace different so we flew to London for two days, then on to Rome for two more. From there we caught the Ruby Princess for a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. Neither of us had been to the Mediterranean, so it was perfect for our honeymoon. We had a fantastic time and were able to experience new places together. That made it super special.”

What can you advise brides about the rewards of a Bermuda wedding? Stephanie planned her wedding with her mother, Debbie Lewis. Stephanie says, “Bermuda is simply breathtaking! When we came out of the church, there was a perfect rainbow outside. That was amazing. Only in Bermuda can this happen! Bermuda has some incredible views which make perfect wedding backdrops.” Having a rainbow greet the happy couple outside the church was certainly a fortuitous moment.

“It’s amazing. You’ve got cliffs on both sides and then the beach right there,” she says of the spot. The Reifers’ union was a four-day weekend chock full of celebration.

The wedding party was comprised of about 100 guests, Mrs. Reifer says. “It felt much more intimate to have a destination wedding. Not only do the guests really get to know each other, but you get much better quality time with your friends and family.”

With a destination wedding, rather than a bride and groom sharing the experience while their loved ones spectate from church rows and reception tables, the entire wedding party and guest list participates. “It’s a much more amazing experience in the sense that it’s more of a weekend event.” Mrs. Reifer says.

The Thursday-to-Sunday Bermudian excursion included five events: A welcome party on Thursday, a costume cruise for Halloween on Friday, a rehearsal dinner on the Lido Complex’s Marina Terrace, the ceremony and reception Saturday and a brunch Sunday.

The Reifers enjoy an hour-and-a-half flight to Bermuda from their Manhattan home. Mrs. Reifer has vacationed in Bermuda her whole life. She also works for Jet Blue Airlines and had the luxury of flying to Bermuda “four or five” times in the course of the wedding planning. “We were very hands-on in the process,” she says.

“Even though we were fortunate in that we were able to make all those trips to Bermuda, it certainly wasn’t necessary,” Mrs. Reifer
says, attributing this to her “fantastic” wedding planner, Nikki Begg of Bermuda Bride. “I think we could have planned the wedding
just using Nikki without actually being there in person.”

Ms. Begg helped plan all the weekend’s events. “We couldn’t have pulled off everything without her. The rehearsal dinner in and
of itself was almost like a mini-wedding,” Mrs. Reifer says, adding Ms. Begg sent CDs for live music possibilities, websites of boats
for the Friday cruise and photos of flowers regularly through email. “She and her staff helped with everything.”

Mrs. Reifer says she enjoyed putting together the event, adding she thinks a destination wedding requires additional time and effort – energy well worth the final result. She highly recommends working with a wedding planner. “I think that makes a big difference. You have to have faith in your wedding planner.” Linda Mitchell of Bermuda Travel also assisted with hotel arrangements for the Reifers’ guests.

The Reifers held all their nuptial festivities outdoors at Tucker’s Point – from the ceremony to a cocktail hour to a sit-down dinner.
The setting was a sandy beach with a thatched roof overhead. A pool and a dance floor area were nearby. The Tucker’s Point restaurant provided the dinner. “We were looking at a bunch of places in Bermuda, but when we saw Tucker’s Point – the setting is so magnificent, but right behind that, the food is really good,” Mrs. Reifer says. “Serge [Bottelli] is known on the island for being a
great chef.” Mr. Bottelli crafted a delicious meal and a three-layer wedding cake for the Reifers.

Petals, a Bermuda florist Nikki Begg is part of, arranged the wedding’s floral aspects. Mrs. Reifer consulted with Petals in both Bermuda and New York.

With limited options and a high price to bring an off-island band, Lisa and Jeremy opted for a DJ. “He was willing to play anything we wanted,” Mrs. Reifer says of DJ Paul Sofianos, adding that he “got people up and dancing.” For the post-ceremony cocktail hour,
Stephen Crawford played an acoustic guitar on the beach. Becky Spencer photographed the wedding ceremony. New York-based
videographer Seth David Cohen filmed throughout day.

“You have to be flexible with an island destination,” Mrs. Reifer says, “but it’s well worth the unique experience that you and your
guests will have.”

“There’s always a million reasons why you can’t do something, so we just said we would go ahead and do it,” the now Mrs. Cameron says. She and Ian have now been together four years. The couple owns a home in Pembroke and lives with their newborn son, Kaden, and Nekeisha’s daughter from a previous relationship, Alaiyah.

She and her fiancée took all the planning upon themselves. “We wanted to keep it simple but classy and elegant,” Mrs. Cameron says. “We were hands-on with everything. We knew right off the bat what we wanted.”

The Camerons pulled through the typically stressful process without a scratch. “We were kind of waiting for the horror moment and it never came. We both have very similar taste, so it wasn’t a big deal in terms of compromise. It was like, ‘Okay, we both want this, we both want that.’ Both of us are pretty laidback,”
Mrs. Cameron says. “The most stressful point was probably two weeks before the wedding. I had ordered invitations online and they hadn’t come yet.” This was amended with a rush order and the invitations arrived on time.

Nekeisha and Ian wondered if they were cutting it close with such a crunched planning period. “It all came together,” she says. “We couldn’t have asked for it to be any more perfect than it was. Everybody really loved it; they had all positive things to say. We look back to see what we’d have done differently, and if we had to do it all over again, I would have done it the exact same way.”

Keeping the numbers down was tough. Having a ceremony in Bermuda allowed full access for both of their large families. A guest list beginning at 400 people was pared down to the 100 closest friends and family members.

“It was nice because it was so small. It was great to be surrounded by our closest loved ones,” Mrs. Cameron says.

Before heading to the alter, Nekeisha prepared for her big day with the help of Cheryl from J’Anauzi to do her hair and Alana Dowling for her make-up.

They were wed at the Old Christ Church in Devonshire. “It’s really quaint,” Mrs. Cameron says. “It’s got a really old feel to it. It was just nice and intimate.” Her daughter was the flower girl.

For the reception, they moved to the Coco Reef Hotel. “There’s an amazing view and the people are really helpful,” Mrs. Cameron says. “They were very accommodating. I basically told them exactly
what I wanted and they made it happen.”

For the nuptial meal, Mrs. Cameron chose one of her favorite dishes: a traditional Bermudian codfish and potato breakfast. The wedding service took place at 9 a.m. to accommodate a brunch.
“Coco Reef took care of the food. It was one way to keep things simple,” Mrs. Cameron says.

Dessert was another way the Camerons merged simple and elegant, traditional and experimental: They favored wedding cupcakes over a typical cake, with red velvet and coconut pineapple selections prepared by Karsten Krivenko at The Barefoot Baker. “She does everything from scratch, so she actually made up the recipe for these coconut pineapple cupcakes. They had a little infusion of pineapple in the center. They were amazing,” Mrs. Cameron says.

DJ Bubbles facilitated the day’s joyous atmosphere by spinning “a little bit of everything,” Mrs. Cameron says.

Zeudi Hinds was the Camerons’ photographer. “She did an awesome job,” Mrs. Cameron says. “She kept us all on pace. She was really good at organizing everybody and keeping it all flowing.” Mrs. Cameron’s favorite new-husband-and-wife photo is a cozy one of the two sitting on a bench together.

Phil Woolf at Designer Flowers arranged the floral side of the wedding. “We gave him some of the ideas for our centerpieces and my bouquet,” Mrs. Cameron says. “I love orchids, so I wanted something that centered around them. Phil was able to do some amazing centerpieces with cylinders and orchids in them with water and glass beads in the bottom. Everything was perfect in terms
of our vision for what we wanted.”

Was there an ultimate moment for Mrs. Cameron on the day so many women dream of since childhood? “The sigh of relief right before I walked down the aisle, knowing that it was the culmination of the last four years and the planning we had done had led to that moment,” Mrs. Cameron says. “To be standing there and seeing Ian looking at me and the look on his face – that’s a snapshot. I put it in my mind; it’s stored away.”

She loves being married. Although some wedded couples say things change and some contend it all stays the same, Mrs. Cameron says her relationship has “gotten even better.”

“It just cements what it is that we’ve had all this time,” she says. “We woke up the next morning and were like, ‘That was amazing. Can we do it again next week?’”

There are two stories of the relationship between Dawn Geeson and Neil Yaxley. There is the romance edition: “Neil and I met in 2002 through a friend I shared a house with. Neil came over to Bermuda for a vacation. For me it was love at first sight, Neil has the most amazing blue eyes.”

And then there is the uncut, unbridled hilarity edition: “I had lived here for a year and shared a house with two guys. One of the guys best friends was Neil and I had mentioned about six months before, ‘if your friend wants to stay in my room, he can.’ I was house-sitting at the time and I popped home one night and I saw this guys stuff in my bedroom.” When she went to find her roommates to ask what was going on (assuming that the roommates would’ve accepted the offer earlier if they‘d intended to have a friend stay over), her roommate quipped “do you want to get in to bed? I’m sure he won’t mind.” That Sunday the roommates, including Dawn, and Neil went out on the town and that evening the couple’s chemistry sparked. After that night, Neil would call Dawn to get to know the lovely woman he’d shared a room and a romantic connection with. Over the next year he flew back roughly five times and the two spoke immensely over the phone. “His credit card bill must have been massive!” Dawn notes, half kidding, half cognizant of the extreme lengths Neil went to court her.

Five years after they met, the couple became engaged. From the beginning, Dawn wanted to take a no –fuss approach. An experienced flower designer of 14 years, Dawn insisted that she wouldn’t need a wedding planner as she had seen so many weddings planned before. And given that the couple wanted a smaller and more intimate size to their wedding, their final invitation list included only 38 guests, Dawn sought to manage the event planning herself. “Plans came together very quickly and with ease. We both wanted an informal, small wedding with close family and friends.” As a result, Dawn picked the conveniently located Elbow Beach and Lido Complex for the site of the ceremony and reception, respectively. “We knew our time in Bermuda would come to an end within a year or two and we both wanted a beach wedding on the Island where we had met and lived.”

The inspiration was no challenge for Dawn to come by either. “I’m a big pink freak – and I know Neil didn’t want me to overkill on the pink.” So as a compromise, Dawn incorporated her love for pink, and the couple’s shared love for beach motifs in the décor, Bermuda’s pink sands provided a convenient overlap. Dawn incorporated the pink theme into the attire of herself and her attendants. “I wanted my maid of honor and bridesmaid to feel
comfortable so I just gave them the color pink and let them get what they wanted.” Dawn found her dress when she flew back to England to shop with her mother. She found a dress that suited her perfectly: a strapless satin gown with embroidered pink flowers and crystals on the bodice and side panel, and pink buttons on the back. At the reception, tables named after the couple’s favorite beaches in Bermuda were decorated with tall glass fluted vases with pink beads, twisted willow and a cascade of white dendrobium orchids designed by Sally Sedgwick at El Shaddai Florist. A pink taxi contracted from Cecil Lewis transported guests from different locations to the ceremony.

The week before the wedding, the couple took off from work to welcome their international guests at the airport. “On arrival we gave everyone an information pack with bus tokens, time tables for the bus and ferry, activities and sites to see while in Bermuda and a Bermuda shell and starfish coaster to go along with the theme. On the Thursday evening two nights before the wedding, they held their rehearsal dinner at Mad Hatters restaurant, a location with special meaning, as the chef and owner Ben is a personal friend of the couple.

The ceremony paid homage to their love of the Bermuda pink sand beaches, by taking place on Elbow Beach. “We both wanted to get married on the beach, we both wanted bare feet and we didn’t want people wearing ties.” The couple were married by Reverend Alan Garity under a chuppa (bamboo canopy) on the beach. Neil wore a casual outfit of linen pants and a nice white shirt. As they had hoped, nobody in the audience wore a tie, underscoring the casual and intimate nature of the affair. Dawn carried a bouquet of white phalaenopsis orchids, lime green dendrobiums and white with pink centered cymbidium orchids with starfish and crystal accents that she designed herself. Rachel Smith of Demco Florist, also her bridesmaid, designed flowers for herself and the maid of honor and the decorations for the Chuppa. Neil’s boutonniere was a matching white phalaenopsis. Dawn’s hair was styled by Margot Clarke, her maid of honor, with a phalaenopsis orchid and crystals. Indeed natural beauties were at a premium for the Yaxley ceremony.

After the ceremony, the guests went from the beach up the stairs to the Lido Complex – where they had cocktails at the Marina Terrace while they waited for a few photographs to be taken of the wedding party by Wayne Todd. The cocktails were followed with a reception in the oceanfront St. George’s Room of the main restaurant. Although Dawn and Neil tried to stay away from typical formalities, including speeches, Mr. Geeson insisted that he do a speech on his only daughter and only child. Although Dawn was originally weary about this, her father’s speech turned out to be articulate and emotive, and did indeed get her crying. This special moment and many others were facilitated by the staff at the Lido Complex, who helped the event run smoothly, especially Karen Stroeder, who “made us feel at ease and took care of everything so professionally.”

Guests were treated to a party favor of glass pink and blue honeymoon hogs from Dockyard Glassworks. Those guests who had flown in from overseas made a short trip to the Elbow Beach Hotel, where the couple also stayed for two nights after their wedding to spend time with their families. Dawn praises Tamsyn Breanon at the hotel for her help: “she made our stay so special!” Months after their wedding, things are still moving along swimmingly for the couple. They still reflect on their special meeting and their small intimate wedding on the beach, but most of all these days, they get ready for the newest addition to their family: at press time Dawn is roughly seven months pregnant.