It's not always all about shoes!...This week I want to share with you my wedding glam, having recently celebrated my first wedding anniversary. It's been one of the most amazing years of my life and I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband.
As I reminisce about the fabulous week we had celebrating with close friends and family at Half Moon in Jamaica, I thought I would share some of my wedding glamor with you. Every bride needs a glam squad (keep those talented friends close ladies!!) and an extensive wardrobe (FTR, mine was created around the 18 pairs of delicious shoes I knew I wanted to wear!) - c'mon - it's that one time that you can go OTT and live the life of a modern day princess (or celebrity). Just leave the 'Zilla' (aka Bridezilla) in you at home - it's so not attractive!
Putting together my very own glam squad was surprisingly effortless, as unconsciously I had been preparing for a long time. Research, Knowledge & Contacts are powerful tools!
1. The Romance Team - There is no doubt that Andrea Smith is the best wedding planner on the Island! Together with Erica Morrison and Diandra Shand, the three Jamaican beauties took care of every detail for us and our guests who came from all corners of the world! We even got a full page feature in the Sunday Gleaner!
2. Bespoke Invitations - Vaishali Shah at Ananya created our bespoke wedding stationery and our own monogram which we used as our wedding cake topper (created by Sari at Toppers with Glitz). The wedding invitations were definitely "sui generis" and captured our multi-cultural backgrounds.
3. The Stylist - From the day we boarded the flight to Jamaica to the time we got back home, my stylist, Kalyn Johnson of Style by Kalyn Johnson had each outfit (coutured & cultured & paired with a combination of vintage jewelry and designs by Tejani) presented in a personalized "guild the lilly" style book. We got together a few months before the wedding to allow plenty of time for dazzling up the wedding wardrobe. The look - Eva Mendes Goes To Bollywood. Being the Lil'Shoelina that I am, deliciously fabulous shoes were key to my wedding wardrobe - (And FTR, I took 18 pairs, wore 18 and came back with 12 as my gyalfriends snagged a few pairs! I know where you live gyals!)
(Bridal henna by Kenzi - so intricate and totally amazing!)
4. Locks, Curls & Eyelashes - Just like the shoes you wear, the style of your hair and your make cup can make or break your look. It's not time for experimenting - you should have done that the 3 months before your big day. There was no question that the one expense I had budgeted for at the outset was to have a hairstylist from Ion Studio NYC with me for the pre- and post wedding events. It was worth it. Pasquale & Andrea totally rocked! I was also fortunate enough to have had one on one make-up lessons from Taymor - ready & set!
5. Shape Up - I love exercising and it has always been a part of my life. Getting into "wedding shape" was exciting (and sometimes challenging). Thanks to my boyz - Orion (best trainer in NYC) and James from Physique57 - I was in great shape within weeks. (TIP: Make being healthy a priority all the time - not just the six weeks prior to your wedding!)
What a fabulicious glam squad. Just want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU! The memories live on in the thousands of pictures by Michael & Olive Saab of Saab Weddings.
xoxo
