kristina & brady
may 13, 2011
Joy and I took a trip to the US Virgin Islands in May so we could photograph Kristina and Brady on the island of Saint Thomas. We were so grateful to be able to travel to such a stunning destination for their wedding, the irony was that anything that could go wrong went wrong! We’ve found, however, in life as in business, it is all in one’s attitude as to whether something will get you down or just make for a great story later. So here’s our story:
Joy and I caught the redeye to Saint Thomas through New York. We were staying at the adorable Hull Bay Cottages above Magens Bay because it has such magnificent views. In a gesture of fantastic customer service, the owner, George Morrissey, came to the airport to personally drive us to our rental car and make sure we made it to his cottages. Thank goodness he did because the streets are steep, windy and very ill-marked. As we waited for our luggage to arrive we chatted. And chatted. We finally realized that our luggage would NOT be arriving. It had made a little pit stop in New York, and was probably out visiting the top of the Empire State Building by now.
Well ok, the wedding wasn’t for two more days and our luggage should arrive tomorrow, but we we were set to photograph a welcome dinner for all of the guests that night, and the thought of wearing the same clothes we had worn on the plane was unpleasant. Amalia, George’s daughter, brought over her own clothing for us to borrow. More amazing customer service….and her clothes were so cute!
The next day Joy and I tooled around the island, and at one point found our car blocked for about 15 minutes when an overly friendly donkey wouldn’t get out of our way. On our way back that night it began to sprinkle…then rain… then downpour so hard I could barely drive. Iguanas floated down the gutters helplessly. In the final stretch up the steep hill, our car hydroplaned and slid into a ditch. We were sopping wet when we finally made it back, and a tow truck pulled the car out the next morning – the morning of the wedding. Despite all of our adventures, the wedding was hands-down the most fun part of the trip. Kristina & Brady have an amazing group of friends and the nicest families. Once we were done shooting for the day, they invited us to stay and party, so we danced with them for another two hours! It was awesome!
Of course, our luggage was lost again on our way back to San Francisco. 🙂
Here are some details that made Kristina’s island wedding so beautiful:
Kristina styled many things herself using Etsy
Venue: Sand Dollar Estate
Coordinator: Janelle Scott with Island Bliss Weddings
Bridal Gown: Jenny Lee
Bridesmaid Dresses: Carol Hannah
Cake: Virgin Island Desserts
Catering: Modern Saute Caribbean Catering
Make up and Hair: Sugar and Spice Artistry
Florist: East End Flower Shop
Really, really lovely light. Congratulations!