Talk about the dream destination wedding. Alex and Blake’s wedding was my first destination wedding and I was blown away by how beautiful, intimate, personal, fun, and perfect it was. Think about how fun a wedding is and multiple that by like… 3 days…. because it was a wedding WEEKEND. Party all day every day.
Sitting at my connection’s gate in Charlotte, I noticed some people who were on my previous Minneapolis flight. I thought, “these people are for sure going to Alex and Blake’s wedding… otherwise it’s too weird of a coincidence to be going to the Cayman Islands on a random Thursday in October.” Lone behold, I was right!!! I even sat next to Alex’s aunt on the airplane ride to Cayman! The resort wasn’t that busy at this time of year which made it even more intimate… there was a 90% chance that the person sitting next to you on the beach or at the bar was there for their wedding.
October and November in the Cayman Islands is rain season. One second it’s super duper sunny while another second it’s downpour (but only for like, 5 minutes… and then it clears up). Oh and it’s super duper INSANELY humid. You could be doing absolutely nothing and you’re dripping in sweat. Alex and Blake’s wedding day was the best weather. Sunny to start, overcast during wedding party photos (just the way we like it), sunny during the ceremony, a GORGEOUS sunset, and clear skies during the night. It only rained twice… but I’ll get to that later. The girls and guys got ready ready in an Airbnb—SO pretty. Oceanside vibes. Alex and Blake’s first look and wedding party photos were at a resort and the pics just scream ~tropical~ with the gorgeous trees and bright greenery surrounding them. The ceremony was the prettiest restaurant overlooking the ocean: The Grand Old House. If anyone is considering getting married in Grand Cayman, I 10000% recommend this place as the service, people, setting, everything was perfection. Hey ladies: you know when you envision yourself as the bride walking down the aisle, you don’t want to trip or fall or face plant or something? Well, Alex’s veil got stuck, pulled her back, and the veil got yanked out of her head…. Hahahahaha. She didn’t fall but man, it was funny. Peep the pic where Alex’s dad is just laughing his butt off. Alex and Blake’s ceremony was so sweet. Their vows had everyone tearing up. RIGHT when the ceremony ended, it rained. Out of nowhere. While it was still sunny. The most perfect rainbow appeared in the sky. Everyone knew that was Carolyn, Blake’s mom, sharing her love and showing that she was present in spirit. Well… I cried. As did so many others. Later that night, Alex and Blake lit a lantern in memory of Carolyn and let it go in the night sky. It was a beautiful sight and probably some of my favorite photos from their day. Out of the blue, it started raining again. This was not a coincidence, people!!! I’m literally crying as I type this blog post. It was such a real and raw moment.
The rest of the night was a PARTY. The beauty of a destination wedding is everyone gets to meet everyone over the few days there. It was awesome seeing so many friendships form in that moment and those friendships continue on the NEXT day! Couples were hanging out on the beach and socializing with people they had met the night before. Heck! My boyfriend and I befriended one of Alex’s best friends and her husband. We even got dinner together during our trip’s layover on the way back (shout out Bridget and Blake #2). What made me sooooo freaking happy is Alex sharing with me after the wedding how perfect everything was and how she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. YES YES YES.
To sum up the best day ever and the biggest #postweddingmood, here’s an “oops” photo of Alex that I turned into a meme :D lol!
