An honor to help: the wedding of Monika from Caribbean Pearl Picnics.
Normally Monika would do the styling herself, as she really has a talent for this. She has the company ‘Caribbean Pearl Picnics’ on Bonaire and creates the most beautiful, intimate romantic private picnics on Bonaire. But since this was her own wedding, and of course she had to spend her time in the morning doing her hair, makeup and dressing up, then early in the morning setting up and decorating a wedding gazebo, she asked me if I wanted to do this for her. And of course I wanted to, it was an honor.
An underwater theme.
Monika knew very well what she wanted in terms of styling: an “underwater theme. The decorations and styling were a mixture of her ideas and my contributions. Monika sprayed coral in silver/white and decorated it with pearls and shells; it looked beautiful! She also gave me cords with transparent stones to hang on the wedding arbor, representing sea drops. In addition, of course, I used a lot of white and light blue – the colors of the Caribbean Sea – and beautiful large shells.
As a wedding stylist on the road in the middle of the night.
My alarm went off at 03:00 in the morning, because this bride and groom were to get married at 07:00 on a remote beach far away from civilization. They wanted to get married well in time before the bright sun was high in the sky. At 03:45 I drove to the secluded beach, which was towards the Kitesurfing beach. The moon was just a narrow sliver and it was pitch black there. My eyes had to get used to the dark, and it took me some time and effort to see if I was in the right place and where the sea was in relation to the beach. Using a flashlight, I began to unload and set everything up.
A new day: the rise of the sun and guests.
By 6:30 a.m. the sun began to rise, and this was truly a beautiful sight to behold. When I finished setting up and decorating, the wedding guests arrived, as did the wedding officiant and the wedding photographer.
A magical sunrise wedding on Bonaire.
It was truly a beautiful wedding! The bride and groom looked stunning, both all in white, with the groom just wearing lovely white sports socks in his white bathing slippers. You can just do that on Bonaire! The bathing slippers were Ralph Lauren, by the way! Monika stole the show with her gorgeous white dress, beautifully applied makeup and a large crown studded with pearls and diamonds, which completed her bridal hairstyle perfectly.
I had never experienced a wedding this early, but it was really worth it. It was as if we were the only people on Bonaire at that moment. Being on that secluded beach, in the quiet morning light, gave a very special vibe. And the “underwater theme” really came into its own here.
From the beach to an air-conditioned hall: a romantic breakfast and church blessing.
After this special wedding ceremony on a secluded beach in Bonaire, most of the wedding guests went home first to change into their second wedding outfit and prepare for breakfast. More people were invited to this wedding part. This took place in a beautifully decorated hall, equipped with air conditioning. A romantic corner had been created for the bride and groom where they sat on a beautiful bench, with a beautiful balloon arch behind them and all kinds of decorations to complement it. Faith is very important to this bride and groom, which is why the church blessing took place here as well.
Off to adventure: couple’s honeymoon to Miami.
In the afternoon, this beautiful bride and groom took off by plane to bustling Miami to celebrate their honeymoon! Don’t blame them!
Photography: Katinka Pauw
