Antoinette and Ryan's Wedding (Jamaica)

I knew Ryan from the days we both attended Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica. Well, I didn't really know know him, I had just seen him on campus and thought of him as the handsome business student. I may have only said hi in passing. Years passed and I became a photographer and he really enjoyed my work and referred me to his cousin, Joni who I had the pleasure of photographing her waterfall wedding last December in Jamaica. Well, some time after I was contacted about Joni's wedding, Ryan caught the wedding bug and informed me that he had recently gotten engaged and wanted me to photograph his wedding as well. Coool! :-) He informed me of his wedding venue, Coyaba Gardens and I became even more elated as it was a gorgeous venue that I remembered seeing beautiful pictures of from a friend who had taken her wedding coctail hour pictures there. I met his lovely bride-to-be at the time, Antoinette during a visit she made to Florida and it was very evident why Ryan happily decided to make her his wife. Antoinette is smart, beautiful with a winsome smile, pleasant, ambitious, organized, and not afraid of the kitchen! :-) lol

The months passed and it was time for their big day! :-) I enjoyed my time in Jamaica. I was pleasantly surprised when I met the event planner, Walter J Davis because he was a friend when we attended Ardenne High School in Jamaica together. I also saw a classmate from Ardenne, Denvo Thombs who was the DJ! :-) It was great reuniting with other friends from NCU, Joni, Christian, and Joni's family! :-) Walter did a great job with taking me to the wedding site earlier in the day allowing me to scout out the location and capture it's sheer beauty! I then went back to the hotel, Rooms on the Beach where I met with Antoinette and her entourage. Antoinette was so relaxed, smiling, and enjoying the preparation. One of the ladies assisted me with taking the clothing and accessories downstairs to the beach where I had fun placing them in cool places. I oh so loved photographing on that beach because the big yellow hotel next door, Jamaica Grande was my frequent hang out spot as a child thanks to my aunt who worked there and my mom who would take me there to stay for her job conventions and I always thought the view on the beach was one of the most picturesque views of Ocho Rios. So, I added that beach strip in my infamous wish list of places I wanted to take wedding related pictures. Well, everyone finished getting dressed and headed out in their name band sandals from Bridget Sandals.

The wedding ceremony and reception at Coyaba Gardens were wonderful and the decor was absolutely beautiful! :-) Ryan donned a tailor made suit by the highly acclaimed Jamaican designer, Dexter Huxtable. Antoinette looked fabulous in her dress that was made more dramatic with her cathedral length veil and her flowers were definitely unique accenting the island garden feel of her wedding. I really felt like as if I was in the Garden of Eden walking in the garden in the cool of the day about to witness Adam and Eve's wedding. The red carpet, the trumpeter heralding Antoinette's journey down the isle to the man of her dreams, the colorful petals gently lining her path, the lovely strains of singing, the birds caroling, and wide smiles that could light a room spread happily across both their faces enriched the paradise wedding experience. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I'm happy that they both loved the resulting slideshow! :-) Thanks again Antoinette and Ryan for choosing Shelly Edwards Photography to capture your big day and may your love, smiles, and laughter continue to make your hearts happy throughout the years! :-)

To view their slide show visit www.vimeo.com/22646744 or click the play arrow on the video below.

Antoinette and Ryan's Wedding Slideshow (Jamaica) from Shelly Edwards on Vimeo.