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Evolution of Love: The Now

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The time is now. The last wedding decor proposal signed, bridal party gifts have been bought and first song has been picked. The time is now. I am intermittently relieved, excited and exhausted as I have been up every single night too excited to sleep and too anxious to relax. How do you put all your dreams of love and hope into one week, one weekend and one day? What if I forget something? Have I invited everyone I wanted to? I have waited for years to have my best friends and family all together in one place and have waited a lifetime to meet and marry my soulmate, best friend and better half. This has been a dream that will finally become a reality.

Photo Credit: Bahamas Wedding Productions

Today we had our last meeting with our vendors and wedding planner at Atlantis. First up we discussed every minute by minute detail with the officiant, Reverend Sweeting. He has a way with words and stands in the space of calm possibility. From the first second we met him, we knew that he would translate our day in the way we wanted it to be portrayed. He understood how we felt about each other, our families and how incredibly important this ceremony would be for us both. He understood the physical challenges with Zak’s mom using a wheelchair with limited mobility and appreciated our emphasis on symbolism. He even accepted our request for pronouncing each others last names as we were both joining a new family. Kirk (aka DJ FURZE )was our wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies and he led us through how we would go about doing our first dance. We discussed the age demographic of our guests in order to play appropriate music and even created a song remix for us for our first dance! Ronnie from Bahamas Wedding Productions spearheaded our photography and videography for the wedding. He heard our requests and we discussed the style of photography: simple, personal and artistic. Natalie from Wildflowers was a beacon of decor inspiration and has a knack for finer details. She came to the rescue with last minute table numbers and confirmed that the arbor would have a ‘tie the knot” theme. To pay homage to my South African roots, I wanted to incorporate the Protea flowers into my bouquet. Natalie came to the rescue and imported the flowers from the US. When it came to discussing the order of the evening, the vendors and our wedding planner quickly sorted out that we would start the night off with our first dance before dinner and speeches. This would set the tone and allow our guests to dance and move before the formality of words. Lastly, we sat with Alphanique our phenomenal wedding planner and finalized the banquet forms and menus. We discussed the dreaded weather backup and walked the conference space just in case. I was left with a feeling of relief and peace as it was evident that regardless of the weather we would have a beautiful event space (inside or outside), stunning decor and memorable evening. One can never determine the weather, but it was clear that the Atlantis wedding planners were committed and determined to execute our special day. We were in the most capable hands. Alphanique shared stories of wedding events that were veered off projected course by the weather, but had none the less turned out perfectly with the wedding couple satisfied and happy. What more can one ask for!

I still have last minute tasks but I know in my heart that it will be a fantastic wedding week. Our focus has been on providing our friends and family with the best wedding experience and I truly believe it will be a magical day for all! Now is the time to breathe, relax and believe it will turn out “imperfectly perfect!”