DESTINATION WEDDING : ANGUILLA
A long distance relationship, memorable moments in their favourite hotel brand (and ours too!) plus the insights to the Bride’s journey on finding her dream dress: a Galia Lahav gown.
HOW DID YOU MEET AND PROPOSAL DETAILS
Michael and I met on Hinge, a modern love story! LOL. We actually matched when both of our locations were set in Miami however we didn’t live there. I lived in Canada, and he lived in Tampa, FL. Once we matched, we ended up talking for 30 days straight, moved from the app, to text, to phone calls, to FaceTimes. It was something so beautiful, and special to our story that doesn’t happen that often these days. We truly got to know each other without the dates… it was pure and raw and emotional. Once we finally met in real life, I picked him up from the airport and we went on our official first date to the Four Seasons in Surfside, FL. Little did we know how much the Four Seasons hotel would play such a big role in our love story.
When we matched, he was staying at the Four Seasons in St Louis. Our first date was at the Four Seasons in Surfside. His first time coming to visit me in Canada we stayed at the Four Seasons in Toronto. The first time he told me he’d marry me one day was 847 days(both our favorite numbers combined) after we first met at Four Seasons in Surfside. He then proposed to be at the Four Seasons in Anguilla. We then got married at the Four Seasons in Anguilla. Shoutout to the Four Seasons hotel… you will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Speaking of, we had planned a trip to Anguilla in January 2023 for his birthday along with our 4 year anniversary. He surprised me and got my mom & dad to fly out to make sure they would be there for the special moment. Michael is obsessed with sunsets and there was the most magnificent sunset that evening… he took my hand and walked me to an area to take a photo but there was a sign that said “CAUTION, DO NOT ENTER”. That area was overlooking a cliff… in that moment I looked at him and said… let’s hop it! Once the photo was happening at the tip of this beautiful cliff we were supposed to be on… he got down on one knee and proposed. It was so beautiful, it was so raw, it was so us and he made sure my family was there to celebrate with us.
FINDING THE DREAM DRESS
Real bride Alexandra knew when she had fond ‘the one’ (her wedding dress) besides her future husband.
“Once I put on ‘the one’, I had tears in my eyes and looked at my mother and said “ This, this is it”, when you know, you know.”
Her Galia Lahav wedding dress is light as a feather, an airy ballgown. Made up of milky white silk tulle, adorned by delicate embroidered lace. The dress is supported by a Sheer corset with an inner v pattern.
Bride’s words of advice:
1) A dress should never wear you, you should always wear it. This is what kept on going through my head when I was trying on the dresses. My dress felt like it was made for me.
2) Your dress should fit the vibes of where the wedding is. The reason I’m saying this is because our wedding was in Anguilla. It is very humid & hot, with unpredictable weather at times. When I put on that dress, it just fit the vibes of the island. It was extremely lightweight, breathable, and had this elegant but avant-grade twist to it. If i was getting married in the snow, I would’ve chosen a different dress (I actually know the exact Galia Lahav dress I would’ve chosen if I was doing a winter wedding).
HER ADVICE TO FUTURE BRIDES
The advice I received from every bride, was to not stress about the hiccups/details and that everything was going to come together beautifully. Although I didn’t follow that advice, because trust me, it’s easier said than done! It’s something I will now share as advice; because it’s so true. Everything came together and was more perfect than I could have imagined. When you have all your friends, family & loved ones all together to celebrate your love… the table cloths and plates… means nothing! Weddings are meant to be about love, remember that.
A UNIQUE DETAIL OF HER WEDDING
A detail that made our wedding special & unique in my own heart & eyes, was that we chose to get married on my parents wedding anniversary. They’ve been together for 38 years, and a love that Michael and I look up to. I actually took part of my mothers wedding dress & wrapped it around my bouquet. A tradition I would love to continue with a daughter of my own one day.
THE FEELING ON WEARING YOUR WEDDING DRESS ON THE BIG DAY
Putting on my wedding dress, on the day of my wedding… it’s an unexplainable feeling that I cannot wait for those who have yet to experience it. There’s something so special and exciting about putting on a dress that your fiancé/husband has yet to see… the only secret you’ve been keeping from him for almost a year. An exciting and anxious feeling that the day has finally come and you cannot wait to see his reaction. My husband’s reaction was so pure, he was just absolutely floored and couldn’t stop telling me how gorgeous I looked.
Advice on this for future brides… slow down and take it all in. Don’t try to make sure you get every picture perfect shot while you’re getting ready. Be present. Be in the moment. Your photographer will be able to capture the rawness.
SOMETHING THE BRIDE WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT
Every single thing was perfect, even the stuff that ‘didn’t work’, worked. Because nothing else should matter than marrying the man of your dreams. However, the only thing I would have done differently on my wedding day, was for me not to be sick. That was truly something I never thought of, and I was pumping Tylenol cold & sinus all day! Stress plays a bit toll on your body, I wish I pumped up my immune system more before the big day.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
A moment I’ll never forget from our wedding day was the butterflies I got in my stomach walking down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams. The type of butterflies that make you smile from ear to ear, that make you picture every single past moment with that person, and the moments that are yet to come and as I looked up at him, eyes locked into each other, with him shedding some tears. It was a moment I’ll never ever forget. Pure magic. Pure once in a lifetime type of love and feelings.
FAVOURITE PART OF THE WEDDING PLANNING
My favorite part of wedding planning was the creative teams and the logistics of a destination wedding. Michael (my husband) and I are extremely creative people and we loved being able to work with the best photographer & videographer who made our day feel so effortless and they felt like family. As for the logistics, while it was extremely tough planning a destination wedding, being able to help everyone find the best rates/flights/hotels was something I surprisingly really enjoyed. Our guests really enjoyed it as well, they kept saying how on top of it i was to make sure everyone was taken care of. Oh, myself and my mother planned the entire thing ourselves (No wedding planner over here) while that was difficult at times, it was so rewarding. Everything was so authentic, and didn’t feel like a whole charade.
Photographer: Hannah Elise Photography
Videographer: Kennidy Nicole Films
Venue: Four Seasons, Anguilla
Decor/Florist: Black Orchid Florists
DJ: DJ Stylez
Band: Vere Music
Invitations/Stationary: Urban Coast
Hair: The Five Salon
Makeup: The Bride herself
SEE MORE GALIA LAHAV REAL BRIDES, HERE.
