Prince William & Princess Kate, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge

It began with Kate’s request that ladies wear hats and oh the fascinators were out in all of their glory!  Watching the guests arrive was nothing short of watching the red carpet on Oscar’s Night.  And did you see David and Victoria Beckham?!  Becks was a dapper showstopper in his mourning coat – the camera’s couldn’t stop going back to him.

Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice

The ever-so-stylish Beckhams

Classic elegance by Mother of the Bride Carole Middleton, The Queen and Step-Mother of the Groom Camilla

Kate wore a classically elegant and beautiful dress reminiscent of Princess Grace (actress Grace Kelly) by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and carried a modest bouquet.  According to the royal press release, “The bouquet is a shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth. The bouquet was designed by Shane Connolly and draws on the traditions of flowers of significance for the Royal Family, the Middleton family and on the Language of Flowers.”   Kate also looked beautiful wearing a borrowed vintage Cartier halo tiara given to Queen Elizabeth by the Queen Mother on her 18^th birthday.

Kate Middleton entering Westminster Abbey wearing Sara Burton for McQueen reflected her own personal style. Simple, classic and elegant.

William looked absolutely regal in his scarlet red uniform of Colonel of the Irish Guards topped with a blue sash.  The royal wedding party stylishly mimicked the bride and groom with Prince Harry in his military uniform and bucking tradition, sister of the bride and maid of honor Pippa wearing an ivory gown.  I thought it was a stunning move and I bet we’ll be seeing this again!

Prince Will to his father-in-law, "We were just supposed to have a small family affair."

Maid of Honor and Sister of the Bride, Pippa Middleton escorts the flower girls

The dashing Princes

A Historic first - TWO balcony kisses!

The trees lining the halls of Westminster Abbey were Canadian Maples brought in to  honor the Commonwealth of Canada (Oh Canada! My home and native land…)

In a dramatic twist Prince William did the first wardrobe change and switched to his blue RAF flight lieutenant’s uniform for the couple’s stylish and historic getaway driving his Dad’s, Prince Charles, Astin Martin (I’m sure all you grooms out there are having car envy!!)  The couple enjoyed some quiet time to themselves before rejoining the festivities.

Today Prince William was the envy of every gent. He got the Princess & the Astin Martin!

The Queen’s reception following the wedding is only the first party of  the day and will feature an 8-tiered regal bridal fruit cake AND a chocolate biscuit Groom’s cake (the groom’s favorite).

The Royal Wedding Cake

Royal Wedding style takeaways:

• Honor tradition, but make your wedding your own in small details.  Those small nods to your personal style will really stand out. 
• Give your guests direction with wedding attire, be it traditional or fun Destination Wedding twists like “gentlemen in Tropical Shirts, ladies in sundresses and bejeweled flip flops” or ask your guests to dress in shades of your wedding color.  Make your guests a part of the décor. (Result:  really great wedding images!!)
• Channel your inner-Princess with a vintage tiara http://www.vintagetiarasbyjuliabeazley.com/Home.html
• Switch up your processional from the American tradition of having the bridesmaids and bridal party walk ahead of the bride and make a royal entrance with them trailing you.  This is actually a great idea on the beach where often wedding dress trains can snag or pick up “hitchhikers” along the way.
• Go Green!  See former SunCelebrity Hollis’ Princess Perfect Destination Wedding on St Croix – Perhaps Princess Kate stole some of her fairytale style?! 
• Build in a little quiet time after the ceremony just to yourselves in order to center yourselves and truly be in the moment.
• Throw your groom a bone and include a Groom’s cake of his choosing – or surprise him with one in his favorite flavor. Afterall, its his wedding too!

The Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) or Silk Cotton tree is indigenous to the rainforests of South America and is now spread throughout the Caribbean, West Africa and even as far as the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian archipelago.  Pollinated by bats, the tree sheds its leaves during the dry winter months with leaves and white or pink flowers remerging during the wetter spring months. It produces brown seed pods that contain a fibrous, fluffy white material that is 8-times lighter than cotton and 5-times more buoyant than cork.  Before synthetics, the fibers were used in pillows, mattresses and because it is water-proof, were used in flotation devices.  The leaves and bark can be used medicinally to cure a variety of ailments, including Type II diabetes.  The Kapok’s straight trunk is supported by huge beautiful buttresses that can extend out 30-feet, surround the trunk and are covered with spikes protecting the otherwise smooth bark.  Kapoks can exceed heights of 150 feet.

The Mayans revered the Ceiba (say-bah) as the tree of life whose roots extended to the underworld and branches reached up to support the heavens. It was used to make large and sturdy, sea-worthy canoes that allowed them to travel from island to island.   In West Indian culture, this mighty behemoth was considered a sacred spirit tree. Referred to as the “God Tree”, “Devil Tree” or “Jumbie Tree” it is believed to be inhabited by spirits.  Cutting down a Kapok would release the spirits and the culprit would be haunted for years.

Known as the “jumbie tree” to many natives, the kapok has long been considered a primary spirit tree of the West Indies. With its huge buttressed roots and gargantuan dimensions the kapok can’t help but draw the eye and fire the imagination. “In a traditional environment devoid of man-made wonders such as towers and temples, obelisks, and so forth,” writes Nicholls, “a ficus or kapok would stand out and it is not so surprising that these trees were identified as spirit trees.” Kapok trees were considered a holding place for departed souls and a place where the living could meet the dead. Eggs were thrown at certain kapoks that were known to be spirit trees in order to free a person’s shadow or soul that had been stolen by a jumbie.  – Professor Robert W. Nicholls, University of the Virgin Islands

The incredible Kapok that anchors the property and is the logo symbol of Villa Greenleaf on St Croix has been estimated by experts to be approximately 350 years old making it one of the oldest and largest trees in the US Virgin Islands.  Lovingly and carefully attended to, the tree’s breathtaking beauty can be marveled at while enjoying breakfast at the Villa/Bed and Breakfast.  It’s been the subject of many artists and on your next visit to Villa Greenleaf I’m sure you’ll discover why.

Monkey No Climb!

So, do them a favor and shop in advance for your own gifts by registering online with your favorite retailer. Registering online is easy and fun – afterall you are shopping without spending $$

Be sure to include information on your registries (yes, you can sign up for more than one) in your invitations (and don’t forget usernames and passwords if needed) *and* on your wedding website! (I can’t stress enough how invaluable wedding websites are)

… Here are a few ideas/suggestions for some alternative registry options as well:

> Honeymoon Registries
A growing trend, particularly for couples who ALREADY have two toasters and plenty of blenders. We like Traveler’s Joy You simply set up an account, choose your options and guests can help to fund your parasailing, jet skiing and dining delights.

Why we like it: They have one of the lowest fees in the industry at 7.5%; no set up fee and no guest fee. What this means is that you will not be charged anything to set up the account, your guests won’t be charged anything, but when you cash out for your honeymoon Traveler’s Joy will keep $7.50 of every $100 for their services. Not bad, right?!
Visit Traveler’s Joy for Honeymoon Tips

*Hot Tip* :: Have an Island-themed “Jack & Jill” shower to get in the Destination Wedding mood and let your guests know in advance that you have a honeymoon registry! This is also a great way to celebrate with friends and loved ones who may not be able to make the trip.

> Be Charitable
Some couples simply have enough “stuff” and don’t really want more nor do they want their guests to feel obligated to purchase anything for them. However, some guests really feel compelled to offer a gift of some sort, so why not support a charitable cause that you feel strongly about?
The I Do Foundation is an EXCELLENT resource. You can set up a registry here offering an easy way for your guests to celebrate your new life together with the cause of your choice. The website is also full of ideas for ways to be more charitable and eco-consious in all of your wedding planning.

Another great idea: Make a charitable donation INSTEAD of favors at your wedding and then print a note on placecards.

Example: In June of 2009, Rose & Jeff, both physicians, got married here on St Croix. On the table were placecards with guests’ names and a note: In lieu of favors we have made a donation to ‘Doctors without Borders’

> Some of my favorite Gift Registries
I’ve included links directly to the registry pages for you to easily set things up:

• Williams & Sonoma
• Crate & Barrel
• Pottery Barn
• Macy’s
• Home Depot
• Bed Bath & Beyond

Do you have a favorite registry that you think other brides would love? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list!

In the mean time, I’ve been working hard no the newly enhanced website as well as new planning tools for our brides and grooms!  We’ve been diligently investigating new services and products that are in keeping with the great customer service and value that we expect from all vendors who works with us.

One of the services that I recently came across and partnered with is one that i’m really excited about!  AdornBrides.com  – did you see the Sex and the City movie?  Its kind of like Bag, Borrow or Steal (the service that Jennifer Houston used to rent her expensive designer bag)  that was featured in the movie – but instead its for fine jewelry!  You really can look like a celebrity bride at a reasonable price … and your bridesmaids can too!  They have free style consultations and a great collection of jewelery

… And the best part – our clients get a 10% discount!  Promo Code PVGXKZ21 AND if you book more than 4 mos in advance there are even deeper discounts.  For destination brides – they will ship to you in the states before you leave, you send the jewelry back in the boxes provided when you return.  How easy is that?!

Visit our website for more details on how to rent fine jewelry

… and remember renting is repurposing and a “greener” practice!

An eco-tourism paradise: St Croix has plenty of green!

In honoring Earth Week 2009, here are a few of the ways that we at SunCelebrations are committed to keeping our island and our earth a little more green, as well as some tips for you to “green up” your wedding!

1. In our office, we print as little as possible. As most of our clients are far away – we do most all of our planning via email and the internet – we are able to keep the majority of our correspondence and files electronic. Our Service Guides and portfolio are electronic pdf files and we use MS Outlook and OneNote to keep it all organized.
2. When we do need to print – we use recycled paper – including really cool Banana Paper – and we print on both sides.
3. For faxing, we use efax.com services. Again, keeping our files electronic. We can “fax” documents right out of our email and receive faxes as pdfs. These are kept in electronic folders on the main computer and are only printed if necessary.
4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is truly our motto! We repurpose decorator items for weddings. This also saves costs for our brides (reduces shipping costs when things are already here!). All of our weddings are unique, so we look at new and different ways to use items. For instance, most of our vases can also be used as candle holders!
5. Speaking of candles… we have been investing in LED “votives” to rent to clients. These are an excellent alternative to traditional candles for a couple of reasons. Candles are typically made of petroleum products (unless you are purchasing “greener” beeswax or soy which are a little more costly), they also tend to blow out at outdoor venues. Today’s LED candles stay lit (for up to 48hrs) and are so lifelike they even flicker. LED lights use 1/10th of the power of incandescant lights, come in fun colors and are convenient to use at outdoor venues that may lack outlets. By renting LED candles, you can also avoid shipping costs. We even recycle the spent batteries! To purchase LED candles for your wedding visit:
   

   100 Candles.com – Candles, Candle Holders, Soy Candles and more!

6. Gift bags are super popular with destination brides. It’s a nice way to say “thank you for travelling so far to celebrate with us” … we encourage our brides to purchase reusable shopping bags for their gift bags! They come in lots of fun colors, are very inexpensive and promote the use of reusable shopping bags. We love www.papermart.com They make great beach bags too!
7. Buy local!!! For gift bags and other items, we encourage our brides to purchase from local vendors on St Croix. Again, being eco-savvy also means being economical. Buying local avoids a lot of shipping costs for our clients. It’s also a nice way to promote our local economy and to offer a keepsake or memento of the islands.
8. Use Local flowers. We work with a very talented local florist, Gloria Powell of www.antilleslilies.com She is an expert at using local flora for weddings! She is versed on what is blooming at different times of the year and incorporates them into the flowers along with the color scheme and bride’s style. It can get very pricey shipping flowers here (they have to be flown in) – so this is a fantastic way to save some money and also get a really unique bouquet or arrangement. My brides are always thrilled with her artistry.
9. Promote local farmers. Local produce simply tastes better and is better for you! We have recently teamed up with the chef at the VI Sustainable Farm Institute www.visfi.org – an ICO and USDA certified organic farm. They have been producing monthly “Slow Food” dinners that sell out in a heartbeat and so we’ve added them to our roster of chefs for private functions. We’re so excited to be promoting not only whole, organic foods, but also great people doing GREAT things in our community.
10. And lastly, if you already have your home set up and aren’t in need of another toaster – consider requesting your guests make a donation in your honor in lieu of gifts. There are so many deserving local charities on St Croix as part of your legacy, leave a positive lasting impression by offering help to those who live here. Some of the excellent charities that we support are:

• FirstBook a grassroots charity committed to literacy by providing underpriviledged children in our community with BRAND NEW reading books. Ask us about donations directly to the local St Croix Chapter.
• St Croix Animal Welfare Center supports the homeless animals on St Croix and provides humane education to local schools and the community.  I have 2 shelter babies – Teleulah & Boddhi.  The SCAWC works with stateside “no kill” shelters to place even more animals in loving homes.  If you would like to participate in their “Pets from Paradise” program and escort a puppy or kitten to a shelter in the states, contact us for more information.  The shelter in St Croix will meet you at the airport, the shelter in the states will meet you upon arrival.  Its so easy!!
  

  Boddhi

  

  Teleulah