Inside: A Sun-Drenched Wedding In Bequia

The Story So Far

We met in Stockholm in a bar called ‘Heaven’, and had a long distance relationship for a year before I quit my job in beauty and made the move to London to live with Philip. After 5 years of dating, Philip proposed on my birthday (which also happens to be Valentine’s Day) on holiday in Koh Samui, with a bespoke 2.5 carat round brilliant cut ring.

The Venue(s)

Shortly after our engagement, the pandemic hit. But, we remained optimistic— even scouting wedding locations in the South of France. Over the course of the many lockdowns, we changed our plans (with the intention to marry now and celebrate later) and enjoyed a small civil ceremony at Chelsea Town Hall in 2021, with a reception and dinner at The NoMad afterwards.

After much planning, we invited all our friends to the Caribbean to a small island called Bequia, located in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Philip’s father built and owns the Bequia Beach Hotel, and it’s an island and property we have both been passionately involved with for some time. So it felt completely right to share it with our friends and family and invite them to this corner of the Caribbean!

We celebrated over three days, starting with a ‘Grenadine-chic’ themed pool party complete with DJ, steel drums, coconut cocktails, and pool floaties. The following day was the big wedding ceremony, with a garden party reception at the hotel, and long tables in the sand under the stars.

By the final day, most guests were nursing slightly sore heads, we hosted a chilled afterparty at a beach club, complete with floating drinks coolers. With many of our guests staying a full week, we had the most magical time celebrating with them afterwards as well.

The Fashion

I wore a dress from Emilia Wickstead at our town hall wedding, I ended up loving it so much, I decided to wear it for the Bequia wedding too, with the addition of a skirt from Halfpenny London and glitter Jimmy Choo shoes.

The Details

We first arrived in Barbados via the hotel’s airline: Bequia Air. Next, we flew to St. Vincent to catch a ferry, which brought us to Bequia’s legendary open-air pickup truck taxis— our final method of arrival at the ceremony in Grenadine Hills.

For the tablescape, we decorated with fresh coconuts, greenery and local flowers from the surrounding gardens.

Food & Drink

We set up a coconut bar with custom-made cocktails for the pool party— featuring coco coladas, rosé spritzers, and of course, rum punch.

For the wedding dinner, we wanted to focus on local flavours with a twist. In Bequia, lobster is a locally-caught delicacy, so we served a four-course dinner of of lobster bisque, beetroot symphony, a surf ‘n’ turf filet mignon & lobster main, and a passionfruit cheesecake with white chocolate mousse for dessert.

The accompanying wines served were a Chateau de Chamirey, Mercurey ‘En Pierrelet’, and Avalon Pinot Noir. Later in the dinner after the final speech, surprise shots of rum were delivered en masse by the amazing staff dressed up in pirate gear while the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song played.

Beauty Regime & Wellness

Pre-wedding, I had laser facials with D. Thomas Clinic in London. On the day, Caroline from Nordiska Kliniken gave me a bespoke glow treatment, and Yasmin Paul did my makeup look, using mainly Charlotte Tilbury products.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

We asked for no gifts – the greatest gift was everyone’s presence! However, a few guests very generously donated to our wedding fund to support the local children and schools in Bequia.

Honeymoon

The first time Philip invited me to Bequia to meet his father Bengt, we also visited Sugar Beach in St Lucia. It’s had a special place in our hearts ever since, so we decided to return there for our honeymoon. It was only a short 15 minute flight from Bequia, and we had an amazing time!

Advice

Find yourself the very best wedding planner, do not take too much upon yourself. We highly recommend Jennifer Wadsworth from internationally-renowned Olive Sky, and our fantastic local wedding coordinator Ceceila Durrant.
Add lots of personal details – one of our favourites was a printed ‘who’s who’ guide booklet we prepared for the dinner with a small introduction about each guest. Everyone loved reading it, and it was a fantastic ice breaker.
Have a master plan, but relax a little and take every moment in. Nothing goes exactly according to plan— but even if it rains, it will still be the best day of your life!