Ashley and Tim both come from traditional southern families, but they always knew they wanted their wedding to be far from traditional. The couple chose the gorgeous Caribbean island of St. Lucia for their intimate destination wedding, and we love every marsala accent and naturally stunning moment of their day! Ashley wore an off-the-shoulder Stella York gown and wore her hair in an ethereal, structured style to reflect her elegant woodland Lord of the Rings style inspiration. We can’t get enough of this St. Lucia wedding’s epic post-ceremony photo shoot among the island’s sweeping shores, captured by photographer Amber Phinisee!

The Couple:

Ashley and Tim

The Wedding:

Regency La Toc, Castries, St. Lucia

We come from traditional southern families, but we didn’t want a traditional wedding. We wanted our wedding to be an adventure to remember in one of the most beautiful places in the world. After all, it was the beginning of our story so why not start it in a far off land. St. Lucia’s gorgeous palm-fringed beaches, “Jurassic Park” style rain forests, and the majestic Piton mountains made for the perfect backdrop.

My style inspiration actually came from “Lord of the Rings”. I wanted to have an off the shoulder lace wedding dress and a structured down hairstyle with crystal and pearl accents. Stella York is my favorite designer and I could not have been more obsessed with my wedding dress by her. I wanted my bridesmaids to follow along with the off the shoulder look in marsala and they were stunning.

Our wedding vibe was very natural with earthy tones and pops of marsala and plum. I wanted the natural beauty of St. Lucia to take the stage and it definitely did with cool ocean waves, a brilliant sun, and gorgeous evergreen palms all around.

The most memorable part of the day was how he looked at me as I walked down the aisle. After nine years of being together, I had never seen that particular gaze. It was once in a lifetime and he made me feel like a unicorn. The most memorable part of the night, however, was learning how to breathe fire from the fire dancers at our reception.

There were little touches of us to personalize our ceremony even more. Our ring box was hand carved with “we do” on the top. I dried flowers for the boutonnieres and bouquets and put them together myself so they would be just the way I pictured them in my head. We wrote our own vows to really share our love for each other with our closest friends and family.

Our advice: What do you picture when you close your eyes and dream of your wedding day? When it comes to planning your day stay as true to that picture as possible. If it just so happens to be a mythical island wedding with elvish vibes, go for it!

The talent that Amber Phinisee and Tyler have is absolutely astonishing. They make you feel on top of the world and take their time to let you express your story through their photos. They aren’t scared to take risks and they made my day unforgettable.

Congratulations to Ashley and Tim, and a huge thanks to Junebug member Amber Phinisee for sharing this gorgeous wedding with us. Want more St. Lucia wedding inspiration? Then you’ve got to see this St. Lucia elopement that brilliantly mixes luxury and minimalism!