We love a wedding that goes off the beaten path, and Melissa and Bobby’s sparkling wedding in St. Thomas is one-of-a-kind. Not only did the bride forego a traditional white gown, but the pair exchanged their vows on a catamaran in the Caribbean Sea. Melissa’s glamorous silver and gold sequinned dress was dazzling against the dark blue sea off the side of the boat. The couple were inspired by reflections of light, making their seafaring ceremony the ideal venue for their intimate affair. Selah Photography went along for the ride and captured the light and love throughout the event.
The Couple: Melissa and Bobby
The Wedding: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
The Inspiration: “Reflecting Light! and FUN! We wanted it to be a celebration, not a performance. We wanted everyone to feel beautiful and loved, just as much as us. I had a professional makeup artist come and do all 22 of my girlfriends and family members before the ceremony. We requested that everyone reflect light with their attire at the ceremony. The ceremony was on a sailboat, at sunset, with a Supermoon rising in the background. My aunt and uncle own the boat we got married on and it is the most gorgeous catamaran in St Thomas. Everyone had on sequined, beaded, shimmery, or metallic attire. My gown was gold and silver sequins and beads. My mother, who married us, had on the most reflective sequin dress I have ever seen!
My brother – who is my best friend – HANDMADE a disco ball for us for the reception. I wanted a mixed metal disco ball, but he could only find silver. So he taught himself how to make a huge silver, gold, and rose gold disco ball. He transported it down to the island. It was breathtaking. The only other decorations we had were lots of festoon strands, gas lanterns, and floating lanterns. Just light. And the Supermoon! We didn’t need anything else…it was perfect.”
The Moments: “Right before the end of the ceremony, my mother and brother surprised us by walking away from us to form a circle with my father and Bobby‘s parents. They began to sing “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, but they wrote their own words that had to do with me and Bobby. The whole boat joined in on the choruses. Imagine your 55 closest people in the world singing Hallelujah to you at sunset on a sailboat. Every single person on that boat cried. That moment will always be my favorite moment in the world. We are the luckiest people in the world.”
The Couple Recommends: “Our photographer and my aunt. First of all, Jackie at Selah Photography is unbelievable. She was such a joy to work with and the pictures are unlike anything I have ever seen. I am so happy we found her and her husband. I love the photos more then I ever thought I could. All of our family and friends are speechless by how well the photos came out and how awesome the website is that they made for us.
My Aunt, Diane Davis, has the most perfect sailboat for a Caribbean wedding. It is huge, super clean, and staffed with the most accommodating people in the world. We sailed around a couple days before the ceremony as well. The food was amazing, the drinks were spectacular, and the destinations unrivaled. Everyone that came to our wedding was in awe of the love we were shown by Diane’s crew. It was truly an honor to be a part of it all.”
The Wedding Team:
Photography – Selah Photography
Ceremony Venue – Daydreamer Catamaran
Reception Venue – Seastar Villa
Catering – The Pit BBQ
Makeup Artist – Artistry by Kristina
Groom’s Apparel – Suitsupply
Rings – Sue Amador
The U.S. Virgin Islands are one of our favorite stateside destination locations, and we’re so inspired by Melissa and Bobby’s unique wedding. For more untraditional waterfront wedding inspiration, check out Ivana and Ivan’s casual Croatian wedding by the sea.
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