THERE HAD BEEN SOME
DISAGREEMENT OVER HOW
MEAGAN AND MATT MET.
?THE SIMPLE ANSWER IS
WE MET AT WORK,? JOKED
MEAGAN. ?THIS IS HOW WE
TYPICALLY HAVE TO ANSWER
THIS QUESTION BECAUSE
IT IS THE ONLY PART OF THE
STORY WE AGREE ON.?
She had just moved to Charleston for a nursing position in an intensive care unit at the Medical University of South Carolina. Matthew had relocated a couple of months prior for a surgical residency program. ?Maybe I did look up his name on the hospital paging system, once,? Meagan admitted. ?That was only after he made frequent visits to my ICU.? The couple eventually realized they had mutual friends and began to get to know one another. They went on their first date on Meagan?s birthday. The couple had been dating for a couple of years when the topic of marriage came up.
?We are both realists and planners, and not huge fans of surprises,? Meagan said. ?We both knew marriage would be in our future, but life was so great, we didn?t see the urgency.? In those years that they had been dating, it had become their tradition to take a vacation every January. They decided to visit St. Croix and fell in love with the island for its views, weather, lifestyle, and the kindness of the people.
One night, the couple had dinner at The Buccaneer?s Terrace Restaurant and then walked down to Mermaid Beach. The couple were walking along making casual conversation when suddenly Matt blurted out, ?we should get married here!? Meagan accepted the ?proposal,? and the couple shared a hug.
?There were no firework messages in the sky, or dolphins leaping into the sunset, and Matthew didn?t actually get down on one knee,? said Meagan. ?But it was our moment, and it was real, and it was sincere, and it was perfect!?
The next day the couple contacted the Buccaneer staff about reserving the beach house, and just like that they were planning a wedding. They decided they would forego their annual January trip, in favor of a March wedding. Early on the couple decided they did not want a large formal wedding.
?We just felt it would be too easy for us to get lost in the production of it all,? said Meagan. ?To us, it was more important to spend time with our closest family members and friends and share our vows in a place that was special to us.?
To that end, the couple decided to have only nine guests at their wedding. ?We were able to use the money we would have spent on a large local wedding to invite the people we love the most to share an unforgettable week in St. Croix,? said Meagan. So with the location, scope, and priorities of their wedding settled, the couple communicated with Corinne Farinola, the on-site wedding planner at The Buccaneer, to plan the weeklong celebration.
?Planning a wedding from another time zone should probably be stressful,? said Meagan. ?My experience was in fact the opposite. I want readers to understand the importance of not just a good wedding planner, but an extraordinary one like Corinne.? Beyond the logistics and major decisions, Meagan and Matt were fairly hands-off. With regards to the design aesthetic for the wedding, they put their trust in Corrine. ?I described my idea of mostly neutral and light colored d?cor,? Meagan said. ?I wanted to preserve the natural beauty of our surroundings.?
In the early afternoon hours of March 5, 2015, Meagan and her maid of honor, Amanda Reyes, began to prepare the bridal look. Amanda swept half of Meagan?s hair back and pinned it to the side, creating a half-up look that was adorned with a lace and silk headpiece. Amanda used Urban Decay?s Naked palette to create a warm and natural look, complementing her elegant, French lace, bohemian, beach appropriate, customized Grace Loves Lace wedding dress.
Slightly before 5 p.m., guests congregated at the Buccaneer?s Sugar Mill. ?It sounded dark and ?dungeon-like? until we climbed the historic stairs and stepped inside,? Meagan said. ?The open mill was filled from the top down with golden sunlight leading to an arched window perfectly framing a scene of ocean and palm trees.?
On the day of the wedding, the staff lined the steps leading to the mill with lanterns and some greenery, with local flora lining the base of the sugar mill. Chairs for the guests were covered with elegant champagne-colored upholstery.
?I DESCRIBED MY IDEA OF
MOSTLY NEUTRAL AND
LIGHT COLORED D?COR. I
WANTED TO PRESERVE THE
NATURAL BEAUTY OF OUR
SURROUNDINGS.?
In keeping with the simplistic beauty of the setting, local guitarist Steven Katz provided soothing classical arrangements for the ceremony. Meagan held a bouquet designed by Gloria Powell of Antilles Lilies that was neutral and elegant with a few pink accents. She walked herself down the aisle to Katz? rendition of the traditional wedding march.
?My father has been a huge influence in my life and he and I have a very close father-daughter relationship,? said Meagan. ?I just felt it was important that as an independent young woman, I symbolize my willingness to enter into marriage by walking myself down the aisle.?
Meagan and Matt?s ceremony was officiated by their good friend, Robert McGuirt. They chose a combination of traditional and personalized vows. Following their vows, Matt?s father and Meagan?s maid of honor delivered readings.
Once they were married, the couple took photos with Theanna Beesly of a Touch of Teal, a close and personal friend they had met while living in Charleston, while guests enjoyed a cocktail hour and hors d?oeuvres.
The Beach House had been transformed into an elegant reception site. On the poolside porch, guests sat at a large center table that seated the entire party. At the front of the reception, Katz continued to set the mood with his guitar serenade. Guests dined on delectable dishes all prepared on site at the Beach House, by the Buccaneer chef de cuisine George Malher. Meagan, Matt, and their guests enjoyed the night celebrating the couple and their growing family, and putting the capstone on their memories of the week?s long bliss. – Amanda Williams
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