Crystal Blue Monday Mini

Happy Monday Peeps!  Can you believe we are in December?  I can’t…honestly, this year has gone by in a blink!  This time last year I was hugely pregnant and desperate for this baby to come (which didn’t actually happen for another month but I was hoping he would be early!).  I was waddling around, still working on weddings and my ankles were absolutely non-existent.  Shoes like the ones in today’s Monday Mini were just a dream because my swollen feet were absolutely not fitting into anything of the sort!

Happy to report that all (well my size at least!) is back to normal and if I actually owned these shoes, I would rock them out.  I think I should have a pair–don’t you??

Happy Monday!!

 

photo credit ::  Rebecca Davidson Photography

Beach wedding inspiration and ideas

You are in the luxury of your air conditioned ocean front condominium getting ready for your wedding. You are running a few minutes late and your guests are keen with excitement and anticipation of the big moment.  They are also sweating in the hot sun that is strategically placed right at eye level when they are seated. 

It’s always extra special nice to have cold bottled water for your guests (or a nice fruity drink for that matter) but one nifty idea I heard the other day is serving frozen grapes.  Refreshing, different and bite size.  You can serve bunches of grapes in kraft paper bags or small crystal bowls (or any other container that you choose!) so it actually goes with the style of your wedding.

Think about it!

 **By no means am I taking credit for this idea.  It was one I heard and thought it was cool so I’m passing it along!!

 

photo credit

Cayman Island Real Wedding :: Moroccan Theme Beach Wedding

Here’s a fun and colorful twist to start your week off!  Sally and John went with a Moroccan theme for their Cayman Islands Beach wedding.  I love the concept, the color and all of the details–hopefully you will too!

The ceremony was on Seven Mile Beach at the Caribbean Club.  Don’t you love the way the chairs were set up on a curve?  It’s like a great big hug!  I do love the sunset colors used as well and can’t get enough of those lanterns!

The ceremony went from mostly beach with pops of color to the cocktail hour and reception at LUCA with full on color!  How about those linens???  Holy cow they are funky and fun! 

 

Providers who made this day happen ::

Accommodation and ceremony venue ::  Caribbean Club

Coordination, design, decor, event rentals and floral ::  Celebrations

Photography ::  Rebecca Davidson Photography

Reception venue, food and beverage ::  LUCA

Cayman Islands Real Wedding :: Sancia and Jurell

Happy Friday!  Hope you have all had a good week and for the Americans a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Now I know you’re all out black Friday shopping but I hope you take a few minutes to read today’s real wedding.  Sancia is an avid Crystal Blue Weddings reader and throughout her planning process we were in touch a few times with questions or to give her some direction along the way.  I was so excited to receive her wedding submission to see how it all turned out and share it with all of you!!

I love the color palate and all of the details (most of which were DIY, by the way!).  Come back Monday to see this couple trash the (second) dress!

Providers who made this day happen ::

Floral ::  Every Bloomin’ Thing

Photography ::  Better Angle

Venue ::  Grand Old House 

engage!11 :: Cayman Islands

Last week I mentioned that I was in wedding heaven.  You probably all thought I was crazy but really, people, as a wedding obsessed writer this was heaven to me.  Let me share…

For three days and three nights I was living in, what I like to call, my Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman bubble (and let’s face it, can you get a better bubble than that??) with the best of the best in the wedding industry.  There was education, there was networking and yes, folks, there was some partying!

This is the third time I’ve been to an engage! conference and each year they keep getting better and better.  It’s hard to put into words why or how they are better so you’ll just have to take my word for it–they just are!  To be in the presence of these amazing, smart and successful people really pushed me to be more confident and outgoing and also helped me to really focus on the direction of Crystal Blue Weddings–how to make it better for all of you.

Here are the video clips from my time at engage!11 shot and edited (in one day) by Elysium Productions.

 

engage! 11 Grand Cayman // Part One from Elysium Productions on Vimeo.

engage!11 Grand Cayman // Day 2 & 3 recap film from Elysium Productions on Vimeo.

The thought and details of this conference are unbelievable.  Everything is beautifully branded–and I mean everything.  The speakers are absolutely inspiring and the entire conference really pushes to it up a notch (or 10).  I always come out of this conference with a million ideas and really wanting to do everything in life a little bit better.

You can also see some amazing photos and get some more information about engage!11  here, here and here.

Crystal Blue Monday Mini

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend!  Here in Cayman was the end of Pirates week which means there was the cardboard boat races, fireworks and the last street dance–FUN, FUN, FUN!  Anyway, here’s today’s Monday Mini!  Have a great one!

Red, white and beach all over…Cayman Islands Real Wedding

Happy Friday!  I hope you had a good week and are geared up for the weekend!!  If you’re getting married this weekend–WOOHOO–cheers to you!  I walked into the store today and it was DECKED out for Christmas.  I am a post-Thanksgiving decorator myself so am not quite in the mode but when I saw this wedding, the red and white reminded me that Christmas IS just around the corner!

I love the strong color against the backdrop of the Cayman waters and while this wedding was small and intimate, the red made a big impact!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

photo credit ::  Aaron Rebarchek Photography

Crystal Blue Providers :: Mise En Place and Sunset Bay

We hope you’re hungry because today we are featuring one of the Cayman Islands finest professional catering companies and their exclusive venue.  Mise En Place (pronounced meez on plahs) was created in 2002 by Chef Sean Collins.  Taking your meal and event to a new level, Mise En Place creates not just food, but exquisite dining experiences to stimulate your senses. 

In addition to culinary delights, Mise En Place now offers an exclusive venue, Sunset Bay.  When I tell you this venue is beautiful, that doesn’t even come close to describing how amazing it actually is!  Water, beach, and garden all in one…what more could you want??

So, I had a few questions for the team at Mise En Place and I thought I’d share them (and the answers) with you…

Crystal Blue:  Describe your process with a couple.  How do you create these dining experiences?

Mise En Place:  We meet with the couple (either in person or by phone) and discuss not only the kind of food they like but the style of their wedding, their vision and their overall personalities.  From there we create a menu which includes the food items as well creative service and display ideas for them to review.  After they review it, we can tweak it however they would like to suit their needs and their vision.  It’s important to us that the food fit in with the overall flow of the event.

Crystal Blue:  What do you mean when you say service and display ideas?

Mise En Place:  There are various ways to serve a meal–buffet style, station style or a plated meal, to name a few.  We need to figure out, with the couple, the best style of service for their wedding.  Also, we like to get creative and display our food in different ways–not just on plates.  It allows us to reflect the couples personality and vision to make the entire dining experience personal.

Crystal Blue:  Tell us more about Sunset Bay!  What a gorgeous property!!

Mise En Place:  Sunset Bay is a private residence in the Prospect area of Grand Cayman.  We have been fortunate enough to have been granted permission to use Sunset Bay as a venue for weddings and other special events.  The property overlooks the water, has a beautiful garden as well as a beach and, as the name implies, has gorgeous sunsets! 

Here are some photos of the creations of Mise En Place as well as Sunset Bay.  To find out more about Sean and his team, click here.  To see what Sunset Bay has to offer, click here.

photo credit::

Cake:: David Wolfe Photography

Ceremony::  David Wolfe Photography

Sunset Bay at night :: David Wolfe Photography

Cayman Islands Inspired Story Board :: Starfish

Did you know you can find starfish in the Cayman Islands???  There is a place called Starfish point where you can find  orange starfish on most days.  Absolutely gorgeous animals these starfish are and today, they have inspired my board.  You will obviously see I didn’t go with the Cayman orange starfish, but but the white starfish people tend to use more for weddings.

What inspires you??  We would love to know!

Cayman Islands Real Wedding :: Alexis and Elliot, Part 2

I am so in love with this wedding (if you couldn’t tell already!).  Almost next door to the private residence where they had the ceremony is the Reef Grill, where they had their reception.  Afterwards everyone partied the night away at the Royal Palms complete with a trunk full of fun costume dress items. 

What’s that you say?  You want to know more??  Here you go…

Crystal Blue ::  Tell me more about it.  Where did you stay, what were your favorite moments, etc. 

Alexis ::  We all stayed at the Sunshine Suites down the road from the private home.  It’s a great little place, very convenient and just across the road from the beach.  Favorite moments…it’s hard to pick one or two moments from the day.  Just looking into Elliot’s eyes and realizing that our dreams were happening. Every moment that we locked eyes from the vows, to the photos, to our first dance. Each time I felt so safe and so at ease, nothing made more sense than being in that moment with him. 

Crystal Blue ::  That’s so romantic and very sweet!!!  I love all of the personal touches of your weddings and how you designed and made almost everything yourself.  What was your favorite design element?

Alexis :: It’s a toss up between my dress and my invitations!  The dress was only the third or fourth I tried on–I just knew!!

Crystal Blue ::  Well it is absolutely stunning!  Thank you so much for sharing your day with us!!! 

Vendors who made this day happen ::

Coordination ::  Celebrations

Photography ::  Rebecca Davidson Photography

Reception venue ::  The Reef Grill

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