This is where I long to be today. Who else is tired of all the cold and wet this winter? I took these on one of my trips to St. Martin. Larry keeps talking about moving there and with a winter like we have had this year, I have to say it seems very enticing.
I know it has been a while since we flew down to St. Martin to photograph Menno’s and Pauline’s wedding but the joy of that day comes back fresh and alive when I look at these images. Pauline and Menno are from Holland as are both their families. They had 40 or so family and friends fly in from all over the world to celebrate this wonderful day with them.The wedding was to take place, of course, on the beach and then the reception was being held at La Samana, one of the most beautiful resorts on the island. Having spent months at a time in St. Martin we all expected the day to be sunny and beautiful.The worst anyone expected was ,maybe, a passing shower that would come and go in 20 minutes or less. The wedding planner was so sure of the always sunny weather that she did not have a back up plan for rain. So,I’m sure you can guess what happened.Yep,a front came through and socked in and stayed. No blue sky and a lot of wet. The rain did not dampen the mood of the happy couple though, or any of the family and friends .. Everyone was incredibly happy and such a joy to be with
The rain just kept coming down but Menno and Pauline only had eyes for each other. Their first look was sweet and happy and filled with love bubbling over.
After, special drinks were served and toasts were made. Our plan had been to spend the next few hours before the ceremony getting shots of Menno and Pauline at some of their favorite places on the island. We decided to go out a couple of days after the wedding when sunshine prevailed once more. Larry and I were so impressed that everyone just went with the flow and did not let anything spoil the fun of the day. We met back up with the happy couple 2 days after the wedding and spent the entire sun-filled day going around the whole island and having a great time getting all the shots we missed on the big day. The fact that we did not have to rush made it all the more fun and we ended up doing a lot more shots than we would have been able to do on the day of the wedding.( I will post some of these photos later). Early afternoon we all gathered to go to the “backup” site for the wedding ceremony. Our fun loving couple had decided the mode of transporation for the day would acomodate all the guests and wedding party. And party we did on the big yellow school bus that picked us up. The whole crowd was having such a good time,as we all bounced along and sang songs. The back up site was a brightly painted room that fit everyone in, though it was a tight squeeze. The ceremony was all in dutch and though Larry and I did not understand one word we knew it was filled with laughter and love. After the ceremony we were back on the bus and on to La Samana. Just as we arrived the rain stopped and the sun started to peek through the clouds and we ended up with one of the most brillant and beautiful sunsets any of us had ever seen. The french have a saying,we were told,that if it rains on your wedding day it is a GOOD sign. It means you will be showered with many blessings. I know that Menno and Pauline were indeed showered with many blessings on their wedding day from all the love and support of friends and family and for the love that they have found in each other. Larry and I were too, to be a part of such a loving and fun filled day.
