When I shoot destination weddings, I usually like to plan some time with the couple after the wedding to enjoy the local surroundings a little bit more than what we’re able to do on the wedding day. The Bahamas was the perfect backdrop for Ashley and Roland’s session! The sky was bluer than I’d ever seen it – the water was crystal clear. I mean, honestly – it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

Speaking of experiences – it was the hottest shoot I’ve ever done. Mid-July in the Bahamas, over 100 degrees outside in broad-open sunlight…. I was absolutely drenched in sweat, sunscreen and bug spray.

Ashley was up at 8am, the morning after her wedding, for Jillian to do her hair and makeup. We had been brainstorming all week on the perfect inspiration and found this amazing bronzed makeup, tousled braid and wreath of local plants. I was so glad Ashley had such a love for fashion and was willing to break out of the normal “bridal” look for a more editorial style.

The highlight of the shoot was definitely when Ashley and Roland took us to a cave on the end of the island that they would go to when they were dating as teenagers. Once they told me that they would cliff-jump from it, I knew they’d have to take the plunge. So Ashley, in Vera Wang, and Roland – jumped.

I can’t think of a better way to start off a marriage together than taking a giant leap of faith

And PS: The whole thing was caught on tape by Bryan and Tracey Coward from Tampa WonderWorks Film! I’ll be happy to share their video once it’s ready!

Be jealous. We actually did the entire first half of the shoot in our “backyard” – the private “vendors” beach behind our house on the island.

Bahamas air-planking

Roxy’s paw-prints were all over the beach

On our way to the cave, we stopped at this gorgeous cliff overlooking the island

The cave was amazing, but the rocks were really sharp! We kept worrying about Ashley snagging the bottom of her dress, but it actually didn’t damage it!

We stole Ashley back to give her a little makeup touch-up and some shade, provided by a wedding parasol. It actually doubled as a perfect diffuser!

Jillian added the hint of coral under her eyes – which made her eyes look even more green and stunning!

After they jumped, they swam in to the cave – but the crashing waves and the tide made it difficult to stay there for too long

My October 23rd, 2010 bride, Kristan, wanted to do a “trash the dress” session with horses (and no, we didn’t trash her dress… except for the random horse slobber). So I called on my November 2011 bride, Kristin, to use their amazing property for the shoot. As if it wasn’t hard enough to shoot with these big teddy bears (Ranger and Bella), having 3 Kristens on set pretty much did us in

I LOVED this session

Obviously not knowing what I was getting myself into – I had one rule: I can’t swim.

Rachel accommodated my childhood fears by promising that I could stay on solid ground while her entire bridal party jumped in to the ocean! Score!

But before that, I loved spending the afternoon with Rachel and Matt and getting some amazingly gorgeous photos! Their love just seems to transcend… completely infectious (in a good way!) So I really hope you enjoy their Day After session in beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica!

Matt and Rachel, it’s impossible for me to put in to words how much I’ve enjoyed taking this journey with you. More than clients, you have become my dear friends and every day that I see a tweet or facebook comment from you, my little heart gets happy Here’s to years of friendship and Jersey fantasticness! I swear I’ll get there one day!

Here’s a quick teaser before I head to bed! (Starting with my favorite “trashed” shot, then a couple from the beginning of her session!)

….Before we trashed the dress, she looked absolutely stunning!

You can check out their wedding pics here, and become a Facebook Fan here! You can also view their Trash the Dress teasers on The Wedding Chicks website!

And special thanks to Hamburger Mary’s and Church Street Station for the awesome locations!

Lauren gets all the credit for stumbling on Hamburger Mary’s. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to Church Street and never gone inside! I’m a huge fan now!

Not to mention, they have the cutest pink and green umbrellas outside on their “patio”. We had an audience of servers with their faces pressed against the glass, too.

I HAD to add this one… if not for the green umbrellas, for the fact that I asked them to do something “them”… and Jason busted out the robot. Lauren = not amused. I thought it was funny. The second picture is the after-effect of the Robot. That’s disbelief you see on her face.

This was actually one of the first shots, but I did a different little editing technique so I wanted to put it closer to the end.

Love this shot on the right!

Such a cute little moment