It was an unexpectedly thrilling day for Canadians Kelly Johnson and Brent Tomlinson when they they put the official seal on their lives together. Kelly and Grant’s wedding day in the scenically rich island of Saint Lucia saw them exploring more than the average tourists complete with cliffs, a machete, a waterfall, a trashed wedding dress and a lost wedding ring.
It was however all part of the mystic that attracted the two to Saint Lucia, as Kelly explained. “I just think Saint Lucia has so much more to offer than the palm tree pictures you find at any resort.” She looked for a photographer to focus on their wedding differently and found St. Lucia Wedding Photographer Bill Mortley.

“He popped up everywhere. I looked at http://www.billmortleyphotography.com and really liked the pictures, the reviews, everything was really great.” Bill Mortley proved he was up to the challenge in the most exciting way. “The photo-shoot was one of the more entertaining parts of my day,” says Brent.

“Bill explored every possible option to get the best pictures.” “The day couldn’t have gone better,” Kelly agrees. “We were so excited with the places that we got to go and the pictures are phenomenal, super original.

Bill is awesome; he is very easy to talk to. He drove us to some really neat places. Everybody was so welcoming. He asked someone whether we could use their driveway and next thing you know we’re up on the balcony and then they let us walk through their house to their backyard to take better pictures. “The favourite part of my day is when we walked down at Dennery to go to the cliffs there and this guy said ‘oh I’ll come help you’ and he put on his rubber boots, got a machete and a hammer and got us through.” Kelly thoroughly trashed her wedding dress, with Brent cheering her on. He said, “When we got to the spot we were overwhelmed by the beauty and I was all for trashing the dress.”

In the excitement Brent lost his ring at the bottom of the waterfall. “The water was clear enough that I discovered it in five minutes but I aged ten years.” In that regard Brent was luckier than his father, who never recovered his wedding band lost on the beach of the Couples Resort. That same resort, now Rendezvous after several renaming over the years, is where Brent and Kelly got married.

Fishing is a longstanding tradition in the scenic town of Soufriere, at the southern tip of Saint Lucia. Fishing is also a big deal for Daryl Solomon and Carmen Sultana, and the town, which shares that passion, was an appropriate spot for them to be finally joined in marriage. Saint Lucia’s second town hosted what was the second wedding for both 49-year-old Carmen, and 51-year-old Daryl. They observed the formalities at Villa Colibri a lovely cottage in Soufriere. Bill Mortley photography captured all their special images with their loved-ones, including Carmen’s three children Veronica, Matthew and Miranda. Being wed in Saint Lucia was an easy choice for the couple. “We knew we wanted someplace special” says Daryl, an environmental engineer from New Jersey, who shares a love of the sea and adventure with Carmen, an OB/GYN Physician from Philadelphia.

The two met online on www.plentyoffish.com. Carmen says, “I was looking for someone who owns a bog boat and Daryl was advertising online that he had a boat and he also liked to go skiing and fishing and running and everything that I like to do.” Daryl agrees, “We both had the same activity list, same things about each other we both liked.” “Plus I liked his picture he was very handsome,” says Carmen but Daryl hints that she was fishing for a little more, adding “In my pictures I didn’t have any shirts on.” The two have had two years of getting to know each other although Carmen says she knew Daryl was IT “By the first real date”. There was a mutual attraction initially but they say it took a couple of dates before they actually kissed. Not because of the shirt but extra caution over the flu. Daryl put his best foot forward at their first meeting, he says, “So she wouldn’t run screaming, I wore my best shirt,” but she says, ‘It was old flannel shirt… When I decided that he wasn’t crazy I gave him my phone numbers.” “I told him I had three kids and he didn’t run away,” says Carmen but the deal was sealed on a trip to a family wedding. Daryl says, “We pretty much knew that we worked well together through stressful times and non-stressful times. And we helped each other. Also at the same time I knew there was a possibility of learning from each other and growing not just staying complacent.” There was definitely no sitting around on the one week island wedding vacation. Carmen and Daryl explored the Soufriere waterfalls, volcano and hot Sulphur Springs. The two lovers of fishing also enjoyed being surrounded by the ocean.

St. Lucia Wedding Photographer-For Americans John and Shannon Wilson, their joining in holy matrimony was not about formalities. “We’re not into the big wedding at the church; a thousand people you don’t know. We wanted something a little more laid back, low key.” The two became one on the tranquil shores on Saint Lucia in a lovely ceremony surrounded by family. Every moment of their wonderful wedding day was captured in stunning colour by St. Lucia Wedding Photographer, Bill Mortley. “Love them,” says John about the wedding photographs.

Like many others, the Wilsons found St. Lucia Wedding Photographer, Bill Mortley as they read the reviews on the island on Trip Advisor. This got them thinking about wedding photos and they began exchanging emails with a couple who wrote one of the glowing reviews. They also read of the extremes to which Bill has gone to ensure the very best for his clients, even as some hotels seek to ban outside photographers and force couples to use only their service. After contacting Bill, they were further captivated. Happily Bill has exceeded their expectations. “Couldn’t ask for more; It’s beautiful,” says John. Shannon 29 and a Nurse at Virginia Mason, met John, a 31-year-old Programme Manager for Air Solutions, at an acquaintance’s going away party.

Having known each other for over three years, the newlyweds, who live in Seattle Washington, feel marriage has changed the game. “Now that she’s my wife, I can’t just say I quit”, John jokes about his new commitment. For Shannon, “It just feels weird.”

The Wilsons’ day was far from strange, dawning bright and remaining beautiful. “I’m loving it, it’s been perfect, It was HOT….really HOT,” says Shannon. “It’s supposedly the hurricane season but it’s been beautiful every day.” For Shannon and John being away from the crowds at home is priceless.

They did need one important slice of home, their family, to complete the occasion. John and Shannon took time out to explore the island on Joy’s sailing tour but took advantage of their honeymoon in paradise to relax together. “Every other day has been poolside,” smiles Shannon. Post by St. Lucia Wedding Photographer.

Having lived abroad for several years, it was a heartwarming welcome home for Tessa Saunders when she returned to Saint Lucia for her nuptials with fiancé Michael Schreck, a native of New Jersey, USA.

The sunny setting was a natural choice for the long-time lovers, who also wanted a traditional church wedding. “I always wanted Tessa to get married at home because the cathedral in Castries is just beautiful and I wanted her to get married in her childhood parish and where she grew up,” says Michael . Tessa remembers, “about 4 years ago we were at walking down the shore and we were talking about weddings and I told him I want to get married at home. ‘

At home it was as the two joined Tessa’s family for what was to be the first introduction to her lifemate. “I was very nervous,” Says Michael, “Besides being an inter-racial couple, I am 13 years her senior, older than her oldest sibling. But from the first 30 seconds when we reached up Pavee Hill it felt right and I felt at home.

Tessa’s mother was just very endearing and the whole family, her brothers and sisters, Nigel, Francis, Maria and Dylan, really accepted me and didn’t judge me.”

The meeting was no less warming than Tessa’s first with his family. “It was a little intimidating,” Tessa says in turn, “Because the first time I met Michael’s family his dad had passed away. We were already going out for a year but the first time I met them was a couple of days before his dad’s funereal. I walked in expecting everybody to be sad and upset but everybody welcomed me and it felt right from the beginning.”

There, as in Saint Lucia, the difference was accepted but still noticed. At Michael’s urging Tessa recounts, “It’s funny because the repast, which we call the wake here, was in Wisconsin which is like, farmland. Everybody was coming up to me saying ‘hi, you must be Tessa, Michael’s girlfriend’ and I was asking myself ‘how does everybody know I’m Michael’s girlfriend?’ and I realized I was the only Black girl there.” Their peals of laughter ring out together at the seven-year-old family joke.

Michael, currently a chef working at the Indy Race League, and Tessa, who now works in accounts receivables at Hilton hotel, first met on the job. “I was manager on duty one night at the hotel we were both working at and Tessa was working at the front desk. I saw her smile just light up the lobby and I knew right then that I just had to meet her. There’s also a glitch to that because she thought I was an ass when she first met me,” says Michael, and Tessa quickly agrees, “Yes I did.”

More than seven years later, the first testy meeting has resulted in Tessa’s first and Michael’s second marriage. Michael says it was down to the wire in 2008 for a very patient Tessa . “I was teasing her because she was like ‘if you don’t marry me in December…’, that was in June, and I was like, ‘is that all it takes? I can last till December’.”

The June wedding saw the couple sticking to the religious theme and using the Benedictine Centre at the Morne for their special occasion. They were more than satisfied with the service provided by the nuns who run the place. Michael, who always believed nuns to be guarded and cloistered from attending weekday mass as a child in New Jersey, was pleasantly surprised.  “When I got there Sister Emmanuella, who we had talked to over the phones, and all the other nuns were all so sweet and welcoming.”

The stunning views (the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other), the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food service, had even Chef Michael impressed. “It’s just very warm and friendly. You feel like you’re at home.”

Tessa saw the magic from the start. “As soon as we walked in and saw the church, the archway was like wrought iron and there were initials ‘M’ and ‘T’ and that just sold it for us.”

Although there were rules to follow, such as keeping the music down, the ceremony was for Tessa, “More than I imagined it would be.” So enjoyable, kids a jovial Michael, “I still had my hand up one girl’s dress when I was after the garter. So I was happy.”

The real joy however was being surrounded by family and friends, even with the limited number from overseas. “We never would have been able to get our wedding done without the help of our family. And it’s wonderful that our family got together for Tessa and I and everybody had a good time.”

The guests list was fitting for the two who met in a hotel, with twenty-five people flying in from England, America, the Philippines, Ghana, Portugal and Haiti, the only thing missing was international flags to welcome everyone.

Guests also got to enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of Saint Lucia with a round the island boat trip replacing the traditional New Jersey post wedding brunch. The full day trip, “It was fun from the moment we got on the boat until we got back,” included stops at the famous Sulphur Springs, swimming and snorkeling at Anse Cochon and lots of local eats.

In typical style Michael ends with the cherry on top, “We should have had the boat ride before the wedding because by that time I would have learnt to dance a little more Lucian style. By Sunday Tessa’s brothers and sisters had given me some pointers and I had loosened up my hips.”

Don’t worry Michael all the dance steps were caught by my snappy professional lenses and the high quality memories will remain with you and your guests for generations.

There’s an elixir in the air on this little Caribbean island, and Craig and Michelle Davis have breathed in deeply. Michelle had always had the dream of being married in St. Lucia. “I’d never seen a picture of the island. I must have just seen or heard of it on a film or something.”

Luckily, her husband Craig agreed to it when they were making plans. “We began to look into it and see what a beautiful island it is, and I wanted to come here even more.” “The island is amazing and the hotel is fantastic. The people on the island are just so friendly. We couldn’t ask for a better place to get married. My dream came true. I had my dream wedding”, said Michelle.

Michelle and Craig Davis met each other over 6 years ago at a local pub near their homes in South Wales. Craig noted, “We didn’t have a first date”, Michelle said. “We would go to cinemas, hang out together doing things that we both really enjoy. I’m really lucky I found someone that likes what I like doing. We love sports. We’ve been to millions of sports…Grand Prix…rugby…any sport there is, we’ve done it. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about him…that we enjoy the same things.” In speaking with Craig he said, “Each and every time we saw each other we grew closer and closer. I dropped her off from a date, later sent her a text and said, ‘Let’s give it a go.’

They did. “When we go out, I love being with Michelle. I love being with my wife.” “I can be who I am with him”, Michelle said. “He’s patient. He’s always there to listen and he never judges me.” “Michelle makes me who I am. I know I’m the best person I’ve been in the last 6 years. She brings out my best. Michelle’s qualities are beautiful”, Craig exclaimed.

Michelle said, “I’m really lucky to find someone who likes doing what I’m doing.” In preparing for their day, they started their search by going on a few blogs and found Bill Mortley Photography.

They read about a couple from Britain who were married the year previously. They used Bill Mortley Photography and couldn’t speak highly enough of him. “We looked at a slideshow of your work. It was pretty fantastic and we knew right away what we were going to do. We even changed our wedding date so you could take photos of us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve made, so thank you again, Bill”, remarked Michelle. Craig noted, “The photos are not just pure poses, but are taken when people are being themselves…very natural, and that’s the part that you see…the laughter… the happiness in people. While we were listening to what the minister was saying, you were capturing what was going on around us. We had that to look at later. It’s been absolutely fantastic.”

They mentioned that they are planning to return for their ten-year vow renewal. Michelle said, “That’s the plan anyway, but we may not be able to wait 10 years.” “Definitely will come back to this island and will recommend it to anyone…and get Bill Mortley Photography…definitely…don’t get anyone else.” Thanks Michelle.

Reprinted from Tripadvisor.com
Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort: The perfect wedding!

A party of eight of us ranging in age from 6 to 66 went out to St Lucia for our wedding. The hotel really had something for everyone- quiet adults only pools, a kids pool with slides, pool table , table tennis and kids club, and great entertainment in the evening, that impressed us all by its high quality. Not to mention a good range of watersports that are part of the package.

In our second week we got married. The day was really relaxed and everything ran smoothy. We should mention our fantastic photographer Bill Mortley who is a resident of the island- he took so much time and care to capture every moment of our day. He is both a perfectionist and real professional- we are absolutely delighted with our photos. Anyone considering a wedding in St Lucia should visit his website. He was substantially cheaper than the hotel photographer, and having met a disappointed bride who had taken up the hotel photographer, we were so pleased that someone had recommended him to us before we went.

All in all our two weeks were pretty much perfect- just a bit more rain than we had expected. Our top tips for getting married at this hotel would be 1. The gazebo is a much more private location to get hitched than the beach- its quite public. 2. Pay the extra to have a steel band play – it was well worth it for the great ambience it created. 3. Check out the photographer we recommended above, rather than just going with the hotel one.

A fairytale wedding is hardly complete without the perfect photographer. One who not only goes by the books, capturing every precious moment of the occasion but who’s enthusiasm to the job transcends though professionalism, creating a blissful atmosphere that is most of all, conducive to just about the best wedding memoirs one could wish for.

Bill Mortley is one of those photographers that set subjects at ease. John Walsh and Holly Walsh, who worked in the Corporate Asset Finance banker found that out when they set off to St Lucia for their tropical destination wedding.
John was a manager a CPA London and Holly worked in the Corporate Asset Finance banker division for Lloyds TSB, a Major Bank in the London. They’d met at a bar randomly through mutual friends. Conversations progressed rapidly from that initial meeting and one year later, they moved to London from their hometown Jersey, together.
“I chose to share my life with John because he is perfect in every way,” said Holly.

“Holly “is an absolutely stunning, beautiful woman”, John says.
Once they’d moved in together, the couple engaged within 10 weeks. They settled on a destination wedding, and later, on the lush isle of St Lucia.
“Our flight from London while fine, was a bit stressful. As soon as we arrived at the Resort we just chilled out and relaxed for the whole week before the wedding. We wanted the day to be really special and we brought along a wedding party of family and friends to ensure it would be.”

Holly and John agreed that the outstanding beauty of the island had drawn them in. They’d never been to St Lucia before but heard reviews that the island was “simply stunning.”
“St Lucia is beautiful, we’ve been able to verify that for ourselves. We looked at so many venues and St Lucia is the one that really stuck out. We chose Almond Morgan Bay after seeing the photos of the property and reading reviews on Trip Advisor. We decided that was the ideal place for our “perfect day,”

The soon to be newlyweds tied the knot on May 9th at Almond Morgan Bay. John looked absolutely thrilled as he watched daughter Courtney Ember Walsh, 12-years-old and one of the bride’s maids, walk down the aisle. After the wedding he said he’d been excited, as his daughter Courtney just loved the island.
Twenty-four family members and friends were present for the nuptials, including John’s parents Margaret and John, Holly’s brother Dean who represented her father who passed away recently, and also gave her away. Other attendees included Holly’s cousin Lindsey, John’s Mother Marian and her best friend Pauline, John’s Best man Dean, and groomsman Ross and friends.

The facilities at Almond Morgan Bay far exceeded John and Holly’s expectations. They particularly loved the location and view of the wedding gazebo where they were married, and were “absolutely delighted” with the cuisine at their dinner that evening.

For Ben and Jo of London, flying to the Caribbean for their wedding was the ultimate private get-away. But the couple, who value their privacy above all else, were surprised to find their resort of choice offered the seclusion they so desired while still presenting a lavish wedding.

The venue – East Wind’s Inn in La Brelotte Bay; a cosy resort with only thirty rooms, located on one of the more pristine bays on the island of Saint Lucia; The setting – exquisite; with 12 acres of lush tropical gardens bordered by the golden beach. This traditional resort boasts an exclusive experience to those who value simple luxury, exactly what Ben and Jo required.

The two, both 25, chose a destination wedding for that momentous walk down the aisle, because as Ben says, “We just wanted something a bit different.” And, Jo explains, “We wanted somewhere quite exclusive, quite secluded and we just decided you’ve got everything here.”

The couple got everything and much more for their wedding. “It’s more than we expected. This place is really good for that kind of thing…its top notch. It was perfect really. We didn’t have anything in mind so we just went along with it.”

To Ben and Jo’s pleasure, the special arrangements went beyond the ceremony. “In the evening when we had our meal there were really pretty flowers in the table and they made us a special dessert. It was really very nice. We were very, very pleased with it. It’s all been a nice surprise,” declares Jo.

The services of photographer Bill Mortley, and the quality of his work, also added to the couple’s satisfaction with their choice. Bill also comes highly recommended by Trip Advisor for his creative and superior work on weddings at various resorts, which creates lasting memories for his clients.

Ben and Jo’s memories will also include the very pleasant and friendly staff of East Winds, which was recommended by one of Ben’s friends. The all-inclusive resort also had the plus of being the winner of Trip Advisor’s 2008 Traveller’s Choice award, which Ben says, “Makes a lot of difference, with hundreds of reviews.”

The newlywed’s who say, “St Lucia looked so nice we didn’t have to look anywhere else,” also took the time to sail around the island on the Brig Unicorn and trek through its rainforest.