Our third day in Grand Cayman was the whole reason for our trip – Claire and Sean’s wedding! I have to admit, when I woke up that morning, I was nursing a bit of a hangover from the previous night. Too many Cayman Blues, I think. Claire was smart about insisting on going to bed at 10 pm the previous night, precisely to avoid how I was feeling!
I ended up skipping breakfast because I was running a bit late but Josh thoughtfully brought me back some english muffins so that I could eat something to help settle my stomach. I was supposed to be at Claire’s hotel room by 11:30 so I quickly showered and gathered the stuff I needed for the wedding. In the process, I managed to stain my bridesmaid dress with some sunscreen. Oy! Fortunately it wasn’t too noticeable, and we were able to get some of it out later with Shout wipes.
I made my way to Claire’s room at the Beach Suites, and that’s when all of the fun began. Gathered in the room was Claire’s mother, Sean’s mother, and the three bridesmaids, Sara, Lauren and me. Claire’s sister Jill, the matron of honor, was unable to make the trip to Grand Cayman because she is due very soon, so she joined us for the festivities via Skype, which was so sweet. It was a total girly day, with Claire getting a mani/pedi and each of us getting taking turns to get our hair and makeup done. We spent the whole time chatting and laughing. We also snacked on the spread that Claire put out, an assortment of cheese, crackers, salami, fruit, crudite, hummus, and sun-dried tomato pesto.
Claire getting her makeup done with her cute bridal robe on the back of the chair
The bridal bouquet
From Claire’s balcony, we watched them set up the ceremony site on the beach. The view was just gorgeous, and although the weather would turn later that evening, the sun was shining and the lighting was perfect for the ceremony.
The arch in the lower middle of the picture is where they set up the ceremony site
Gorgeous view
When the photographer came, we had a lot of fun taking all kinds of pictures, both serious and silly. At one point, we bridesmaids ended up on Claire’s balcony wearing only white towels. I’m not sure what people thought if they looked up and saw us, but I think it made for a nice, whimsical photo. Finally, we got Claire into her dress and all buttoned up, and she was ready to roll. I have to say, she did make a stunning bride. After one more set of photos of Claire with the ocean as the backdrop, we headed downstairs for the ceremony.
I have to say, the wedding planner at the Grand Cayman Beach Suites was definitely on top of her game. She gave us our cue, and off we went, all down a straight line until we hit the beach and to the ceremony site. Claire and Sean were both beaming the whole ceremony, and it was really just a lovely, wonderful occasion. Both Silva’s and Josh’s readings went off without a hitch, the marriage licenses were signed, and soon Sean and Claire were proclaimed husband and wife.
The cocktail hour was next, up on the roof terrace of the Beach Suites. The reception was originally scheduled to take place there, but the incoming rain scheduled for later in the evening meant moving the reception indoors down the road at the Britannia Golf Club. The cocktail hour featured passed canapes, a seafood table, a cheese table, and a table of assorted dips and spreads. My favorite canapes were a beef carpaccio flavored with truffle oil and a shooter glass with fresh mozzarella and tomato. We watched the sun start to set from the roof, and then we piled onto buses that took us over to the golf club.
At the golf club, dinner was held on a covered porch that overlooked a pond on the golf course (which was good because it started pouring rain while we were eating). There were about 50 people altogether attending the wedding, so it was the perfect setting for such an intimate gathering. First we watched Claire and Sean do their first dance (which included a dramatic dip at the end), and then we were seated and they cut the cake (so that it wouldn’t get ruined in the heat). Dinner was served, and each course was pretty fabulous. Claire and Sean are both food lovers, and they planned a great menu.
The appetizer was fire roasted shrimp on snow peas and cucumber noodles, served with a curry yogurt sauce.
Fire roasted shrimp on snow peas and cucumber noodles
The first course was Florida greens with grilled zucchini, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and crisp shallots, served with a lemon vinaigrette.
Florida greens with grilled zucchini, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and crisp shallots
For the entree, we had a choice of grilled tenderloin of beef with red wine reduction and wild mushroom ragu, pan seared mahi mahi with cumin spiced plum tomatoes, herb crusted chicken breast with exotic mushroom stuffing, or a vegetarian option. Each entree was served with buttery mashed potatoes and veggies. Josh and I split the grilled beef tenderloin and the pan seared mahi mahi.
Grilled beef tenderloin with red wine reduction and wild mushroom ragout
Pan seared mahi mahi with cumin spiced plum tomatoes
Dessert was an assortment of sweets, featuring a slice of chocolate fudge cake, a passion fruit coconut tartlet, and dobos torte (a Hungarian layer cake).
Dobos torte, passion fruit coconut tartlet, chocolate fudge slice
There was wedding cake as well, a vanilla cake layered with chocolate creme, but my camera battery died before I could get a shot of it. We were all bursting at the seams by the time dinner was over, which meant that we had to hit the dance floor to burn off all those calories. What followed might not have been the most graceful scene (and it was pretty awkward at some parts – funky chicken anyone?), but we had a blast dancing our hearts out. Claire got so into the action that the bustle on her dress broke, but Sara, who apparently is a home ec genius (earlier in the day she ironed Claire’s veil without a hitch and helped me fix the stain on my dress), managed to sew it back together while we were standing in the bathroom.
We were pretty much all sweaty messes by the time the last dance was finished, but everyone was happy and still pumped up. We continued the party back at the Beach Suites, visiting our Canadian bartender friend at Bamboo. Felipe, Silva, Josh and I called it a night around 1 am when Bamboo closed, but apparently the party continued up on the roof after we left. While we were sad to find out the next day what we missed, our walk back to the Comfort Suites was pretty spectacular. We took the beach route once again, and there were brilliant flashes of lightening in the distance over the ocean. It was a little scary for me (since I hate looking at dark bodies of water at night), but an impressive sight nonetheless. It was a dazzling end to a wonderful day.
Tags: Grand Cayman