Featured Location: Under the Bermuda Moon
British Couple Weds on Bermuda Beach
By: Kelli M. Donley

When Sacha Blackburne was invited to a new restaurant in London, the last thing she thought she'd find was racing dogs or a husband.

"We were introduced through a mutual friend who had arranged a night out at the races," she says of the chance encounter several years ago. "I was told I was going to "The Dogs," so I assumed it was a new and trendy restaurant. Turned out it was greyhound racing and I was appalled. Ben actually thought I was with a friend who was there -- who later was a groomsman in the wedding, but he decided to try his luck anyway! The moment he opened his mouth, I had to take a step back to wonder who this man was. Every word made me more smitten. We spent the evening with me only allowing him to bet on fat dogs belonging to women and making 50p bets - hence, he didn't make any money. It was the first and last time either of us went to the dogs."

Instead, they went to France. After traveling to Bermuda for several months, Ben Adamson, Blackburne's future husband, said enough. " had to go away for a couple of months, but he came to Bermuda to bring me back to London and I moved in with him on his canal boat," she says. "He proposed 5 days later -- 23 days of knowing each other in person later -- in the rain under a thick canopy of leaves on a mossy rock in the woods in France -- very romantic. We were secretly engaged from May to September - gave us wonderful opportunity to talk about what marriage meant to us without the pressure of the outside world knowing." That mossy rock would prove symbolic some time later when the couple returned to Bermuda to be married on the beach with 65 of their closest friends and family in attendance.

"We were married on the beach beneath some cliffs in amongst a nook of rocks
that served as an enclosure," she describes. "I always felt more spiritual outside in the natural elements. The ceremony was 6pm so the sun had dipped behind the cliffs so we weren't sweltering in the heat, but the water was still lit up. Ben and my mother and his father had built an arch out of drift wood; family and friends decorated it with flowers and moss, including a piece of moss brought from France by Ben's parents from the rock upon which we were originally engaged. One of the reasons we chose the day we did was because it was 2 days after full moon so the moon rises an hour after sunset and is like a red orb. As it rose, it faded to peach and then white as it hung overhead the dance floor and cliff top terrace where we had the sit-down dinner reception."

The bride and groom tailored their attire to match the relaxed atmosphere, seeking the consult of professionals and using their creativity to make their fashion mark.
"I wore a strapless dress made out of dreamy flowing ivory chiffon with a band
of antique beaded fabric above the bust," she says. "I just drew some pictures and between three seamstresses in London and Bermuda, the dream became reality. I had some fabulous high-heeled diamante flip-flops but didn't wear them at the beach wedding -- just at the church blessing in London. I made my own veil out of a mosquito net and had a train of the same fabric as the band that attached on the back of the dress. The boys wore navy linen trousers and flowy ivory linen shirts - bare foot. The bridesmaids wore flowing chiffon twilight colored dresses. My sister, Amanda (who also served as the photographer) wore indigo and the two maids wore periwinkle. We tied our bouquets ourselves - blue hydrangeas and mine had white mini orchids scattered throughout, as well asin my hair."

The wedding pair were concerned tides would be a problem after they swept in during the rehearsal. Thankfully, luck was on their side and low tide came at 6:30 pm. Guests were then treated to a poem from the bride's father and a outdoor feast.
"Dinner was served on the cliff top terrace overhanging the beach where we were
married, she says. "It was a seafood buffet with a decadent selection of sushi,
shellfish and seafood, plus some traditional dishes for the non-fish eaters.
Desserts were also plentiful but the best was our wedding cake, made by a
close friend who had also done a reading. She spent two days making the cake
and I can't even think how many boxes of eggs went into it. It was a gluten
free cake, as I am a celiac; it was pure chocolate, eggs, butter and
sugar, decorated with Ben and my favorite chocolates - Guylian."

Concerned only their affluent friends in the United Kingdom would be able to attend the beachside event, they instead arranged a second ceremony when they returned to London.

"We decided that if we invited all our friends from the UK, then perhaps only
the wealthier ones would be able to attend so we chose to only invite the
friend who had introduced us, and family, and then the rest of our friends
were invited to the Blessing in London," she says. "Also, Ben's four grandparents may not have been well enough to travel, not to mention the 300 plus steps down to the beach and then up again for the reception. Also, we had family who appreciated the fact that we blessed the marriage in a church. I wore my dress again for the blessing, but then changed into a more bohemian white linen top and wrap skirt for the picnic in the park. We bought tons of champagne and asked friends to bring blankets. It was a blast -- we played ball games, lounged in the tall grass and went for bike rides from teatime until we realized it was 10pm and the park would have long been shut. Luckily, Hyde Park has one way doors so you can get out, just not back in, though lifting baby strollers out was a bit
tricky."

Blackburne says travel to Bermuda is simple from the United States and the United Kingdom. The pair highly recommends the island as a location locale for those interested in a destination wedding. "Bermuda is the most dreamy and romantic place to be married," she says. "I recommend friends and family coming down well before the wedding in order to get to know each other and enjoy the island first. Having a backup plan that you are happy with is always good because everyday can't be rain free or there would be no greenery. It is also the perfect place to elope if they just want the wedding to be about the two of them and then have a reception when they return home. Time of day is also important for both photos and temperatures. Also, you don't necessarily want men dressed in heavy suits in the middle of summer."

Blackburne, who has since moved to Bermuda with her beau, gushes about the fanciful isle. I love the winding roads with weathered Bermuda stone walls with vines and flowers creeping," she says. I love the color and texture of the sand, the water's look and feel. I love the rugged cliffs meeting pristine turquoise seas." 


For more information about Bermuda weddings visit: www.bermudaweddings.com

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