Words by Maureen Young
We’re back again! We were stoked to fly out to the Dominican for Lucy + Jimmy’s wedding earlier this year & it was great to be back for Anita + Jesse’s amazing destination wedding.  It may have been the same setting but a new love story, Anita + Jesse’s, gave it a different dimension and we’re so honoured to have been there to capture these fun-loving goofballs as they start a new chapter in their love story. We arrived 4 days prior to the wedding, along with Anita + Jesse’s friends. Family arrived a day later & it was 4 days to celebrate the stag & stagette (which we were honoured to be guests of!), adventures and non-stop laughs.
We love getting to know our couples so the creative direction really complements their unique styles and personalities. Arriving with Anita+Jesse and having 4 days to spare meant we had time to share in their celebrations and we’re glad we could be there for those unscripted moments.
The day before the wedding, Anita was treated out to a day at Doctor Fish. The girls had a blast being pampered with massages, an ocean Jacuzzi and (a bit gross for our tastes!) little fishes eating the dead skin off their feet.
The day of the wedding, the girls gathered in Cindy’s room (the boys were in Anita + Jesse’s room) to get ready at 8am. Talented bridesmaid Wendy helped the girls get their hair and make-up done.
When the flowers were delivered sans-flower for Anita’s hair, Pam rang the guys room & groomsman Ray went to the rescue, in his wedding attire. Rather than going to the hotel staff to sort it out, Ray sourced the flowers himself (i.e. he picked them from the garden) & delivered them to Anita’s room.
Jesse’s perfectly ironed shirt, courtesy of expert ironer & groomsman Adrian, was going to be worn fresh from the package (yes, it still had its tags on) except that the suitcase wrinkled it. While Adrian, under Dan’s careful observation, saw to it that Jesse looked immaculate, Jesse had a chance to eat breakfast while Ray & Hector finished getting ready. Ray was soon regretting his speed at getting dressed when he found himself having to re-iron his shirt while being paparazii’d by Jesse’s dad after saving Anita’s hairstyle with instant flower delivery.
Anita’s bridesmaids; Marianne, Cindy, Pam and Wendy made sure Anita looked stunning, putting the final touches on Anita’s dress and hair. 
The ceremony took place on the beach, where sunbathers couldn’t help but take a sneaky peek. The girls arrived fashionably late looking amazing and the bridal party walked down the aisle in pairs.
Ray swears it was the sunscreen that brought tears to his eyes when Anita joined Jesse at the altar. Ask any of the other groomsmen though and they’ll tell you they were tears of jealousy. Jesse is known for having a bit of a man crush on his mates and when it comes to Ray, they reckon the feeling’s mutual 😉
Anita expecting a little kiss from her husband! 😉
Helen, one of the MCs for the night, summed up Anita + Jesse’s love story beautifully, “… they are made for each other. Being with them and watching them together, you can see that they fill in the missing spaces inside each other and in turn bring out an even better person in each of them.”
More smiles to come when we catch the bridal party pulling funny faces in Part II.
Much love,
A+R