Have you ever heard of a couple deciding to get married and do so within 12 short hours? And, no, a couple in a movie don’t count! Well that’s exactly what Thomas & Kimberly did whilst on holiday in Belize. They were married, just the two of them, in the middle of the ocean, on a sandbar in Ambergris Caye.
“We like to be laid-back, relaxed and chilled”, explained the bride. “We wanted to avoid any wedding planning stress, and to instead spend our time enjoying the sand, water, and each other. We wanted an event that would set the bar high for our life together, and we were very lucky to find Keli Fortman from “I Do” Belize Weddings. Keli coordinated the whole wedding in less than 12 hours. We were so excited about the location she suggested and she was great to work with. The ceremony itself was beautiful and touching.”
What first attracted me to this story though was their amazing and dramatic wedding photographs, taken by local photographer Leonardo Melendez. While the trend for a lot of wedding photography is still very (sorry but there really is no other word to describe it…) vintage-inspired, his work is bold, daring and as far removed from vintage as possible! “We had a great time having our pictures taken with Leonardo,” Kimberly continued. “He is the best in Belize as far as far as we are concerned. He came up with some really creative ideas.”
“After the ceremony we had a private dinner, just the two of us, which was served on the patio of our beach cabana. We didn’t have a cake. Instead we had a champagne toast in the middle of the ocean on the sandbar after saying ‘I DO’! We can honestly say that the day was as near perfect as it could be and we wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way.”
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- Photography: Leonardo Melendez
- Location: Ambergris Caye, Belize
- Bride's Dress: Rachel Pally
- Planner: I DO Belize Weddings