WEDDING IDEAS

“For the bouquets, I actually used fake flowers,” Amy explains. “I was afraid the flowers wouldn’t hold up well in the heat.” She carried an all-white arrangement that included lilies, roses, and gardenias. Amy’s attendants -- her two sisters -- carried pink-and-white bouquets that included dahlias and lilies.

Amy and Blake exchanged vows on a stone deck overlooking the ocean. Their guests sat in the shade beneath a hut attached to the deck. “We wanted the ceremony to be really special and personal, and we couldn’t think of anything better than having our siblings lead us through it,” Amy says. She and Blake wrote the ceremony together, and Blake’s older brother performed it. Other siblings gave readings as well.

Amy and Blake’s guests sat at a long table decorated with green runners and pineapples. Guests found their seats by simply following the lights -- the bride had written each guest’s name on a luminaire.

Amy & Blake in Negril, Jamaica

Photos By: Angelica Glass Photography, Queens and Sergio Photographer, Tucson

Location: Tensing Pen Resort, Negril

Amy and Blake first met at sea. Both participated in Semester at Sea, a study-abroad program on a cruise ship. Blake’s cabin happened to be right next to Amy’s, and she caught his eye immediately. They spent the rest of the semester traveling through Asia with the ship and falling in love. When fall came, it was back to school for both: he in Colorado, she in Pittsburgh. “We kept our relationship going by taking turns flying back and forth to see each other every month,” Amy says.

The Bride Amy, 23
The Groom Blake, 24
The Date June 12

Just after both had finished finals, Amy flew out to Colorado. Early the next morning, Blake woke up Amy and told her to “get ready for an adventure.” He drove her up to Sunrise Amphitheater, which sits atop a mountain. Blake had brought along a picnic breakfast for them to enjoy while watching the sunrise. As the sun finally rose, Blake asked Amy to marry him with a poem he had written.

-- Kate Wood