Kelyen & Katie’s Exuma Cays Adventure Wedding

This wedding was one for the books.  Kelyen and Katie had flown to Humboldt County back in July for a couples adventure engagement session on the Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt Redwoods and the black sands beaches of Shelter Cove. When Kelyen first inquired about a session, he mentioned they were already planning their wedding in the Bahamas.

So when they asked me to come capture their special day in Nassau, I was SO excited! It was definitely an adventure  getting to another country in spite of all of the covid regulations.  In fact, my husband and I had to drive 10 hours in one afternoon just to be able to get our negative covid test results in time for our flight.

When we landed in Atlanta for our connecting flight early Tuesday morning, I learned that the plans had changed and instead of departing out of Nassau,  we would now be flying to the Exuma Cays because the weather there was going to be better for all of the wedding day adventures planned.

Because we were going to be leaving Exuma Water Sports early Saturday morning, we decided to capture the getting ready photos, first look and some formal pictures the evening before because we knew the next morning would be super rushed because we would be hitting the water early, then the wedding, and then rush straight to the airport.

We traveled on the Carribean ocean on a ski boat while Captain Ray Lightbourne acted as our tour guide, showing us the beautiful private islands of the rich and famous.

We took a quick stop to feed the Iguanas and then it was on to the Musha Key Sandbar where Pastor Lyle performed a beautiful  ceremony.  After Kelyen and Katie exchanged vows while standing knee deep in the amazingly beautiful turquoise water, we ventured on to see Pablo Escobar’s famous drug plane and then it was on to swim with  the pigs,  followed by a quick stop to swim with the sharks.

One of the things I love about more intimate weddings is that you get to know everyone involved. So, let me introduce you to the cast and crew of this absolutely magical 3 day adventure.

Kelyen- the fun loving, adventurous, never sit still, organized, wedding planner groom.

Katie- the calm, go with the flow, up for anything teacher with a mellow and welcoming demeanor.

Amanda- bestie bug. The fun loving, life of the party, bartender, chef and maid of honor.

Jr- the quiet, laid back , mellow, tear swiping, Kalik drinking best man.

Mama Leona- The groom’s mom. A petite, quiet woman with  a big presence, a great sense of humor, and a great smile.

Mama Cori- The supporter, sandbar walker downer, easy going, problem solving  mother of the bride.

Pastor Lyle-The  pastor with a voice like James Earl Jones, leader of ceremony, but also not afraid to have a little fun.

Chris- The funny, best Bahamanian accent, make you laugh out loud storyteller, curvy island roads driving,  breaking curfew and losing keys, drone operator.

Well there yo have it… the first wedding of 2021. This couple made it happen despite a million roadblocks, and a national pandemic. This adventure wedding was an AMAZING start to the 2021 wedding season!