Lantana | Stacie Steensland

Rock My Wedding blog image by Brilliant Studios

Image by Brilliant via Rock My Wedding

Thrilled to have our Bohemian shoot featured on Rock My Wedding! Love that site, and their UK team who knows how to bring on the pretty party!! Please pay their beautiful blog a visit and be sure to check out our feature Beach Bohemia!

All images by Chanelle Segerius-Bruce of www.brilliant.tc

The “Bajacu Bohemian” styled shoot, as the name suggests, was very much inspired by the incredible venue. The elevated oceanside villa, and its designer, world famous architect Marco Aldaco, have been featured in many substantial books and such noteworthy publications as Architectural Digest. Bajacu literally “rising sun” in the native Caribbean Taino tongue, is apparent from the moment one sets eyes on the burnt orange exterior, set far above the surrounds on one of the highest perches on the island of Providenciales. The view, especially from the crescent shaped infinity pool which wraps around the giant central palapa, is made that much more spectacular by the 11 surrounding acres of lush tropical gardens thick with frangipani, jasmine, and countless coconut trees. Antique furnishings from Africa, Indonesia, and Asia create a warm ambiance. The global influences in the art, decor, and details give guests a taste of the world and so we wanted to incorporate that free spirited love of travel and all things rich in color into our concept.

Bajacu Bohemian Turkish Tea Station

Bajacu Bohemian Ceremony, infinity pool to ocean views

Bajacu lush gardens

Bajacu Bohemian canopied Daybed

Bajacu bride with amazing ocean views

Our color scheme was richly saturated; pomegranate, watermelon, tangerine, golden yellow, and the infamous Bajacu burnt orange (and just about everything in between). Dozens of dark metal Moroccan and glass lanterns in various shapes and sizes dotted the walkway to the sea and clustered around the ceremony site for a dramatic, exotic feel. Bright gypsy inspired patchwork flag strands were hung to flap and flutter against the pure blue sky. A kaleidoscope of patterned pillows made the canopied daybed extra plush and inviting as a newlywed nook. Bright yellow fan corals and citrus slices adorned the fountains and footbaths.

Bajacu Bohemian color scheme

Bajacu Bohemian Daybed Newlywed Nook

Bajacu Bohemian bright blooms and sea fans

Bajacu Bohemian bride and groom in front of water wall fountain

Local florist extraordinaire Environmental Arts Pomegranate Proteas and and lime cymbidium orchids were the focal flowers of the bouquet and decor. Tangerine, peach, and fuscia carnations were used to create Indian inspired floral garlands which were draped in long strands. The grooms lime green and fuscia centered cymbidium orchid boutonniere popped against his midnight blue blazer. A festive crown of colorful carnations and bright blue and purple orchid blooms was the perfect head to toe touch for our boho bride. Single stems of all of the above and local lantana, which both looks and smells as sweet as candy, were centered in brightly colored glass vases for the tablescape.

Bajacu Bohemian gypsy style Ceremony

Bajacu Bohemian Pineapple and Protea tablescape

Bajacu Bohemian Bride with floral crown at footbath

Bajacu Bohemian Indian inspired flower strands

Bajacu Bohemian driftwood “skull” with Environmental Arts floral crown

Our Turkish tea station, an antique chest draped in many patterned peregrine fabrics and florals, made a vibrant welcome for our boho wedding. Gold detailed Morroccan teacups, antique silver, bronze, and gold teapots, and blooms galore surrounded our mouthwatering cake by Diane Guess. Loose wild rosettes in a watercolor wash down the three tiers mimicked the many shades of the “Bajacu” rising sun.

Bajacu Bohemian Turkish Tea Trunk

Watercolor Wash Sunset Cake by Cakes to Di For

Our gorgeous watercolor wash paper goods were provided by Artcadia

Bajacu Bohemian pineapple and protea tablescape

Bajacu Bohemian paper goods by Artcadia

The fabric flag strands were created using materials from the local thrift shop; skirts, shirts, and sundresses were cut into squares and alternated down the line with a few long strips to act as streamers in between. Mother Nature made the unbelievable driftwood “skull” which I adorned with a vivid turquoise and gold necklace to give a desert chic feel to the ceremony. A traditional gift of Caribbean welcome is the pineapple so the exotic fruit acted as table card stands. A few pillow covers were made from the same thrift store fabrics as the flags for the canopied daybed.

Bajacu Bohemian gypsy flag strands

We wanted our bride to convey a sense of mystery in her beauty look, smokey eyes and windswept hair. Ann Clift Northcote of Beauty and the Beach created our make-up looks and Geraldine Burtschi of Salon Maxime styled the hair.

Bajacu Bohemian Bride and Groom

Bajacu Bohemian bridal make-up by Beauty and the Beach, gowns by Luella’s Boutique

Our three gorgeous gowns were provided by Luella’s Boudoir. Each exhibited a different take on bohemian; the plunging neckline dramatic floor length beaded gown, the metallic beaded sheath, and the satin cap sleeve long dress with draped back detail. (Details from Rachel) Our groom wore a midnight blue suit and crisp white dress shirt provided by Mr. Tux. Accessories for a boho bride make all the difference! The most elegant gown can be given an edgy twist with a little accessory finesse, which is exactly what we did with our three bridal looks. The sophisticated Great Gatsby-esque gown was already dripping with detail so we wanted to keep the accessories minimal to let the dress do it’s own shining. A bronze wrap around feather cuff bracelet, a long gold medalion necklace, and large but lightweight filigree drop earrings polished the look. The intricate sheath gown with silver, gold, and bronze beading was paired with dangling filigree gold earrings, a necklace (chanelle details), and chunky gold, silver, and vintage bronze bangle bracelet. Our sleek satin gown was paired with a pearl headdress (Rachel details) and oxidized silver necklace. Our groom was accessorized with a woven red earth colored tribal scarf. As one would expect with a gypsy inspired wedding, our bohemian bride and groom were barefoot!

Bajacu Bohemian great Gatsby-esque gown

Bohemian Bridal Beaded Sheath gown from Luella’s Boutique

Bajacu Bohemian Satin Gown from Luella’s Boutique

m in navy suit from Mr Tux

When choosing a venue take note of all the little details you love, perhaps a pair of potted plants in antique urns or an amazing velvet fainting sofa. With Bajacu there were so many details already part of the villa which were shifted around to add style to the overall look and feel; the Moroccan lanterns, the wooden leaning ladder for the ceremony, the glorious blue and white china for the tablescape just to name a few. Inquire with the venue management about those details you love. Can they be moved to your ceremony spot, can they grace your reception tables? Geting creative with what is already available is a nice way add drama without a dramatic increase in budget.

Chanelle and I had such fun with this concept, lots of laughs having to help one another up from the floor set tablescape due to our heavily pregnant bellies at the time. Big thanks to all the vendors who participated, you all made our punchy-colored-gypsy-vibe vision come true! Turks and Caicos really has the most vivid turquoise sea, come see for yourselves!

Image via wildernessarena

In honor of Easter, Lantana Camara, Big Sage, or West Indian Sage, the only species to date that reminds me of candy. The clustered flowers come in a kaleidoscope of colors, some varieties all on the same bloom, from white to purple, yellow, red, pink, orange, even blue. I love the strong fragrance of this plant; the flowers, the leaves, the stems, everything is highly aromatic. But though you may be tempted to a little taste of this lovely, be aware, the entire plant is highly toxic! The green berries are the most poisonous and can actually be fatal to humans or animals.

Image via b. Naqqi Manco

This species, part of the Verbenaceae (Verbena family), is a small tropical perennial shrub that may grow up to ten feet. The stem and leaves are hairy and the species is known for it’s hardy nature, even considered invasive in some parts of the world. It likes full sun and well drained sandy soil, has some salt tolerance, and is known to revive after you may think it dead (another reason it is appropriate for Easter). It requires little water, is mostly immune to pests or disease, and has extreme heat tolerance, to the fact of being called fire resistant. It will grow and quickly colonize burnt areas. The flowers bloom all year long and will attract butterflies to the garden to pollinate, or as you see below, hummingbirds.

Above and below images via one of our Fleur de Lys Villa guests, Mathew, in the courtyard last February.

Based on the coloring I would guess this is a male Bahama Woodstar hummingbird.

Our current guests, also bird watching enthusiasts, we bid farewell to today as the head back home to British Columbia. This family has been a real treat to host at the villa, they really enjoyed all the nature surrounding Fleur de Lys and Turks and Caicos. Much gratitude to the Radley’s, bon voyage and we hope to welcome you back to Turks and Caicos in the future.

Stacie Steensland

Category Archives: Lantana

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