Created in partnership with our friends at Bermuda Tourism.
If you’re looking for the prettiest island wedding destination that’s rich in culture, filled with interesting architecture and has the best food and beaches, look no further than Bermuda. At 21 miles long and just a mile wide, Bermuda is made up of 181 islands and endless pink-sand beaches. Jose Villa, photographer extraordinaire, recently headed to the destination to capture a mock rehearsal dinner and wedding by design house Dasfete that showcases Bermuda in all its colorful, carefree, wedded glory.
To recreate this vibe, start with lawn games and a bonfire on the beach to welcome all your guests on the day they arrive on the island. Then, host your wedding ceremony inside an aged, open-air unfinished church dating back to 1874. Head out to the courtyard for cocktails and have dinner in the lush gardens.
For more of the story behind the design and the venues for this shoot, read on below for the scoop from Dasfete.
Venue: The Reefs Resort & Club
You are Bermuda's premier event designers: can you give us a little background on yourselves and Dasfete?
We are a full service, creative event & style production house offering clients everything from event design and production, creative direction, logistical management, décor/furniture sourcing (and custom fabrication) as well as luxury concierge services.
Dasfete was formed four years ago with Selange Gitschner and her husband, Matthew Strong. Selange is a certified Interior Designer specializing in environmental and sustainable design. In 2014 she decided to form her own company so that she could explore her creative potential. As her client list grew and her designs became more complex she needed to expand her team, bringing on Matthew to head the Dasfete production department in 2015. They feel a responsibility to enrich the places where they work by involving the artistic/creative community and giving back where they can with the charities they believe in.
Venue: Spirit of Bermuda
[Cont.]
Dasfete crafts events around who their clients are. They want to get to know their clients so that they can celebrate, curate and produce events specifically for them. Every project is bespoke and inherently unique. They also do things a little differently too, everything is produced with sustainability in mind and they do this because they want you to enjoy your occasion knowing that you’re feeding beauty and resources back into the surrounding area. 
How did you approach the design for this shoot? Any special inspirations?
It’s not every day we are asked to come up with a design for a hypothetical wedding.
We would typically spend time with our bride and groom to really get to know who they are, their story, what they love and how they envision this amazing weekend unfolding before we can begin the design process.
Our approach for this shoot was to tell the story of falling in love in Bermuda and with Bermuda. Our little island is rich with culture, history, flora & fauna, incredible artisans, amazing architecture, delicious food, and gorgeous colors.
Venue: The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club & The Reefs Resort & Club
[Cont.]
We wanted to capture the story of the unique places in Bermuda this couple fell in love with and wanted to share with their family and closest friends. From sailing, to bonfires on the beach, to historic churches, stunning homes with gorgeous gardens, beautiful gifts made by local artisans, to our music and local ingredients.
We absolutely love using all the resources that surround us – from local flowers, greenery, fish, and handmade goods to cocktails infused with local fruit and rum.
It was really important to highlight all the details that make this island so special. We essentially designed our dream wedding weekend in Bermuda :)
Location: Palm Grove Gardens
Why did you choose the venues you worked with?
The Unfinished Church Ceremony:
Bermuda is a small island but punches well above its weight when it comes to the number of beautiful locations there are. The perfect blend of history, culture, nature and beauty led us to use The Unfinished Church in St. George's for the wedding ceremony. This venue is simply magical and to us is the quintessential Bermudian wedding ceremony location. It is a stunning structure, but it is also nestled in the middle of a charming old town. The surrounding narrow lanes, cobblestone streets, pastel colored houses and ancient forts allow for some beautiful backdrops for the wedding portraits and its location allows guests to visit a part of the island (and get a glimpse into island life) they may not otherwise see. We feel that destination weddings should incorporate an authentic reflection of the location as well as showcasing the individuality of our bride and groom. The Unfinished Church has the right balance of existing structure to show off its unique and iconic architecture but provides the perfect canvas for us to add design elements that are specific to our bride and groom’s aesthetic.
Venue: The Unfinished Church
Rehearsal Dinner & Bonfire:
Bermuda is much more than just a beach destination, but we feel we have some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. The south shore beaches are pristine, and the water is turquoise blue. We feel that some aspect of the wedding festivities should be held on one of our beaches whether that is for the rehearsal dinner or for welcome cocktails or a brunch. We chose the beach at The Reefs Resort and Club as it is a private beach with all of the amenities a first-class hotel provides. Many of our beaches have similar pink sand and gorgeous sunsets but this beach also has tall limestone cliffs. We love lighting these cliffs to show off the endemic rock formations and strata so as to enhance the surroundings as the event transitions from sunset into the night. 
Venue: The Reefs Resort & Club
How was working at each venue? Any tips for couples looking to host a wedding there?
The Unfinished Church does not have a roof as it was destroyed a long time ago by a freak tornado, so it is not an all-weather venue. Over the years we have become weather experts, using all the weather tools available to us. For this shoot we actually set up in the rain as we knew that the rain would stop by the time the bride and groom arrived for the shoot. We have an amazing team that go above and beyond to execute our designs and keep our clients happy.
We consider it a privilege to be able to work in venues like this, so we are very respectful of it being an important historical and cultural landmark. Not only do we make sure the venue is left as it was found but we have developed ways to hang floral arrangements without damaging the soft limestone walls. There is also an efficient team that manages this location that are a pleasure to work with and we have seen considerable improvements to the infrastructure recently.
Venue: The Reefs Resort & Club
[Cont.]
Although setting up on a beach can have its challenges, we really enjoy working with the team at The Reefs Hotel. We find that when using a beach location, you really need the added infrastructure of a nearby hotel or restaurant. Having to provide the infrastructure for an event on an isolated beach can be costly and there are less options available to us if the weather isn’t perfect. Having the support of the onsite team from The Reefs and working closely with them to figure out sand depth, ocean conditions and amounts of seaweed etc. is vital to the successful production of an event.
We also recommend working with a local event design and production team like Dasfete who have local knowledge and strong relationships with venues, vendors and artisans. We want our bride and groom to be relaxed and carefree so they can enjoy every aspect of their wedding weekend.
Venue: The Reefs Resort & Club
Why should couples choose Bermuda as their wedding destination?
It's only an hour and a half flight from New York to our pink sand, turquoise water, timeless charm, beautiful culture and history and our relaxed but activity-filled atmosphere. How could it not be the perfect wedding destination?!
The Bermuda Tourism Authority is a great resource during the initial stages of your wedding planning. As local experts with extensive in-market relationships, they can help you book hotels for your wedding guests. Their complimentary services can save you time and effort.
Explore more wedding venues, hotels and restaurants in Bermuda →
Credits
Photography: Jose Villa | Event Styling & Production: Dasfete | Location: Bermuda | Venues: The Reefs Resort & Club, Coral Beach & Tennis Club, The Unfinished Church, Palm Grove Gardens, Southlands Estate, The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club | Hair & Make Up: Janet Villa | Fashion Styling: The Stylish Bride | Catering: Take Five Catering | Cocktails: Twisted Spoon | Paper Goods: Paper Kite Design | Ring Box: The Mrs. Box
