• Celebrity
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Women in Music
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion House
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Color Files Podcast
    • Nails
    • How-To
    • Beauty Carnival-Archive
    • Dope Stuff On My Desk
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
    • Spring Hair And Beauty
  • Love
    • Love & Sex
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • Holiday Gift Guide 2020
    • Unbossed Podcast
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
    • Your legacy
  • News
    • BLACK VOTES MATTER
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Events
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • LEVEL UP: Entrepreneur Summit (DEC 2020)
    • Power Tools
    • SHE GOT NOW
    • Girls United Summit
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Dear Black Men
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Festival
  • Subscribe
  • Essence Studios
  • Girls United
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Shop Essence

Follow Us

Skip to content
  • Essence Studios
  • Girls United
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Shop Essence
  • Celebrity
    • Celebrity
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Women in Music
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion House
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Color Files Podcast
    • Nails
    • How-To
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty Carnival-Archive
    • Dope Stuff On My Desk
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • Beauty News
  • Hair
    • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
    • Spring Hair And Beauty
  • Love
    • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • Lifestyle News
    • Holiday Gift Guide 2020
    • Netflix’s Jingle Jangle Gift Guide
    • Unbossed Podcast
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
    • Your Legacy
  • News
    • News
    • BLACK VOTES MATTER
    • Essence 50th Anniversary
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Events
    • Events
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • LEVEL UP: Entrepreneur Summit (DEC 2020)
    • Power Tools
    • SHE GOT NOW
    • Girls United Summit
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Dear Black Men
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Festival
  • Subscribe
Home · Weddings

Bridal Bliss: Kaelie and André

Bridal Bliss: Kaelie and André
By · July 10, 2012October 28, 2020
01
Lovers and Friends

Soul mates Kaelie and Andre met through a mutual friend and embarked on a beautiful journey of friendship that ultimately led to a tender love story, despite the distance between them. Andre proposed on a tropical getaway, and he and Kaelie were later married in a colorful ceremony in Barbados. Share their love!

Magical Moments Photography
02
Just My Size

“Being a petite bride — I’m 5’2” and 105 pounds — it was important to me not to have a dress that overwhelmed me," Kaelie, who wound up wearing this gorgeous “Muse” gown by Ian Stuart, says. “Early on I knew that my preferred style was going to be strapless, fitted and mermaid.”

Magical Moments Photography
03
It’s Primping Time

“On our wedding day, we all had our hair done by Angela Sealy of Angela Sealy The Stylist, and Adzil Stuart did the bridal party’s makeup,” says Kaelie. “Angela is one of Barbados’ top hairdressers and I’ve been going to her since I was fourteen. I couldn’t imagine having anyone else help me get ready for my big day because she really is like family. Adzil is one of the island’s leading make up artists.”

Magical Moments Photography
04
Fierce Feet

Kaelie’s show-stopping accessory style really got us talking. These stilettos are a double hitter — they’re both stunning and unique.

Magical Moments Photography
05
Color Me Happy

“For the flowers, the focus really was to represent the bright vibrant colors that complemented our color scheme for the event, which was primarily coral,” Kaelie tells us. Christina Foster of Simply Flowers helped make Kaelie’s floral dreams come true.

Magical Moments Photography
06
Styled to Perfection

“My bouquet was a posy featuring mango calla lilies and orange and coral roses,” says Kaelie. “I particularly wanted to have the stems wrapped and decorated with a jeweled adornment.” Mixing different hues of a bright color gives any wedding bouquet a modern feel.

Magical Moments Photography
07
Show Those Pretty Whites

The groom sure has a winning smile. Kaelie, we bet it’s one of the things you love most about him.

Magical Moments Photography
08
Say Cheese!

These beautiful pre-wedding portraits of lovely bride Kaelie and her bridesmaids were taken in the presidential suite of the Hilton Barbados, where the girls spent the night before the wedding.

Magical Moments Photography
09
It’s A Family Affair

“My big sister was my maid of honor,” says Kaelie. Their photographer gets an A plus for capturing this tender moment on film.

Magical Moments Photography
10
Nothing But Net, Baby!

Here’s nnother birdcage veil we love. We’re seeing more and more brides skip the traditional wedding veil styles in favor of this vintage look that works with almost any updo.

Magical Moments Photography
11
Uniquely Yours

André and his groomsmen went with a rather unusual pick for their boutonnieres; they were made with blood lilies, which turned out quite dashing, wouldn’t you say?

Magical Moments Photography
12
A Vision Of Love

Kaelie strikes the perfect bridal pose on her wedding day.

Magical Moments Photography
13
Good Things Come In Small Packages

Kaelie’s bridesmaids carried mini bouquets made of protea, orange gerberas, dark pink roses, pink spray roses and orange berries with lily grass. They’re so chic!

Magical Moments Photography
14
A Perfect Match

Both bride and groom wore matching smiles on their wedding day. What an adorably photogenic couple.

Magical Moments Photography
15
Stand Up For Your Love

The bride, her proud parents, and her lovely cast of bridesmaids pause for a portrait on their way to the ceremony.

Magical Moments Photography
16
Daddy’s Little Girl

“Having my father walk me down the aisle was extremely special for me because I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, and I am very much the baby of the family, as there are just two of us girls,” says Kaelie. “I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

Magical Moments Photography
17
Tender Love

André gives Kaelie a tender shoulder kiss in this sweet portrait.

Magical Moments Photography
18
1377423
19
Our Big Day

“Our philosophy was that we both work hard and so we saved accordingly towards our wedding,” says Kaelie. “Since we plan to only do this once, we wanted our wedding to be everything that we dreamt of, no ‘I wish I had done x’ after the fact.”

Magical Moments Photography
20
Can You Feel the Love?

The groom, his mom, and his bride share a sweet photo moment. We just adore this shot.

Magical Moments Photography
21
Gone But Not Forgotten

“André’s best friend, Dr. Darren Eastmond, was meant to be a groomsman but passed away suddenly just a few months before the wedding,” Kaelie tells us. “It was devastating for us both. On our big day, one of our bridesmaids was unescorted because we chose to leave Darren’s spot vacant, as he could never be replaced. We also had a tribute table set up at the entrance to the reception tent with a large sized photo of Darren accompanied by a written tribute so that all would know who Darren was.”

Magical Moments Photography
22
1377253
23
For My Girls

“For my bridesmaids, I always wanted each girl to have a dress that reflected her personality and was most complementary to her shape,” says Kaelie. “Since all of my bridesmaids were based in Barbados, we went to one of the island’s top designers, Pauline Bellamy of Pauline Bellamy Designs. The only direction I gave Pauline and her team was that I wanted each girl to have her own unique look but I still wanted the bridal party to have an overall cohesive look too, and Pauline definitely accomplished that.”

Magical Moments Photography
24
I’ve Got Your Back

“André asked his dad, George, to be his best man,” says Kaelie. “It’s somewhat of a Holder family tradition. André’s granddad was his father’s best man and his uncle Hendy’s too. George graciously accepted and stood by André on our big day.”

Magical Moments Photography
25
Here Comes the Bride

The bridal party stood by on the sides of the aisle helping to welcome beaming bride-to-be Kaelie and her father into the church.

Magical Moments Photography
26
Traditions of the Heart

“We had a traditional Anglican ceremony at St. Matthias Anglican Church,” Kaelie tells us.

Magical Moments Photography
27
Keep the Faith

“As beautiful as Barbados is, and as tempting as it was to have an outdoor ceremony, it was more important for us to have our wedding ceremony in a church of our faith,” says Kaelie. “We were both raised in strong traditional Anglican homes and wanted to honor that.”

Magical Moments Photography
28
Light Of My Life

“We incorporated the lighting of the unity candle into our ceremony and had our moms participate in this part of the ceremony,” Kaelie tells us. “For us, it really represented not just André and I becoming one, but also our respective families becoming one.”

Magical Moments Photography
29
Pucker Up!

It’s kissing time!

Magical Moments Photography
30
A Family Friend

St. Matthias Church, where the couple held their ceremony, was André’s childhood church. He served as an altar boy there for many years and he and Kaelie always attend service there when they are home for the holidays. Their officiant, Reverend Murrell was also André’s childhood priest.

Magical Moments Photography
31
A Time For Prayer

Kaelie and Andre pray together at the altar during their emotional ceremony.

Magical Moments Photography
32
The Perfect Setting

The church itself was originally built in 1848 and is a beautiful and charming traditional 19th century building with limestone brick walls.

Magical Moments Photography
33
An Unxpected Surprise

“Being from Barbados, everyone expected that we would have thrown a beach wedding, but we just wanted to do something modern, elegant and classy yet fun that really reflected us,” says Kaelie.

Magical Moments Photography
34
Let’s Party!

After the couple’s heartfelt ceremony, their guests were invited to a cocktail hour on the lawn of the Pollards Mill estate with a live steel pan player while the bridal party took photos.

Magical Moments Photography
35
I Turn to You

“We did a lot of the ground work ourselves by sourcing all the various vendors we wanted to use. To ensure seamless execution on the day of, we enlisted the services of two Barbadian planners — Claire Sargeant and Diane Prescod,” says Kaelie. “We used Events Unusual for the reception décor, IGM did all the lighting and Island Caterers did our catering.”

Magical Moments Photography
36
Let’s Celebrate

“Since half of our wedding guests were traveling from other countries (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and other Caribbean islands like Trinidad, St. Marteen, Jamaica and St. Lucia), we planned several activities to ensure that they got to see and enjoy as much of Barbados as possible,” says Kaelie. “We hosted a Bajan themed welcome reception and took them on a pre-wedding island tour.”

Magical Moments Photography
37
We Love It!

The reception venue, Pollards Mill, is a former Barbados sugar plantation built in 1712. The property is nestled amongst sugar cane fields with stunning sea views and 2.5 acres of beautiful tropical gardens. “We just fell in love with the property’s grounds and gardens as well as the fact that on the grounds there were the remnants of the property’s original windmill,” says Kaelie.

Magical Moments Photography
38
Have A Seat

The cocktail hour was followed by a formal sit down dinner inside of a tented marquee on the grounds that held their 300 guests.

Magical Moments Photography
39
Musical Magic

“We used Dj Soljie of Icecrew International to ensure that there was definitely a full-on party vibe during the reception,” Kaelie tells us. “Also, as a complete surprise to me, André arranged to have a popular local calypsonian named Mr. Dale appear and perform a few of his top calypsos, and that was really well received by our guests.”

Magical Moments Photography
40
It’s All In the Details

“I always knew that for the décor inside the tent I wanted it rather clean and modern; hence we went with a primarily white color palette (tablecloths, linen etc.) with gold accents,” says Kaelie. “Using lighting and the centerpieces we incorporated the color theme of the wedding.”

Magical Moments Photography
41
This Calls For A Toast

Cheers to the happy couple!

Magical Moments Photography
42
1377553
43
You Light Up My Life

“During the reception, our ‘KA’ monogram that we used in our stationery was projected onto the roof and walls of the marquee,” says Kaelie. The couple’s lighting looks absolutely stunning from afar, setting a romantic tone to their outdoor tented reception.

Magical Moments Photography
44
Let’s Boogie

It looks like the new Mr. and Mrs. Holder really know how to party. Let’s hear it for the happy couple.

Magical Moments Photography
45
Off They Go

Join us in congratulating Kaelie and André. We wish them a lifetime of happiness. Leave your well wishes for the happy couple below.

Magical Moments Photography

Read More

Entertainment
Lil Kim Shares The One Thing She Wants Viewers To Take Away ...
Travel
Airbnb Cancels All DC Reservations Ahead Of Inauguration Week
Oprah Winfrey Documentary Coming To Apple TV+
Videos
Who is Lorna Simpson
Beauty
Skincare Products For All Your Problem Areas
FOLLOW US
Privacy Policy
Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now