Luxurious Destination Wedding in Nassau, Bahamas: Chevita + Leon

Chevita and Leon’s Bahamian wedding was just as upscale as his proposal to her. It was February 26th when he surprised her with a random Thursday night date. She’d been at the gym when he picked her up. “He enlisted one of my best friends to help him purchase a “date night” outfit for me and had her hand deliver all of my make up and hair essentials so that I would be perfectly dressed and coiffed for our night out,” Chevita shares. They headed to her favorite part of Cali, Beverly Hills, to have dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse. After indulging in dinner and dessert the waiter then brought out an additional dessert, Mastro’s signature warm butter cake with candles and the words “Will you marry me?”

“Leon got down on “bended knee,” regaled me with a colorful account of our “love story,” of how we met and him instantly wanting to be a better man. And then he asked me to marry him,” Chevita says. The couple took to Nassau, Bahamas for a luxurious destination wedding. Ivory roses, gold chiavari chairs, and white linens gave the reception the elegance they desired. Take a look at their beautiful destination wedding in Nassau, Bahamas with photos by Martina Micko.

Quick Facts
Favorite item on wedding menu – We had two favorites, the crab cakes during the cocktail hour were amazing! And we enjoyed our bride and groom exclusive “Surf and Turf!” (Filet Mignon and Lobster).
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Gifts – The bridal party received makeup for the day of the wedding. My husband bought Hennessy Pure White bottles for his groomsmen.
First dance song – “I Want You” by Luke James

Bride: Chevita Phifer – Corporate attorney
Groom: Leon Stewart III – Graphic designer
Wedding date: 05/24/2015
Wedding location: Compass Point Beach Resort, Nassau Bahamas



Describe your wedding dress. How was your dress shopping experience?
I had 2 wedding dresses, a dress for the ceremony and a dress for the reception, I loved them both! My ceremony gown was a Lazaro, style 3415. Wedding dress shopping was fun but since I do not live near my family I relied heavily on FaceTime and photos. One of my best friends went with me to help me with most of my shopping and within 2-3 weeks I selected my amazing ivory/gold Lazaro gown from a sample sale store-this was important because we got married 3 months after our engagement and I needed a gown immediately.

I bought my second dress from another bride, she bought it from Bloomingdales and wore it as her second gown too! I wore this dress at the end of our wedding, I danced the night away in my easy breezy second hand gown.



Did you incorporate culture in your wedding?
Yes, we incorporated 2 traditions, when the ceremony ended, we did the “jumping of the broom.”

Our second tradition was facilitated by our surprise Bahamian “Junkanoo Rushout.” We and several of our guests are from Louisiana where traditional second line brass bands are commonplace at the close of wedding receptions. (Second lines also are part of the New Orleans wedding tradition. The wedding second line celebrates the newlyweds as they embark on a new life together. The main line leading the parade for a wedding is made up of the married couple and the brass band.) Our Junkanoo Brass Band and performers were our way to pay homage to our Louisiana roots and to incorporate Bahamian carnival traditions. We even provided vintage handkerchiefs for our guests to waive to the beat of the brass band!

What are your favorite memories of your wedding day?
We have two favorite memories, we loved our first dance, we enjoyed every second of that dance as we moved to the beat of Luke James’ “I Want You” while the sun set with an amazing Caribbean ocean view as our backdrop. Our other favorite memory was our surprise Bahamian “Junkanoo Rushout.” The looks on our guests faces were priceless, sheer excitement!


Vendors
Photography: Martina Micko
Venue: Compass Point Beach Resort
Event Planning & Design: Anna’s Wedding Planning Service (Annamae Fox)
Floral Design: Wildflowers Bahamas
Dress: Lazaro
Grooms Tux: The Black Tux
Stationery: Parchment by Dami
Calligraphy: Letter Perfect Design
Bride’s Make Up: Khandise Bain “Fab faces MUA”
Bridesmaid, Mother of the Bride and family Makeup artists: Khandise Bain, Sarsha Taylor (Oo La Lepeche), Lucy Lu (Lucy Lu Beauty)
Cake, Dessert: Denni from Denni’s Cake
Faux Wedding Cake: Elizabeth Pietila Ultimate Fake Cakes (Michigan based)
Reception Music: DJ Arnold Jose Ageeb
Resort Event Coordinator: Anita Wheeler