THE POINCIANA BRIDE

bursts of flaming red in full bloom...

“The hallmark of Summers in Nassau are the bursts of flaming red all throughout the island as the poinciana trees signal to all that they are in full bloom. The beauty and vibrancy of the “flame tree”, as it is known in some cultures, has always been an eyecatcher in the same way a bride is on her big day...”

PHOTOGRAPHY: PD Photography PLANNING & CREATIVE DIRECTION: Heaven Sent Her

“The inspiration for the headpiece was the poinciana, of course, as well as the Eleuthera pineapple as that screams island-inspired. we wanted to pair flowers along with it, that would complement those two sources of inspiration.”

the Poinciana Bride isn’t afraid to stand out...

The modern acrylic invitation was created by Cordial Affairs.

“As restrictions were briefly lifted following strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, each of us creatives felt the need to come together to create something beautiful. When Phylicia Duncombe approached me about wanting to do a styled shoot, those poincianas, the hallmark of Summer, came to mind and I began dreaming of the concept of “the Poinciana Bride”.

Within a matter of days, we were able to conceptualize and bring the vendors together for the shoot. Everyone had creative liberty within the overall aesthetic, as we did not want to stifle anyone after weeks of already being quarantined. The hardest part of it all, in fact, was finding the perfect poinciana tree: one with branches sweeping the ground, in full bloom.”

HAIR STYLING & MAKEUP ARTISTRY BY Olga Kislitsina

“The shoot was centered around the poinciana tree, which blooms quite flamboyantly in shades of red (and sometimes yellow). Our focus was the shades of red, mixed in with greenery and beautiful tropical flowers. We wanted the bride to represent the season (summer), island life and the essence of the bridal experience: to stand out, to catch the eye, to make you pause, look and breathe in beauty.

Poinciana is not a flower typically chosen by brides. It’s fragile, droops easily due to heat exposure, and the pollen can stain (so definitely a danger for white wedding gowns), but it is so beautiful and enchanting that it deserved a moment to shine.”

The breathtaking wedding dress was designed by Bridal Designer Phylicia Ellis.

“The hardest part of putting together this shoot was finding the perfect poinciana tree. There are many scattered across the island and on the side of the road, but our tree had to be surrounded by greenery, have low hanging branches and be in full bloom. It was tricky as we were nearing the end of the flowering season for poincianas so many were losing their fullness. I asked people on social media to tag me in beautiful trees that they saw. Quite a few people tagged me in this one and after driving past it myself, I had to agree it was OUR tree.”

“Every artist had creative liberty. I told everyone the overall theme and submitted the mood board and specifically stated that you have freedom to create, just keep the team in the loop on your ideas. This was our opportunity as creatives to have fun after so many of our personal projects were either cancelled or postponed due to the global health pandemic.”

“Every artist had creative liberty. I told everyone the overall theme and submitted the mood board and specifically stated that you have freedom to create, just keep the team in the loop on your ideas. This was our opportunity as creatives to have fun after so many of our personal projects were either cancelled or postponed due to the global health pandemic.”

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PD Photography

WEDDING DRESS phylicia ellis // PLANNING & CREATIVE DIRECTION heaven sent her // FLORALS marie buds // VENUE prospect ridge roundabout // HAIR STYLING curlz salon // MAKEUP ARTISTRY major faces // INVITATIONS/ STATIONERY cordial affairs // EVENT RENTALS tutus and mimosas // MODEL ashley archer