Their wedding weekend looked like a luxury summer camp: playful, bold, and completely their own. Popcorn and champagne awaited guests at a cliffside ceremony that felt more like an art installation than an aisle. That was the energy Ashly and Adam brought to Anguilla. Their wedding with 48 of their closest people along for the ride was about telling their story in color, light, and rhythm.
Location: Caribbean, Anguilla
Style: Playful, Unexpected, Indulgent
Time of planning: 8 months
Number of guests: 48
Setting: Beach resort
Season: Summer
Ashly and Adam’s love story began in Baltimore, brought together by a shared passion for food and their careers in the tech world. Over the last decade, they’ve lived in Baltimore, San Francisco, and New York, traveling widely with their two Pomeranians. Their journey eventually led to an engagement in San Sebastián, Spain, and most recently, to welcoming their daughter Violet. With such a rich personal history, their wedding was designed to be more than an event: it was a living version of their story reflected by talented photographer Mariana Pierce.
Welcome Dinner
What began as a canceled Napa wedding during COVID turned into something far more intimate years later. Sitting on a beach in Anguilla, the couple made what they jokingly call a tropical cocktail decision: to create a three-day destination wedding that felt immersive, indulgent, and fun. The planning and design were led by the creative team at Silk & Slate.
The celebration at Malliouhana Resort opened with a beachside welcome dinner that set the tone for the three days in paradise. Guests arrived at the sound of steel drums, the scent of grilled lobster, and tables glowing in the Caribbean twilight. Rum punch flowed freely while everyone settled into Anguilla’s rhythm: bright colors, laughter, and the feeling that this wedding would be more than a single day.
Ashly embraced the island spirit in a watercolor-print Zimmermann set in aqua and gold, her look polished with aquamarine jewelry passed down from Adam’s grandmother. Adam kept it crisp, elevated, and relaxed in ivory trousers, a linen shirt, and Ferragamo loafers. Together, their style mirrored the landscape: bold yet natural, refined yet easy.
By the end of the night, barefoot dancing in the sand blurred the line between rehearsal dinner and full celebration. It was clear that every guest was part of the story from the very beginning.
Vision of the Main Day
The second day was spent high above Mead’s Bay with sweeping views of the Caribbean. The resort’s whitewashed architecture, bright yellow umbrellas, and infinity pool overlooking the cliffs set the tone for a celebration that was both elegant and relaxed. Guests gathered here for the ceremony and reception, moving seamlessly from vows at the cliff’s edge to dinner on the terrace as the sun melted into the horizon. The location itself felt like part of the design: crisp lines, ocean light, and lush palms framing each moment of the day.
Bride's Morning & Fashion
The morning of the wedding began in the soft light of Malliouhana’s suites, where tropical murals and crisp interiors created a serene backdrop for Ashly’s preparations. Her Enaura gown, with its beaded linear embellishments and flowing tulle, hung delicately as if waiting for the moment it would meet the ocean breeze.
The bride’s look was styled to feel both modern and effortless. Her hair, swept into loose waves and tied into a low ponytail, framed the clean lines of her gown. Polished yet natural makeup emphasized her features without overpowering them. Each detail, from the heirloom aquamarine pendant to bold Oscar de la Renta earrings, carried a layer of personal meaning.
Groom's Fashion
Adam’s morning carried the same relaxed luxury that defined the couple’s entire celebration. Dressed in a custom rust-red Christopher Schafer suit, he struck a bold contrast against Malliouhana’s whitewashed architecture and lush greenery. The slim-cut tailoring and open collar gave the look a modern, fashion-forward edge, while small touches. A Ted Baker pocket square, an Omega timepiece, and Ferragamo loafers grounded it in timeless refinement.
Against this mix of minimalism and vibrant island color, Adam’s style felt daring without ever losing its elegance. His look matched Ashly’s ethereal presence and brought its own narrative.
Ceremony
The ceremony took place on a grassy cliff overlooking Mead’s Bay, minimally styled to let the landscape speak. Guests arrived in vivid colors, their looks echoing the dress code “bright and bold,” and gathered on the grassy cliff where the ocean stretched endlessly below. The late afternoon sun painted everything in warm gold: transparent ghost chairs caught the light, palm trees swayed gently, and asymmetrical cascades of orchids, roses, and birds of paradise by Black Orchid Florists framed the aisle without overwhelming the natural backdrop.
Adam stood beneath the arch with a quiet confidence, his face catching both nerves and joy as guests turned to watch Ashly. She entered to the soft chords of Free Fallin’, her gown gliding across the grass, the beaded details sparkling in the sunlight.
The ceremony itself felt intimate, almost conversational. A close friend officiated, weaving humor and memory into their script. Ashly and Adam read handwritten vows, pausing as the crowd laughed and wiped away tears. From the back rows, guests leaned in, completely absorbed.
Cocktail Hour & Moments Together
After the ceremony, friends chatted in linen suits and tropical gowns, cooling themselves with fans and laughing under the shade of broad trees. The atmosphere was celebratory, yet charged with anticipation.
Guests sipped cocktails named for the couple’s grandmothers, “The Helen” and “The Pat,” while the local band 12th Avenue filled the air with live music. The couple’s first dance to Blue Moon drew everyone in, and later the energy lifted with a nacho bar and an audio guestbook that traveled from table to table.
After the ceremony, Ashly and Adam slipped away for a quiet interlude that felt both cinematic and deeply personal. They wandered through the airy interiors of Malliouhana, their silhouettes framed by arches and pastel walls, before stepping outside to explore the property in their own style: a climb up stone steps, a pause by a pink island jeep, a walk along the cliffs with the sea stretching endlessly around them.
What stands out in Mariana Pierce’s work is her ability to follow the couple’s flow, letting architecture, color, and landscape guide the story. Her lens balances elegance with spontaneity, leaving images that are less about posing and more about presence.
Reception & Decor
The reception unfolded on the resort’s terrace, overlooking the ocean as the sky turned from soft gold to deep indigo. Long white tables were styled with a mix of minimalism and whimsy: ghost chairs shimmered in the evening light, driftwood pieces added texture, and florals in blush and crimson stood tall in sculptural clusters. The stationery by Paper Refinery carried lines of Ashly’s own poetry, a personal touch that appeared everywhere from menus to late-night snack boxes.
Mariana’s lens caught the movement of it all: the still-life beauty of place settings, the intimacy of raised glasses, the blur of laughter and dancing under string lights. Her use of motion blur in the evening images translated the pulse of the night, showing not just who was there, but how it felt to be part of it.
Ashly and Adam’s wedding also lived on long after the last song ended. Guests shared memories through a private Instagram account, a lighthearted Caribbean Gossip Girl that captured the energy of the weekend. Once everyone returned home, Ashly and Adam launched an “after party” website with photos, vendor dedications, and personalized poems that Ashly wrote for each guest. But above all else, the most unforgettable moment was finally saying ‘I do’ after eleven years together.
Advice from the couple:
• Trust your vendors, they are the experts.
• Over-communicate. Smaller guest lists allow for more meaningful connections.
• Remember, a destination wedding is also an investment for your guests, so create an experience that they will truly appreciate.
• And go with the flow, even if it means moving your ceremony an hour later to catch the sunset.
PHOTOGRAPHER Pierce Weddings | PLANNING & DESIGN Silk & Slate | VENUE, CATERING & BEVERAGES Malliouhana Resort | FLORALS Black Orchid Florists | BRIDE’S DRESSES Zimmermann, Enaura Bridal | GROOM’S SUIT Christopher Schafer | RINGS Sofia Kaman Jewelry | RENTALS Nuage Designs, BBJ La Tavola, Something Vintage | STATIONERY Sal Studios, Paper Refinery | MUSIC Dumpa Martin, 12th Avenue | AV Titanium Audio Visual
