This May Just Be The Ultimate Beach Wedding
It was far from love at first site for Morgan Ritter-Armour when it came to Harry Fackelmayer. Morgan, who led the global strategic partnership relations team at Artsy for five years, and Harry, a private equity investor, were fresh out of college and working in the same office in Boston when they first met. “We were in direction competition in the office—and we were both seeing other people at the time,” Morgan says.
But for Harry, the story goes another way. “When Morgan says it wasn't love at first sight, it means she didn’t have any interest in me. From those early days, I was head over heels for her and spent the better half of two years convincing her to take a leap of faith on me,” he counters. After spending far too long in the friend zone, Harry made his move: putting pen to paper for an old-fashioned love letter. It paid off, and the two started dating four years (and one city) later.
A few weeks after their courtship began in New York City, Harry got a job offer in California. “He asked me if he should take it,” recalls Morgan. “I didn’t want to hold him back and encouraged him to go, but regretted it when we ended up dating long distance for the ensuing two years.” It was a good test of resilience though, priming the couple for when they moved in together in San Francisco 14 months later.
Their relationship flourished—in part because they are, as Morgan puts it, simultaneously very similar and different. “We share values, goals, and dreams. Our friends and family would say we’re both warm and cheerful. Harry is immensely energetic, passionate, loyal, driven, and ambitious. He’s also the funniest person I know and makes any situation a bit more outrageous and amusing. I’m more contemplative, measured, and patient.” And while individuals on their own rite, it’s all about that balance for them. “Morgan balances me and I am 100% a better person because of her. I respect Morgan to her core and count my blessings every day, constantly reminding myself just how lucky I am and how glad I am to have written that letter,” Harry explains.
The following summer, they were back East for the Fourth of July, relaxing at the Jersey Shore in a tiny town the bride and her family have frequented for decades. “One of my favorite things to do there is walk the beach and look for sea glass. Harry typically has limited patience for this, so I sensed something was up when he suggested we do some beach combing before dinner,” Morgan says.
When they got down to the beach, and he asked the big question, she immediately burst into tears. To the point where she forgot to say “yes” right away. Upon finally verbally accepting his proposal, she slipped on the engagement ring, fashioned from a cushion-cut diamond from a ring previously belonging to his maternal grandmother and reset in yellow gold by Simon Teakle. Then they were off to celebrate with margaritas, family and friends, and a quiet dinner.
When it came time to plan the wedding, the bride and groom considered various locations across the hemisphere, including California and Mexico, but ultimately couldn’t shake the idea of getting married in the Bahamas on Harbour Island. The picturesque location in the Caribbean carried significance; Morgan and Harry had spent a lot of happy times as a couple there, and as a child Morgan visited often with her family. Although tricky to get to, they couldn’t resist bringing all the people they love to a place so beloved by them.
With help from San Francisco-based (and BAZAAR Bride top planner) Rosemary Hattenbach of Rosemary Events, they began planning a multi-event wedding weekend culminating with a wedding at the Ocean View Club. “The island is tiny and operates on its own schedule, so Rosemary was key in helping us to avoid any Fyre Festival scenarios,” recalls Morgan of orchestrating the event’s multiple gatherings and moving pieces.
The couple arrived a week before the festivities began. First up, cocktails by the pool and a rehearsal dinner at The Dunmore, where the décor is classic Caribbean (read: rattan and wicker, bright pops of color, and old-time photos lining the walls). Taking their cue from the setting, and with a dose of Wes Anderson style, they printed menus on the backs of vintage Bahamian postcards, dressed tables with floral arrangements coming out of conch shells and star fish by BAZAAR Bride Top Wedding Florist Sarah Winward, stitched table numbers onto locally-sourced leaves, and hung straw lanterns from the ceiling.
In true beach fashion, Morgan went barefoot, but slipped into an Amanda Wakeley dress, her great grandmother’s pearl-and-diamond-studs, and her grandmother’s pearl bracelet with a shell clasp. Toasts from friends and family were the highlight of the evening. The bride’s sister surprised the group by performing Ben Harper’s “Steal My Kisses,” accompanied by her boyfriend who learned how to play it on his ukulele just for the occasion. After toasts and tears of joy flowed at dinner, the celebrating continued as guests headed to a local bar called Gusty’s for late night cocktails.
The following morning, everyone hopped aboard boats for a 15-minute ride to The Other Side on Eleuthra, to enjoy the day on the eco-resort. Like the Ocean View Club, the property is owned by Ben and Charlie Simmons—it's simply on the other side of it. The elegantly rustic setting made for the perfect backdrop for a Bahamian barbecue, complete with local conch salad (the bride’s favorite), jerk chicken, Goombay Smashes (a cocktail of light, gold, dark, and coconut rum mixed with fresh pineapple and orange juices), board games, sunbathing, and swimming.
After fun in the sun, everyone made their way back to Harbour Island to rest up for the big day. Kind of. There was one more gathering lined up that evening: a casual beach bonfire at The Dunmore with a bit of stargazing too. Another laid-back component to the four days of celebrating? The couple’s photographer. After doing a lot of research, they selected BAZAAR Bride Top Wedding Photographer John Dolan to document it all. “I liked John’s more casual and realistic approach,” Morgan says. “When we met him in person, we knew right away we had made the right decision.” Adds Harry, “John is incredibly talented but an even better person. He completely blended in and felt like an extension of the wedding party when all is said and done.” Mark Brown Films’ Super8 film was the ultimate accompaniment to the photos.
The next day, the couple exchanged vows on the beach in front of The Dunmore, with benches and sailcloth shades set up on the island’s famous pink sand. Florals were soft and subtle, deferring to the surroundings. Morgan wore a custom Hermione de Paula wedding dress, with hand-stitched embroidery, beading, and embellishment reminiscent of an underwater scene. Shells, coral, seahorses, fish, an anchor, a turtle, and a squid, lobster, and starfish adorned the skirt along with hand-written quotes (like a Toni Morrison favorite) and the wedding date (June 1, 2019).
“They were not only respectful and patient with my vision, but they also invested an incredible amount of time, effort, and craftsmanship in creating my dream dress,” the bride tells BAZAAR Bride of the team at the London design house, who spent over 1000 hours executing the detailed, bespoke design. The custom sheath with an open back was completely befitting of the location—and Morgan and Harry’s love story. As was the custom veil, also by Hermione de Paula, embroidered at the edges with a poem written by Morgan’s grandmother to her on the day she was born.
Morgan's bouquet, created by Sarah Winward, embraced the foraged, sea-inspired look, incorporating dried lunaria, which shimmered like the inside of a seashell. The groom’s attire and bridesmaids’ ensembles were just as island appropriate, with Harry in an Isaia suit (sans tie) and a pocket square Hermione de Paula made to match Morgan’s dress. The small bridal party donned dresses in muted pastel tones of their own choosing.
In true Bahamian fashion, a downpour of rain passed through the area an hour before the bride walked down the aisle, followed by the debut of a blazing hot sun. Luckily, parasols were at the ready and programs not only outlined the ceremony, but were printed on fans to keep guests cool. The sea fan-shaped programs were a collaboration between the artistic bride (who watercolored the design), Tiny Pine Press (who tea-stained the handmade paper and mounted the designed pieces to driftwood handles), and Emily J. Snyder (who calligraphed them to tie into the rest of the one-of-a-kind stationery pieces).
Officiated by Harry’s childhood friend, the ceremony incorporated readings of love letters exchanged during the early part of their relationship, a performance by three other friends of James Vincent McMorrow’s version of “Higher Love,” and readings by both moms.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their 160 loved ones made their way down the beach by foot to the Ocean View Club, were a sailcloth tent was erected on the sand and decorated with items inspired by sand and sea. ”I wanted to use the treasures we’ve found over the years on the beach in the Bahamas for the tablescape—shells, sea sponges, sea fans, corals, sand dollars, etc. Sarah Winward brought this to life in the most magical way, and created a jaw-dropping, seaweed-esque ceiling installation with greenery and lighting,” says the bride. Countless pieces the couple had collected not only dressed the tables, but made the surrounding space all the more special.
To kick off the reception as the sun began to set, everyone sipped cocktails named after the bride and groom—namely, spicy “Morgaritas” and “Ap-Har-Ol” spritzes. Following a bevy of speeches, a surf or turf dinner, the first dance, and parent dances, it was time to let loose and celebrate. “Things really heated up (literally, it was sweltering!) after the local Junkanoo band did a procession and joined us on the dance floor,” Morgan says. “Harry’s dad is German and in a nod to his roots, Harry took the opportunity to change into Lederhosen.” Morgan changed into a Alice + Olivia sequined number better suited for dancing, which was spearheaded by The Shrines—a band out of Los Angeles.
After a mid-evening swim by many, Harry and his friends were chanting along to “Plain Jane” by A$AP Ferg, and in a moment of excitement, the groom stabbed the Bahamian rum wedding cake in lieu cutting it with a traditional cake knife and server. The spontaneity continued as the reception came to a close, with the happy couple running into the surf for a bit of skinny dipping before heading over to Beyond the Reef for more dancing. “We had no photos from that part of the evening on, thank goodness,” Morgan laughs.
The next morning—rather, just hours after the after-party ended—everyone convened at Luna Sea, a pink stucco house built by Morgan’s grandfather in the 1980s. Despite the late night, the turnout was great as the couple said their goodbyes and wrapped up the best wedding weekend they could have asked for. “Our wedding was a big honeymoon!” Morgan explains. “Because people had flown from all over the world to join us at our wedding, we wanted to enjoy every moment with every guest and didn’t want to rush off. Since we were living in London the year of our wedding, we were very lucky to travel to France and Italy in the months following [our celebration]." And while most honeymoons are a wind-down from the celebrations, Morgan and Harry had one more reason to celebrate in style: "When we found out we were expecting our first baby, the trips turned into baby-moons and involved a bit less wine that they might otherwise!”
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