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Beauty Amid the Destruction

marty lauren cinnamon bay
Marty Bruckner and Lauren Saia took their engagement photos amid the destruction on St. John. All images by STJCreative.com

Our friend Anne Bequette did an amazing photoshoot earlier this month, and today we’d like to share those photos with you. They’re of Marty Bruckner and Lauren Saia, a couple who also lives here on island and were planing on getting married at Gallows Point next year.

Rather than a traditional St. John engagement photoshoot with scenes of beautiful blues and greens in the background, Marty and Lauren opted to take their photos amid the destruction on St. John. And what Anne captured is simply breathtaking. Check out a few pics…

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The images are so powerful that they have been picked up by national media outlets including the New York Post and Brides magazine. Here’s Marty and Lauren’s story as told by Brides magazine:

When Hurricane Irma passed through the Virgin Islands a few months ago, it ravaged the area and left the island of St. John without power for 55 days. The storm destroyed countless homes and businesses and forced families to move back to the United States mainland. But a bride and groom-to-be from St. John decided that in light the devastation Irma inflicted on the area, the couple would shoot their engagement photos amongst the wreckage as a way to bring awareness to the damage the storm caused.

Marty Bruckner and Lauren Saia met in St. John six years ago. Bruckner worked as a boat captain and Saia worked in the restaurant industry. “Our whole love story is because of St. John,” said Saia. “I had heard that he had a little crush on me and eventually, he asked me to go boating one day. That was pretty much it. We’ve been together ever since.”

But their romantic paradise became a nightmare when Hurricane Irma hit. Saia was in Boston visiting family when she found out Bruckner, who was on the island at the time, would be in the midst of the devastating storm. Luckily, Bruckner stayed safe throughout the disaster, and it was he who came up with the idea to have the engagement shoot amidst the wreckage.

Photographer Anne Bequette of STJ Creative Photography captured the couple’s stunning engagement shoot on the island. The unique shoot featured shots of the couple amongst uprooted trees, broken glass and debris from destroyed buildings. The result? Truly breathtaking photos that are guaranteed to give you goose bumps.

Marty and Lauren originally had plans to tie the knot on May 12, 2018 at Gallows Point Resort on St. John; however, with all of the unknowns—power on the island, the state of the resorts, cancelled flights—their plans are on hold.

Click here to see all of the photos. And again, amazing job Anne.
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6 thoughts on “Beauty Amid the Destruction”

  1. This is beautiful! I love ❤️ StJohn!! The beauty is in my mind looking at these photos! Good Luck and God Bless this couple!!

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