Stylist Micaela Erlanger’s Three-Part Elopement, From Miami to St. Barth’s

St. Barth’s was open to travel, and its proximity to Miami, where the couple spends most of their time, made it the perfect destination. A Google search led to Peg Walsh from St Barth Properties, and her concierge team helped Micaela and Mac plan all of the logistics for the entire trip. Micaela planned every aspect of the elopement but couldn’t have done it without Olivia Junières and Emmanuelle Cirpriani. Hotel Barriere Le Carl Gustaf, which overlooks the Gustavia Harbour, served as their home base.

Planning all of the details happened in less than a month. “We knew that we wanted to honor and include our families despite choosing to have an elopement,” Micaela says. “Thus, the idea of heading to the courthouse to collects our marriage certificate and having a send off bon voyage dinner was born. Going to the courthouse in a pandemic was, as you would probably imagine, a kind of sterile experience. So we got dressed up and made it fabulous.”

Micaela wore a one-of-a-kind dress from Miu Miu with matching sunglasses, and Mac wore a favorite suit that he already had in his closet. Friends and florists at Flowers by Special Arrangement decorated the couple’s “something blue”—a Bentley that doubled as their borrowed getaway car.

That evening, Micaela and Mac made the drive across town for the intimate 10 person dinner that Micaela’s mother and father hosted at the Surf Club at The Four Seasons in Miami. “It was the first time we had been together with our families since the pandemic broke out, and it was deeply meaningful,” Micaela says. “I borrowed the most beautiful couture dress from Giambattista Valli, and Mac wore a green sport coat I had made for him by his go to tailor: Michael Andrew’s Bespoke. The setting was beautiful, and we took family portraits. Toasts were made, tears were shed, and it was perfect in every way.”

The next morning, Micaela and Mac headed to the airport for St. Barth’s. The couple had never been to the island before, so in true elopement style, upon arrival, they spent time scouting the perfect spot for their service. They hiked up a path of 70 steps at Fort Karl, which led to a plateau and cliff overlooking Shellona beach. “As we ascended the top of the stairs, the church bells in the village of Gustavia started to ring—as if it was a sign!” Micaela says. “We decided that was going to be the spot for our vows.”

As a stylist, who recently expanded her business to service brides, Micaela knew she needed to be creative given the time constraint. “I knew immediately that the wedding dress I had planned to wear wouldn’t be ready in time for our elopement," she says. "I also felt strongly about wearing white next year when I have the opportunity to walk down the aisle with my father at our ‘sequel wedding.’” With only three weeks to find something to wear, she worked with items that she had in her closet, and others she was able to borrow from friends.

“Early on in our planning, I found the most incredible vintage Spring 1992 Versace couture dress at Happy Isles,” Micaela says. “I loved the provenance—it had belonged to a Hollywood actress and was from the original underwater collectsion that inspired this season’s starfish dresses.” She then found sea-themed hair accessories from Erica Elizabeth Designs, earrings from Begum Khan, and the perfect sea turtle shaped bag from Judith Leiber. “I could picture this dress against the red roofed houses and the blue water in St. Barths, and I thought Eden Rock, which is famous for its signature red color and located on St. Jean Beach, would be the right spot for our ‘rehearsal’ dinner," Micaela says. "We raced to have Michael Andrews create a sport jacket for Mac in a coordinating coral color—it couldn’t have been more perfect!”

Micaela's ceremony dress arrived right at the last minute. “I was striking out left and right and just when I was ready to give up, I found exactly what I had been looking for,” Micaela says. “Thankfully, I thought to text my friend Cherie at Shrimpton Couture; a vintage dealer extraordinaire based in Canada. I told her I was envisioning something soft pink and diaphanous that would float at dusk with all the painted colors in the sky.”

Cherie had just the thing: a vintage one-of-a-kind Valentino dress in her personal archive that she was generously willing to give up, and she overnighted it to Micaela. The bride completed the look with espadrilles, borrowed earrings from Fred Leighton, a flower wreath, and a Judith Leiber conch-shaped clutch that she kept her vows inside. Mac wore a cream colored custom suit from Michael Andrew’s and a pink boutonnière.

Post-ceremony, the newlyweds walked to the beach and returned to Villa Diane at Le Barriere Carl Gustaf where they toasted with their favorite champagne and FaceTimed their families. Micaela changed into a hand-pleated silk chiffon Valentino dress with a mother of pearl neckline that she found on The Real Real.

For the “reception” dinner, the hotel set up a romantic table for two. “I could not believe how they had transformed the space!” Micaela says. “There were candles floating in the pool, and my flowers were arranged into a beautiful centerpiece on a table that overlooked the harbor.”

After dinner, Micaela made one final change into a two-piece mirrored look from Dior and a sparkly headband from Erica Elizabeth Designs to go into town and celebrate. “We headed to La Guerite,” she says. “I ended up in the DJ booth, made friends with locals, and danced the night away.”