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The Bride Wore Hill House Home and Markarian on Her Wedding Day in St. Barths

By Cathleen Freedman | Photography by 

Hugo Allard

Virginia Hyman and Drew Baldwin first met at a mutual friend’s 2016 Christmas party in SoHo. They spoke briefly, but Virginia felt an instant spark between them. Drew did too, later asking their friend for Virginia’s number and texting with an invite to dinner at Raoul’s. By their third date to see The Lion King on Broadway, Virginia knew Drew was someone truly special.

Nearly three years later, the couple was going to brunch at Le Bilboquet with a few friends—or so Virginia thought. Drew took her on the scenic route through Central Park. On the Gapstow Bridge, he told Virginia to “look at the view,” and that’s when she realized that this Saturday in November would be unlike any other. Drew got down on one knee and proposed.

After champagne-fueled celebrations with friends and family all over Manhattan, the newly engaged couple began envisioning their wedding. They set the date for late October 2020 at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond.

By late April of 2020, however, Virginia and Drew knew they would have to reconfigure their original wedding plans. “Everything was way too unknown,” Virginia explains. “Our family and friends’ health was the priority. We wanted to celebrate with all of our loved ones, but we couldn’t take that risk or ask that of our guests during a pandemic.” The 350-person guest list no longer seemed practical or feasible. In early May, the couple pushed back the wedding. Virginia confides, “After we made the choice to postpone, I was so relieved.”

Drew and Virginia rescheduled for May 8, 2021, but delayed the event to July 24 after the state tightened COVID-19 restrictions. Instead of a ceremony, they will have a “Marriage Blessing” with their friends and family in attendance. Virginia adds that “I kept reminding myself to stay positive. As hard as it is to move your wedding, there were far worse things going on in the world.” Besides, Virginia was just grateful that she and Drew had each other during these times.

But this new date seemed so far away to the couple. Deep down, Virginia had always dreamed of getting married in St. Barths, the setting of her childhood Christmas vacations and where her parents were introduced to Drew’s parents. She began to realize that the stars may align for a completely different wedding than the one she had originally imagined. “Both of our families already had vacations planned in St. Barths for January 2021,” she says. Considering that many churches in the United States were closed and that she and Drew wanted a church wedding with their immediate families, St. Barths wound up being the perfect destination for an intimate micro-wedding.

Virginia admits that after choosing St. Barths, the planning process was seamless. With a guest list of 10 people, she was able to organize the wedding herself.  With cooperative and accommodating vendors like B Floral, Virginia’s sole obstacle was whether or not St. Barths would close the borders after the Christmas and New Year’s crowds. “Fortunately,” she recalls, “We made it there just in time as St. Barths closed their borders on February 2nd. We were so lucky!”

Virginia decided to save her wedding dress for the larger wedding celebration in July. For the St. Barths nuptials, she decided to pick a more casual outfit but had difficulty finding the right dress. “I think I ordered 30 different dresses to my apartment,” she confesses. It wasn’t until she tried on the Markarian Pearl-Embellished Broderie Anglaise Cotton Midi Dress with a sash that she knew she found the one. “The detail on it was perfection!” she gushes. She paired the dress with her family crest ring and a pair of Baroque pearl drop earrings, her “something borrowed” from her soon-to-be mother-in-law. The entire bridal outfit was made complete with a pair of classic gold Manolo Blahnik heels.

On the day of the wedding, Virginia wore a Hill House Home Nap Dress as she got ready alongside her mother. Mathilde André of Un Temps Pour Soi Salon in St. Barths styled Virginia’s hair, while she applied her own makeup.

Drew’s look consisted of his custom linen shirt and slacks by Ascot Chang and Isaia blazer, tied together with an Hermès pocket square and Tod’s loafers. Virginia adds, “He looked so handsome!”

On January 15, 2021 at the charming St. Bartholomew’s Church, Virginia walked down the aisle with her father while an instrumental version of “Here Comes the Sun” played. “I don’t think I made it more than five steps down the aisle before I started crying, and before I knew it, everyone had tears in their eyes,” she reminisces. “It was truly the most surreal experience, a memory I replay in my head every day!”

Philip Trangmar of St. Bartholomew’s officiated the ceremony, and the couple’s siblings performed several readings. As “A Thousand Years” played, the couple’s parents signed the register. “We got to have everyone play a role in the ceremony and that made it very special to us,” Virginia mentions. The newlyweds receded down the aisle to an instrumental version of “This Must Be the Place” before meeting their families outside the church.

After photos on St. Jean Beach and lunch at Eden Rock, the guests enjoyed the champagne Virginia’s sweet bridesmaids sent and toasted to Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin. “I was trying to savor every moment because I knew the day would fly by,” Virginia says. She slipped into a colorful CeliaB kimono her sister-in-law thoughtfully gifted her; and the party moved over to Drew’s parents’ villa for even more drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and dancing. Drew personally curated the playlist, which heavily featured Kygo’s greatest hits.

Eventually, Drew and Virginia left the dancing to have a private dinner at Jared at Le Toiny. This romantic escape was the best way to end a day that was filled with so much love and joy. Meanwhile, “our families kept partying at the villa without us!” Virginia laughs.

As she remembers how her micro-wedding unfolded, Virginia says that “We couldn’t be happier that we decided to move forward with a small wedding with our immediate family in a place that is very special to us. We kind of get the best of both worlds now, a small intimate ceremony where Drew and I were able to be fully present with one another and a fun celebration with our friends and family in my hometown.”

Thankful for her groom and excited for the journey to come, Virginia adds, “If we can get through re-planning a wedding three times and planning a micro-wedding, we can get through anything!”