Is there anything cooler than taking your engagement photos in the same spot where both James Bond and Harry Potter once hung out? Vivienne and Graeme wanted to highlight the rugged landscape of Scotland’s Loch Etive in their earthy fall engagement photos, showing off the same terrain you may have seen in Skyfall and The Deathly Hallows. Photographer Claire Juliet Paton brilliantly captured the immense beauty of the Scottish scenery as well as Vivienne and Graeme’s larger-than-life love.
Simultaneously honoring their love and the unique beauty of Santorini, Valerie and Chad kept the decor to a minimum for their Greek destination wedding. The Santorini elopement focused on the stark white architecture around Chapel of Saint Irini and the deep connection Valerie and Chad share. Thanasis Kaiafas captured the sweet moments and unstoppable grinning between the bride and groom during their intimate ceremony overlooking the ocean just beyond the island.
Our inspiration was mostly about keeping it simple and classic. But most importantly the whole day was just about choosing things we loved. For example being an interior architecture graduate I already had a deep love for Greek architecture and didn’t want to compete with it.
In case you couldn’t already tell from Thanasis’s beautiful photos, my favorite moment was we said our vows. Thanasis managed to capture my school girl grins throughout the entire ceremony perfectly. It was at that moment after many years that I got to look into Chad’s eyes with so much love in my heart and all I could think was we did it. We made it.
The champagne glasses, you’ll note, look like they were from the late ’70s and that’s because they are. They were the same champagne flutes used by my parents at their wedding. And the pearl hair pin in my hair was the same one my mom wore on her wedding day. It was a great way for them to be with us even when they were not.
Our best advice when planning a wedding especially abroad is to find people you can trust. Make sure you know your options. Do lots of research and once you have selected the right people to help make your day perfect the rest is actually quite easy. You just have to show up. Oh and make sure not to obsess over the small things. Sometimes I had to remind myself often. In different countries especially on the island of Santorini sometimes what you want isn’t always readily available so its best to be open to ideas. If you are you may be surprised.
Our photographer Thanasis Kaiafas definitely stood out from the crowd. Although we had a wedding planner who made sure the venue and decorations were booked and ready our photographer truly made our day amazing. He had an exquisite eye for architecture, design and details that were beyond what we could have imagined. He was our friend while we were in a foreign place ensuring that he had a car booked to take us around to various locations for photographs as well as managing traffic to get us back to our cruise ship in time. Not to mention constantly providing us water to stay hydrated in the Santorini sun. His hospitality and expectations far exceeded what we expected and we would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone.
A very special thanks to Thanasis Kaiafas for sharing Valerie and Chad’s classically beautiful Santorini elopement with Junebug! For more elopement inspiration, check out Corinne and Jonny’s chic Ravello wedding at Palazzo Avino.
Aiming to make the most out of their wedding day, Michelle and Jesse decided on a Belize wedding. The tropical festivities took place at Seaside Cabanas Hotel where the couple said “I do” in an intimate ceremony overlooking the ocean. The coral and orange color palette brilliantly complemented the turquoise elements in the hotel’s surroundings. Nicole Ashley Photography captured the effortless beauty of the destination wedding, the wild pool party reception, and a breathtaking post-wedding shoot the following day.
Long before we even got engaged, we had discussed that it would be an intimate event away from home. At that time, however, we didn’t expect it would be SO FAR away; Central America to be exact. The most important aspect was to share our wedding with those closest to us, have it be a low stress experience, and to actually enjoy a night that is known for going by WAY to quickly.
A favorite moment would have to be how quickly our wedding went from elegant reception to POOL PARTY. Originally we had no intentions of jumping into the pool at any time throughout the night. But after a couple of drinks and a few side bets, there was no stopping the bride from her grand entrance into the water! The best part was that within a few minutes of me jumping into the pool there was at least 10 others in there with me! In general mob mentality, we began chanting the names of people on the side lines until, they too, took the plunge! We had nearly ALL of our guests in the pool including our wedding planner and hotel owner, Alina!
Long before we started planning a wedding I knew I wanted Nicole Ashley Photography to be our wedding photographer. I had been following her on social media for a couple of years and with every blog post she completely took my breath away. And sure enough, our wedding photos were nothing short of spectacular. Not only is her work incredible, Nicole is a true professional who never quit working the entire time on the island. She searched out different areas to shoot on the island, checked lighting at different times throughout the day, and even arranged for private photos to be taken at a closed restaurant for our ‘Love the Dress’ session. On top of it all, she has such a lovely personality that it can put any photography jitters to rest and our entire wedding party was completely relaxed throughout the entire process.
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