I was super lucky to have had the opportunity to head over to Canada for a bit of photo shooting in amongst the incredible scenery on offer in Canmore and Banff! But on the way home I spent a few days in and around North Vancouver with Clancy and Rob!
Clancy and Rob’s Capilano River Couple Shoot began at the top of the canyon area, where we walked over the huge Cleveland Dam. The water was quite low in the gorge below, so we were not only able to make the most of the incredible pine trees on display along the paths, but also the rocky outcrops that would otherwise be under water if it were to be flowing more heavily.
It was a rather hot day for Canada – well from my experience anyway! and as we began at the top,and walked down to the water level – we had to walk all the way to the top again, which was pretty hard going! once we had our fill of photos we head to a local Sushi shop for lunch 🙂
The last few photos in this collection were taken the day after on a short trip up to Whistler, but the majority are from the Capilano River Couple Shoot!
Couple in Vancouver forest
Couple hugs in Vancouver
Capilano river couple choot
COuple standing between pine trees in Capilano river
Couple lift in forest
Capilano river park couple shoot
Couple by Capilao river
Lift by Capilao river
Couple in Capilano river vancouverCouple in Capilano river vancouver
Amanda and Brian’s wedding was held right on the foreshore of Darwin under the verandah of the Wharf One restaurant with the picturesque backdrop of Darwin’s Kitchener Bay. The day’s weather was absolutely magnificent, as can be expected from Darwin at this time of year! I love heading up to the Northern Territory for this exact reason! Amanda and Brian had quite a few of their family and friends travel up to Darwin for their wedding day which included two separate tea ceremonies and a lovely laid back ceremony and reception at Wharf One.
Morning Tea Ceremonies
Amanda and Brian hosted two separate traditional tea ceremonies for their two travelling families. The first in a rather nice, large bed and breakfast propertry overlooking the Darwin shoreline. It’s also where Amanda and her bridal party had their makeup and hair done before greeting Brian who arrived brandishing flowers.
I rather like the idea of giving thanks to family members and seeking approval of the wedding through the exchanging of tea in the morning before wedding ceremonies as it brings together and includes family members who would otherwise not have as much to do on a wedding day. It formalises the idea of the coming together of two separate families in a lovely traditional way.
Makeup
Makeup
Family on couch
Engagement ring
Tea set
Wedding rings
Wedding dress
Wedding dress
Grooms arrival
Smiling bride
Hugs
Tea ceramony
Tea ceramony
Jewellery gift
Little girl
Smiling guests
Entrance
Mobile photos
Drinking tea
Drinking tea
Offering tea
Tea cup
Tea ceremony
Tea ceremony
Preparation Photos
As is often the case after hosting a tea ceremony on a wedding day, it’s not uncommon for the bridal party to change clothing into their wedding ceremony attire. After heading back from the Darwin city center and back to the bed and breakfast for lunch, Amanda changed out of her red dress into her white bridal gown, while Brian suited up. They managed to hide the dress entirely from Brian despite being prepared at the same location by hiding it in an upstairs bedroom which Brian was forbidden to enter. That way the tradition of seeing the bride for the first time on the day was saved for when she walked down the aisle in her white dress, which Brian hadnt seen yet! 🙂
Shoes
Cufflinks
Crossing fingers
Putting on shirt
Sorting out ties
Pose
Putting on jacket
Helping out
Helping out
Closeup of flower
Walking out door
Bridesmaid helping out
Putting on dress
Walking down the stairs
Bridesmaid putting in veil
Looking pretty
Bridesmaids
Wharf One Wedding Ceremony
The decking just outside the Wharf One restaurant was the setting for their wedding ceremony, with the entire congregation shaded from the hot sun, and yet still enjoying the beautiful weather while surrounded by the calm waters found in the Darwin artificial beach precinct. The ceremony itself was a lovely simple affair with a couple of friends and family sharing readings and laughter as their celebrant highlighted some of the funnier parts of their relationship.
Wedding sign
Groom waiting patiently
Bride getting ready to go
Bridal approach
Out the front together
Smiles
Smiles
Wedding ceremony
Smiling bride
Wharf One Wedding ceremony
Exchanging wedding rings
Holding hands
First kiss
Bridal exit
Bridal exit
Glamour Photos
After the family photos, the rest of the congregation enjoyed the precinct surrounding the Wharf One restaurant while Amanda, Brian, their bridal party and I went for a little drive to make use of some of the more picturesque spots scattered around Darwin. Our first stop was of course the decking surrounding Wharf One where we took a few bridal party shots. We then head over to the wonderful trees out the front of the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The trees here are wonderful to have photos done at that time of day as the sun peeks through the foliage in such a delightful manner! We then head around to the parklands surrounding Lake Alexander before heading up to Dudley point to make use of the delightful hanging cliffs for the sunset.
Bride and Groom walking together near Wharf One
Pushing the groom into the drink
Bridal Party
Bridal Party under a tree
Bridal Party under the trees
Bride and groom walking together
Bride and groom walking together
Under a tree
Amongst the scrub
Amongst the scrub
Romantic
Hugs
Walking together
Holding one another
Holding one another
Out on pride rock
Out on pride rock
Out on pride rock
Beautiful light on the rocks
Beautiful light on the rocks
Sunset
Sunset
Wharf One Wedding Reception
Amanda and Brian’s wedding reception was held back at the Wharf One restaurant a little late as we stayed out at Dudley Point for the sunset, but noone seemed to mind much. The atmosphere was jovial and everyone had a delightful meal backdropped by live music and the odd foray into the photobooth – who’s attendant happened to be the very same attendant at my first wedding in Darwin over 2 years ago! Very small world.
Bridal entrance
Speech
Schedule
Best Man speech
Bride
Maids of honour speech
Laughing bride
Hugs
Wedding cake
Speech
Cutting the cake
Inside Wharf One Restaurant
Boys hanging out
Thanks so much for Amand and Brian for having me as your wedding photographer! If anyone is looking for a photographer in Darwin, I’d be super keen to travel back up for your wedding! Check out my darwin website at https://svenstudios.com/darwin-wedding-photography/ for more details!
I was super excited to cover Geri and Ashwin’s Santorini Couple Shoot as I happened to be on the Greek island of Santorini for Kerri and Tony’s wedding for which they were guests to! Geri’s choice of dress was amazing as the red of her dress really stood out amongst the typical blue and white for which the island of Santorini is famous for. Both Geri and Ashwin were quite natural in front of a camera also, making for some wonderful scenes without much effort, and while surrounded by the sun parched surrounds of Thera on Santorini, it made for some lovely scenes.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, shooting in Santorini and expecting to be surrounded by pristine stairways and white buildings is fine, but you also need to be prepared for throngs of tourists also getting in the way! Leading up to Kerri and Tony’s wedding photo shoot I had scouted out certain spots around the city that seemed to have fewer tourists than others, while still looking awesome, so I took Geri and Ashwin to all the same spots as I took Kerri and Tony, with a few other spots thrown in. As the time of the day was very different between Kerri and Tony’s shoot and Geri and Ashwins, it was quite interesting to visit the same areas and work with the different light.
Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event that you and your spouse-to-be will fondly look back to many years later. Your wedding photos are what will remind you of the precious memories of your big day. As such, it’s become quite a popular thing to opt to have photos done before your wedding day, and to have a destination photoshoot session.
As you near your big day, you will want to make sure that you have wedding photographers to capture the best moments of your life. So going on a bit of a holiday, while also having a destination photoshoot session with your photographer is a neat way to get away for a bit, and also meet up with your photographer and see if you enjoy working together.
While some are content with the typical indoor or outdoor shoot, some couples go the extra mile and decide to hold their pre-wedding photoshoots overseas and feature iconic locations and sceneries rather than hosting a whole destination wedding. Tends to be cheaper that way too.
Santorini destination wedding photography
It’s not at all uncommon to visit places like Hawaii and notice dozens of birdal couples on the beach, often with drones and photographers swarming around. These couples arent celebrating their wedding day – it’s just their photoshoot so that they can enjoy their whole wedding day with their family and friends.
Although due to recent events such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, this isn’t happening as often anymore – you can still dream and plan to do so once it’s safe to do so again!
5 Tips for a Perfect Destination Photoshoot Session
If you are planning to do the same and have a destination photoshoot session, you might feel that the preparations are challenging and overwhelming, to say the least. To help you out and make sure everything goes well, we will share five tips to help you achieve the perfect destination photoshoot session:
Coordinate with your photographer
Being in an unfamiliar location has its challenges. You will have to study the destination’s geographics better and discuss it with your photographers so that you can plan the photoshoot together and make the location work for your ideas. Additionally, knowing your locations better will help you make the proper preparations, from the schedule to the accommodation and the travel time.
Let your photographer know your preferences and the ideas that you have before the shoot so that you can make the necessary preparations instead of rushing everything last minute. Your photographer will probably be able to help out with this due to experience of shooting at the location, or generally which spots would and wouldn’t work due to the time you’re planning on going.
Alaska Destination wedding photography
Read weather updates
Some couples usually overlook the importance of checking the weather when planning overseas photoshoots. To make sure your pre-wedding photoshoot goes smoothly, it helps to do plenty of research on your destination’s weather for your scheduled dates and its season. Again, ask your photographer what they recommend drawing on their experience.
In summer, popular summer destinations are usually crowded with tourists during the day, so this may present you with some challenges. During winter, the days are shorter than nights, meaning that you will have less time for natural daylight. Knowing these vital details can help you set appropriate expectations and plans for your wedding photos effectively.
Santorini destination wedding
Plan your wardrobe and where you will get them
Another thing to prepare for a painless overseas pre-wedding shoot is your wardrobe. Start researching options for gown rentals near your destination, or if you’re planning on packing yourself, try not to pack more than two outfits as it can just get exhausting changing all the time.
Think about makeup too – source a local makeup artist and perhaps ask if they can follow along for at least a portion of your destination photoshoot session to completre any touchups.
Under the jetty
Prepare a budget for your trip
The last thing you want to do throughout a destination adventure is to go over your budget because of hidden costs for transportation, accommodation, and food for your partner and crew. To avoid this, thoroughly check the terms and conditions of your package to make sure that there are no extra fees.
Sometimes locations ask for a permit to be paid in order to have photos taken on site – so do your research before rocking up
Also, set aside funds for attraction fees for the locations you will visit. Similarly, prepare enough currency so that you can easily pay for something when it’s needed.
Thorngrove Manor engagement shoot
Enjoy the experience
The whole preparation may be stressful, but don’t forget to relax and enjoy your time with your partner! Remember, you are taking photos before your big day, so that you don’t have to stress and go through the whole press on your actual wedding day. Also you get amazing photos from the destination you chose!
At the same time though, do not be frustrated when things don’t go as planned – better now than on your wedding day. Things may always change when you’re on holday, or even overseas, but the important thing is to enjoy the moment you’re in with the person you love.
Darwin’s Pride rock
The reason why you’re planning a destination photoshoot session is so that you can save money by still having a shotoshoot done in an amazing location, but not your whole wedding. The photos you take on this kind of phtooshoot can be absolutely spectacular, while not having the stress of it being on your actual wedding day! You can enjoy yourself and the whole experience, making for genuine smiles and laughter, which will ultimately be the key to capturing beautiful photos.
If you’re planning a destination photoshoot session, I’d be absolutely keen to hear more about it! I’ve shot all around the world and would be keen to travel anywhere for it! Just get in contact and we’ll work something out!
