There are lots of ‘I am Grateful For…’ posts circulating on social media at the moment so jumping on that particular bandwagon I am grateful for lovely clients who want to take me overseas to shoot their fabulous destination weddings, of which I’m fortunate to have a few this year 🙂
I first met Julia and Jake when I shot their intimate wedding in Richmond-upon-Thames (click here if you’d like to see that one) so I was over the moon when, having seen their images, they asked if I would consider coming to Florida with them to shoot their beach wedding there with many of their friends and family. You can imagine how few nanoseconds I took to reply to that question.
Six months later and we’re meeting in the air conditioned foyer of the Pier House Hotel in Key West for what was set to be my hottest and sunniest wedding to date with a temperature that must have been in the early 30s and not a breathe of wind! They thoughtfully provided fans and heart-shaped sunglasses which you can see went down a storm with the guests but juggling two cameras I could have done with my own personal punkawallah to waft me with palm fronds from the hotel’s abundant tropical gardens.
Wearing black was perhaps not the wisest move, but in stark contrast Julia looked unflappably cool in her gorgeous silk and lace Alberta dress by Lara Hannah from BOA Boutique in Richmond, and coupled with the cool blue of the hydrangeas in her gorgeous bridal bouquet helped create the illusion of a balmy, breezy day at the beach…at least that is what I kept telling myself!
The lush gardens provided some welcome shade for Julia & Jake’s portrait shoot and some pretty vibrant backdrops (you just don’t get trees that vivid green, even in leafy Surrey) which provide a striking contrast to the muted blues of the images we took down at the waterfront and along the pier.
One of the perks as a destination wedding photographer is the variety of settings you get to photograph and its something I personally relish…oh, and there’s usually a bit of sunshine involved which is rather nice too. I had a fun few days exploring Key West and life on the very well-kept Duval street. Â It all felt rather homely, but that’s easily done after a few Mojitos at Willie T’s and more than a fair helping of the local speciality Key Lime Pie!
