5 Places That You Haven't Considered For Your Destination Wedding
If you follow any large wedding blogs you've undoubtedly seen a few locales that are constantly featured. Iceland, Mexico, Santorini, Banff, Jamaica... I'm sure you know what I am talking about. Those of you who know me that I am a HUGE travel nerd. I love traveling for destination weddings, I love traveling with my family. I love walks through gardens and on beaches. I love hiking in rain forests and up mountains. I love cities and the middle of nowhere. I just love adventuring. I drive my family CRAZY because everywhere we go... I say things like "I need a wedding HERE!" or "I could put the bride right there" or "the light is perfect and I don't have a couple." So today, I share with you a few of the spots I have dreamed of photographing a beautiful couple.
1. NORWAY
This past spring, I visited the fjords in Norway and I completely fell in love with it. This is what drives my passion as a destination wedding photographer. Norway is the greenest place I have ever visited. The water is some of the most beautiful and richly colored water I've seen.. I'm sure it's a little chilly since it is glacial melt. The mountains and peaks really do come right out of the water and tower above. And there are so many waterfalls, some of the big ones don't even have names. So imagine here for a minute, you could get married with the fjord as your background. You could have a waterfall destination wedding. Your guests could stay in those cute little cabins right on the lake that have pansies growing on their roofs. You could elope in a field of wildflowers or on a glacier. The types of weddings you could have in Norway are endless... and generally you can find all of these areas and styles in ONE town. You could have a seaside wedding... or better yet a fjord side wedding. You could have a mountain top wedding. You could get married on a glacier or elope in an ice cave. You could have a farmhouse wedding. You could have a waterfall wedding. You could do a hiking elopement. You could even have a vineyard elopement. You could even get married at a Reindeer farm. Yes. THAT'S A THING. With snow and sleighs and the northern lights. You could have a big destination wedding in Norway. You could have an intimate wedding in Norway. You could even elope in Norway. The options here are endless. The backdrops are endless. FOR AN: Upscale elopement, adventurous couples, avid hikers and mountainside wedding lovers
Here is some useful information about getting married in Norway: https://www.norge.no/en/life_situation/getting-married http://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/National-Registry/Marriage-and-cohabitation/Marriage/Getting-married-in-Norway/Two-foreign-citizens-intending-to-marry-in-Norway/
Our favorite venues Torvis Hotel Wedding in Marifjøra, Norway Pulpit Rock, PREIKESTOLEN Wedding The Lofoten Islands GEIRANGER Fjord Wedding Travel Information: FLY - The main international airports in Norway are in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Tromsø, Trondheim, Ålesund, Haugesund and Sandefjord. LANGUAGE - English is widely spoken. Norwegians learn it in elementary school.
2. Antigua, Guatemala
UNESCO World Heritage site, Antigua, Guatemala would be a GORGEOUS backdrop for your wedding photos. The colorful shops around the cobblestone streets pave the way through the Colonial capital of Guatemala. The volcanoes tower above the city. The earthquake of 1773 left huge cathedrals in ruins that are still standing today. The people are incredible and helped push Antigua, Guatemala to the top of my favorites list. For an adventurous couple. Guatemala is off the beaten track. There are still dangers of crime here. You need to take precautions and be aware of your surroundings. Drink purified water, be aware of what you are eating, stay in tourist areas and protect yourself from mosquitoes.
Here is some useful information about getting married in Guatemala: https://gt.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/marriage/
Our favorite venues San Jose El Viejo Wedding
Iglesia y Convento de las Capuchinas - Las Capuchinas Church and Convent Wedding (Ceremony + large reception hall) Lake Atilian Wedding Hotel Casa Santo Domingo Wedding (Many of the images pictured above) La Recoleccion Wedding Travel Information: FLY - Guatemala City - 30 min taxi or transfer drive LANGUAGE - Some Spanish is helpful, English is spoken by many but not all Guatemalans.
3. Abbeys and Castles and the UK
Gardens, ruins, farmhouses, castles and fields of wildflowers await you in the UK. It is a bit more difficult to get married in the UK, as you need to obtain a visa to do so. But in the lands of Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Emily Bronte romance is alive and well. Imagine a Cotswolds barn wedding or a Welsh castle wedding. Elope on the shores of the Scottish Lochs. Get married at the Globe Theater in London. The UK screams classic romance. For the romantic heart.
Here is some useful information about getting married in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/foreign-national https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/weddings
Our favorite venues: Dumbleton Hall Wedding - The Cotswolds Bodnant Garden Wedding - Wales St Dunstan in the East Wedding - London Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden Wedding - Yorkshire
Manorbier Castle Wedding - Tenby, Wales
Hidcote Gardens Wedding - The Cotswolds
Caswell House Wedding, Brize Norton, Oxfordshire Stone Barn Wedding, near Upper Windrush, Cheltenham Ellenborough Park Wedding, Cheltenham