As soon as I got a taste of being a travelling wedding photographer, I was anxious to shoot my first destination wedding! When Louis & Raechel asked me if I was available to travel to the Turks & Caicos Islands in the middle of December to photograph their wedding, I couldn’t say yes fast enough!! Then it was a rush to purchase airline travelling cases for my gear and to get a good tan so I didn’t burn under the tropical sun!
I arrived at the island the afternoon before the wedding day with just enough time to meet everyone and catch up on my sleep. The entire bridal party, guests and myself stayed at a gorgeous 9-bedroom estate that sat on a private beach and could not been more beautiful. I started the morning of the wedding off with a cup of island brewed coffee, mingling with the bridal party and seeing a dolphin swimming just yards off the coast of our soon-to-be alter. The sun was blazing with hardly any clouds in the sky, and the wind was continuously blowing (I later found out that the island was the 2nd most popular for wind-surfing) which made it interesting for formal photos with all the long hair and lip gloss 🙂
The ceremony took place on the luxurious patio of the estate that looked over the pristine water. The 3 rows of chairs lined with conch shells provided the most gorgeous and intimate wedding alter I’ve seen. As soon as Raechel was escorted down the aisle by her two young sons, I was on the move! I ran into the house, up the stairs and onto the balcony to get a view of the entire ceremony from above. I then ran back down the stairs, behind the ceremony, and down the rocky trail to get to the beach where I wanted to get a unique angle of the ceremony. On my way back up I stepped into a bur plant and had to pick them out of the bottom of my feet before I could continue…I was panicking that I was going to miss the kiss! Luckily I made it with time to spare 🙂 I should have listened to Raechel’s dad earlier in the day when he recommended I keep my sandals on if I took that trail!!
Immediately following the ceremony Raechel danced with all of the special men/boys in her life and we were treated with an amazing dinner prepared on-site by an outstanding local catering company. Louis and Raechel were surrounded by their family and closest friends as they sat in a tropical paradise celebrating their new unity….awesome!!!There is something to be said about 21 people who allow a complete stranger to join their vacation and treat her as family. I was touched by the levels of hospitality and generosity of everyone there, it really made my experience beyond what I thought it would be. I’ve made some new friends and established relationships that I get to enjoy back here at home, there is nothing better than that!!!
Crystal
Traveling Spokane Wedding Photographer
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 West Pacific Ave #209
Spokane, WA 99201
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