Late last year, I was so fortunate to photograph this truly international wedding in Krabi, Thailand. I was working in Aceh, Indonesia on a story when I received a call from a colleague who fell really ill and could not photograph this wedding. If you look on a map, you can see the distance from Aceh, Indonesia to Krabi, Thailand just across the channel there. But because I was in a very remote region, it took me nearly a day to get to Thailand. Regardless, in that same day, I packed my overnight bag and booked my tickets and soon enough was on a flight to Thailand via Malaysia to photograph a very unique wedding.
Folks flew in from all over the world for Nate and Amanda's wedding: New Zealand, New Hampshire, Switzerland, South Africa and I think because of the international setting, I never felt so much at home with a group of strangers. I didn't want to leave! I had spent 2 full days photographing their friends and family: an outing to an island, a very lovely reception with monkeys hanging above us, and of course the wedding itself which required transport by long boat to an uninhabited island, with no shoes (a very cool special request per the B & G), and survived a rainstorm as the bride sailed to the ceremony. Yeah, thats right. Her aisle was the gorgeous tropical waters of Ao Nang Bay, with her final steps of walking on orchid petals to her hubbie-to-be.
The majority of weddings I photograph are un-traditional. But each are so unique. There may not be expensive floral arrangements or colorful details, but when you are in the best company of your closest families and friends, the best pictures are those of the warm, glowy expressions when you are living in a truly magical moment.
