It is disappointing for many couples having to rethink their destination wedding plans, derailing their search for the perfect Copenhagen wedding photographer or beachside ceremony location perhaps. There is a sense of time standing still when planning for a wedding abroad at a time like this. As with many postponed Covid weddings, couples are left feeling a little stranded with choices to make. Whilst your wedding day plans might seem put on hold, there is light at the end of the tunnel for many couples planning a destination wedding.

There are many unknown factors when planning a wedding in another country, especially during a pandemic. My blog post all about hiring a destination wedding photographer gives a general outline of what it is like to choose destination wedding photography. But if you would like some more information and potential tips then keep on reading. Here are some important factors to consider when planning your wedding.

Remember Travel is Restricted

During the pandemic many countries closed their borders during the lockdowns. This obviously halted international travel and put couples in a bind when planning their weddings in places other than their own. But it is important to realise that these restrictions are there for a reason. So when checking your dream destination wedding location, be mindful of that countries policies. Some countries like the UK are already vaccinating their population which is a really positive step for international weddings. However, this is a privilege and many countries have not had the same opportunity.  With travel restrictions in mind, it may be more responsible to plan for a 2022 or a 2023 destination wedding?

Hire or Seek Help When Planning Your Destination Wedding

If you are looking into getting hitched abroad, first check out places of information. For example the website Getting Married In Denmark Copenhagen is such a wonderful tool to utilise. With online assistants to chat through your concerns and plans, it really is invaluable. They give helpful first hand advice about getting married in Denmark. With online chat agents, frequently asked questions, popular locations to visit and a history of the City Hall on their website – there is so much useful information.

Not only is there extensive information about getting married in Copenhagen, but there is lots of detailed insight into getting married in other parts of Denmark too on the website. From choosing your location to picking a Copenhagen wedding photographer, this website has all you need to start planning. There are many other websites and planners like this one, that can help minimise your stress of planning a wedding in a country other than your own. Just by searching destination wedding planners and on day co-ordinators can eliminate your daily worry when planning your big day.

Consider Choices Carefully When Planning a Destination Wedding

We know that restrictions can change overnight in the ever changing landscape of this pandemic. This is why when you are choosing a destination wedding photographer or a venue abroad that you choose carefully. Check contracts and stipulations with wedding vendors. Be prepared that to alter your plans along with the guidelines of the current state of the laws. Be on the look out to regularly check other countries COVID protocol and rules to keep in line with your destination wedding plans.

Most of all Remain Kind, Calm and Collected

Keep in the front of your mind that we are all going through this together. A destination wedding photographer or a destination wedding planner will have had all their plans and future weddings postpone. This is a huge amount of stress and worry, so remain calm when talking to suppliers. Take their advice and listen to their points. The world is opening up and slowly life will return to some semblance of ‘normal’. There are positive steps with vaccinations that in the future will allow destination weddings to go ahead. In the mean time when planning your destination wedding consider these points.

Aim To Possibly Plan For a 2022/2023 Wedding Abroad To Avoid Travel Restriction Worry

Seek Help From Overseas Wedding Planners or Organisations

Be Mindful of Other Countries COVID Rules and Protocol 

Remain Calm and Remember That There is Light at The End of The Tunnel!

If you are looking for a Copenhagen wedding photographer or a destination wedding photographer then please do look no further. I am desperate to visit my families homeland of Denmark when travel is more frequent and what better way than to fly over for a destination wedding photography job and to see family? See here the reasons why I believe we should work together.

If you would like a little more inspiration here is a destination French vineyard wedding that I was privilege to be a part of. Or perhaps a Scandinavian theme has found you on this website with a Destination wedding photographer Sweden search.

What a wonder this destination wedding photography gig was. It was such a dream come true when Grace and Craig asked me to photograph their destination wedding in France. Hold on to your hats because this wedding is absolutely stunning. The couple were married at Domanie de Lauzel – a gorgeous vineyard location.  The wedding party had the location for the whole weekend, which contributed to the relaxed atmosphere of the day. You have never seen a calmer bride than Grace. Accompanied by her cute little side kick (the couples pug) she was the picture of cool, calm and collected. It was the most relaxed morning whilst the bride and groom parties prepared for the outdoor ceremony.

Sweet, laid back and natural destination wedding photography France

This wedding had so many home made touches, which is even more impressive considering they planned a wedding abroad. The couples venue was a dry hire – which basically means that they decorated and kitted it out all themselves. The whole wedding was a family affair with everyone pitching in. It was not actually dissimilar to her sisters wedding, which I had photographed a year previous to this destination wedding nuptials. You can see Ellen – Grace’s sister’s –  DIY outdoor wedding in Surrey which you can see here.

Along with home made bouquets, flower garlands and photo booth style Tinder cut outs, Grace’s sister made the cutest two tiered unicorn wedding cake. It was rather spectacular. The couple also personalised all of their table settings for their relaxed and laid back wedding breakfast. Later in the evening the couple had two amazing food trucks specialising in Mexican and French cuisine for their guests to choose from.

Natural and Relaxed Destination Wedding Photography France

Grace chose a silk Topshop wedding dress which was absolutely stunning. Craig opted for the classic navy blue suit and together they both looked spectacular. Grace’s sister and partner conducted the couples outdoor wedding ceremony which gave the wedding an intensely personal atmosphere. The wedding party sang songs including “Light My Fire” which was a welcome change from traditional choir chorus’ and retired to a relaxed outdoor drinks reception. An absolute highlight, personally, was the couples first dance that was held in the outdoor courtyard space and a corker of a sunset in wheat fields to finish the night.

“Your Photographs are so wonderful and fully capture the feeling and excitement of the day in a way that I just never really thought was possible through photos. So  thank you!”

Grace  + Craig

If like Grace and Craig you are opting for destination wedding photography France then please do get in touch as I would love to hear what you have planned. With a taste for destination wedding photography in your minds check out Thea and Henrik’s outdoor dreamy woodland Swedish wedding.

THANK YOU FOR LOOKING THROUGH THESE WONDERFUL IMAGES

Thank you to all of Grace and Craig’s wonderful suppliers:

Venue: Domaine de Lauzel

Dress: Topshop Bridal

Suit: French Connection

Jewellery: Catbird NY

Catering: Crazy Diamond Truck and El Taco Diablo

Bridesmaids: Assortment of Bridesmaids own choosing

Cake: Bride’s Sister

Flowers: Bride’s Mother

So, you have probably found this page as you are embarking on planning a destination wedding and are looking for a destination wedding photographer.  Well my friends you are in luck! I am just a natural, Surrey girl living in the UK, with a little Danish heritage who just so happens to LOVE to travel.  It is not just my love of travel that fuels my love for destination weddings. It is the joy that I experience by taking in new cultures and experiences. Exploring the world and being able to take photographs at the same time is a dream come true. Being able to deliver destination wedding photography for amazing couples is truly amazing.

I have been lucky enough to travel with my job and it would be amazing if more couples involved me with their destination wedding. So far I have photographed Thea and Henrik’s wedding abroad in Sweden at the beautiful woodland venue Kroksta Gard and shot a destination wedding in France at the gorgeous vineyard setting of Domaine De Lauzel. Take a look at Grace and Craig’s gorgeous vineyard wedding in France. These weddings were so gorgeous that I am hoping to expand my portfolio. During my favourite photographs of 2018 blog piece I named a few weddings that were on my wish list and Italy was one of them! So. You are planning a destination wedding so let’s get stuck in.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BOOKING A DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

THE   NITTY   GRITTY

As my home is in Surrey it is obvious that I would have to travel to get to your wedding ahead of time. When photographing a destination wedding you have to plan ahead. I do not like leaving things to chance or worry about missed flights. With this in mind I always get to the country at least a two days before the actual wedding day. This gives us time to meet up before the big day.

The day before the wedding I will go and visit the venue. Check out the best places for portraits and group photographs. Look at where the light hits at certain times of the day. It is also the perfect time to talk about the days schedule update me on any new developments. This meeting is the perfect time to air any concerns about wedding day timelines and logistics. I have given my couples advise on ceremony locations and running orders. It helps to have a photographers perspective on the day. If you are debating about wedding timelines here is a blog piece all about it. 

MY APPROACH as a DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Like photographing weddings in Surrey and around the UK my approach to being a destination wedding photographer is much of the same. I get stuck into photographing your day and capture all the moments in-between. The approach is still as it would be in the UK. The coverage starts when you would like it. This can be from bridal and groom prep until first dance or later if you would like. If you are getting married somewhere hot usually wedding ceremonies start a little later in the afternoon. This is to avoid the heat of the day so wedding coverage can carry on slightly later in to the evening. There is always a chance for a cracking sunset and you know how much I LOVE a sunset!

THE PACKAGE

My destination wedding photography packages are set at a fixed rate so there is no confusion. However, each wedding is unique and prices are bespoke based on location. A wedding in European country will have the fixed package but a destination wedding in Australia would be based on a bespoke price. No matter what country your wedding is in they all include:

Photography by me for up to 9 hours

Comprehensive planning and consultations with me

Travel and accommodation (approximately three nights)

500-1500 full resolution digital edited images edited in that Jessica Grace signature style presented on a USB

Selection of ten 6×4 printed photographs presented in a bespoke wooden box

Online password protected gallery first look for family and friends to view

I have a brochure with your name on it if you would like some more information about destination wedding photography. Please do get in touch if you would like to see it. I am desperate to photograph in some countries that I have never photographed in. So if you are having a destination wedding on my list please do get in touch and I will put together a personalised quote. Some new places I would love to shoot destination weddings in are Denmark, Italy, Norway, Greece, Thailand, Australia, Canada and Las Vegas to name a few!

If you need more convincing how about checking out my top reasons why we should work together.

A Magical Woodland Wedding

If you were to think of destination wedding photography Sweden – this wedding would be your mood board. Get your Pinterest boards ready because today I have for you a Swedish wedding extravaganza! Full confession: I have lusted after this wedding ever since I met with Henrik and Thea to discuss their plans. The setting for their wedding was Kroksta Gard; a gorgeous red fronted Scandinavian barn set in the countryside of Upsalla. Found in the middle of the countryside down a long path surrounded by silver birch trees. Walking to the venue felt like you were entering into a Swedish dream.  This beautiful red barn that was rented as a dry hire space was the perfect location for the couples vision.

“All we had hired was a barn” Henrik explained “and although it was wonderful to have the creative freedom to do whatever we wanted, looking back we’re very proud that we, along with our nearest and dearest, managed to pull it off!”  Oh boy did they manage to pull it off the most gorgeous Swedish wedding indeed! Seriously scrolling through their wedding images it is impossible to guess that nearly all the elements of the day were created by the couple themselves along with their friends and family.

Henrik and Thea described their day as a “rustic Scandi farm midsummer nights dream”.  Which they executed to perfection. They’re styling was gorgeous, from hand painted table settings to a personalised VW camper van photo booth.  When reminiscing about their Swedish wedding Thea said that she “had to keep pinching myself all day as I was sure it was all just a dream”.  Guests found their seats written on rustic little pieces of brown paper hanging from the iconic red barn door outside the venue situated between draped green foliage and ate their wedding breakfast from a food truck outside the barn. I mean taco’s for your wedding breakfast – what is not to love about that?  

“The hard work of all out amazing friends and family made everything possible” Thea said. The couples wedding definitely was a labour of love from all parties involved. Where should the list begin? Thea’s mother arranged all the flowers with a close family friend for the day. When I say all the flowers I mean ALL the flowers. The button holes, the table settings, the bouquets – the LOT. It was incredible what they achieved together. The photographs speak for themselves and the arrangements were stunning. Not only were the flowers arranged by family, but Thea’s friend and bridesmaid had sewed every napkin on the tables to be the perfect size and fit for the plates. They were tied neatly with a gorgeous Swedish themed napkin string. It was all of these little touches that made Henrik and Thea’s day so beautiful and personal.

Thea’s wedding cake was extraordinary. Topped with two golden stags and surrounded by gorgeous peony flowers. She herself made the wedding cake for her big day which she was icing well into the early hours the evening of the night before the big day. There are so many personal touches when I write down the details for this unbelievable Swedish wedding. One of my favourite details was that Thea’s Grandad picked and dried all of the confetti from his garden in Australia. He then had them shipped over for her as he could not be there. Pulling together all of your resources is vital when planning a dry hire wedding, but also essential if that wedding is overseas. Thea and Henrik had a family member DJ their entertainment for the evening with banging tracks and their favourite songs – including ‘Vindaloo’ for Henrik and his stag party!

The beauty of destination wedding photography is that as a photographer I always get to the country that the wedding is being held a couple of days early. This enables me to get acquainted with the area and to also arrange meetings with my lovely couples to go through their wedding plans before the big day. The day before the wedding I met Henrik and Thea to walk around the venue and to check in with them both. We wandered around the site and they particularly wanted outside input for their ceremony location “Jesse was so helpful in making sure that we had made the right decision” Thea explained “and advised us on how the light would be in different spots around the woodland”.

The couple had a close school friend as their marriage celebrant which was held in the middle of the most gorgeous woodland. They both agreed that the ceremony was the highlight of their day recounting that “it was such a special location and it was just how we wanted it.”   A school friend sang two gorgeous songs during the ceremony and had the guests join in too. It was truly one of the most magical ceremonies that I have ever had the chance to be a part of.  Looking around there was not a dry eye in the house and it was such a magical experience to be around people who were singing with the couple who had chosen the songs that were personal to them.

Thea and her bridesmaids got ready upstairs whilst Henrik and his groomsmen were downstairs. Thea chose a gorgeous dress from French Connection paired with a pair of cute Swedish Hasbeens. Her bridesmaids all chose dresses that they had in their possession already.  Their styles married together perfectly and complemented Thea’s dress choice and the flowers that went with them. There is something really magical about choosing dresses and outfits that people feel truly comfortable in. So often bridesmaids feel that they have to be matching with their dresses. When in actual fact miss-matching your outfits is a great way to make your wedding stand out and also be more eco friendly. You can see from a previous blog post of mine “How To Have a More Eco Friendly Wedding” that choosing your own dress can reduce the impact on the environment.

The reception featured the most gorgeous tasting table with tapas elements and cheese, along with pink gin cocktails. The couples speeches were held outside in the glorious sunshine by the barn on top of an antique old trailer. As the party continued outside with games of KUBB and dancing we snuck away for some portraits. “We were quite nervous about the couples photographs” remarked Thea “but they are some of our favourites and the time we got to spend together just the two of us was a highlight of the day”. We were really spoilt for choice with the location and as soon as the sun was setting we walked back to the woods where they had said ‘I Do’ earlier in the day.

Together as a couple, Henrik and Thea were unconventionally wonderful. As a couple they broke from almost all wedding traditions on their big day right from the very start “we walked down the aisle together hand in hand and in to married life in our own way” Henrik said.  Perhaps this should be the motto for all couples looking to get married. Step into married life in your own way! Listen to your gut and don’t feel bad when you ask others for help. With Henrik and Thea’s wedding as an example, it doesn’t take an individual to organise a wedding – it takes takes a village!

Being part of Thea and Henrik’s Swedish wedding day was nothing other than magical. They are such wonderful people and surround themselves with the most fantastic friends and family. They were kind enough to say some wonderful words about me which still have me blushing as I write them down now!

I honestly can’t recommend Jesse enough. Her wonderful personality, dazzling creativity and incredible professionalism has given us the perfect wedding photos and we couldn’t be happier.

DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY SWEDEN

THANK YOU

For stopping by and looking through these destination wedding photography Sweden photographs 

Here are some of the names of the amazing suppliers that made Thea and Henrik’s day so special:

Venue: Kroksta Gard

Invites: Paperless Post

Flowers: Brides Mother

Cake: The Bride

Catering: Heta Koket

Dress: French Connection

Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

Suit: Zara Man

Entertainment: Elliot Rawson

If you have found this blog post by searching ‘destination wedding photography Sweden’ and are looking for some other wedding inspiration abroad, then look no further! Check out Grace and Craig’s Parisian vineyard wedding in France or my blog post all about working with a destination wedding photographer.