I absolutely love photographing weddings in foreign places, it’s definitely a perk of being a destination wedding photographer. This time around I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Last year, I photographed Heather and Garret’s wedding. It happened in two amazing phases; the ceremony and 1st reception took place in beautiful Punta Cana. The second reception took place in Chicago, that way family and friends who didn’t have the chance to travel could still celebrate with them. It was a great idea, and they are such a fun couple! Naturally, it all turned out perfectly.
Down in the DR, my assistant and I got to know the couple pretty well. Early into the trip we learned some latin dancing (salsa, the merengue, and the cha cha too!) and went out dancing with them later that night. Garret and I even ended up bonding over how much we liked metal. They truly wanted Vanessa, my assistant and I to have a good time and made us feel comfortable with being there.
The wedding took place on the beachfront, I had never actually shot a wedding in the sand before. Both the bridal party and us photographers were barefoot, and I have to say, barefoot weddings are a lot of fun. The whole time we were engaging with our environment. The hotel itself was something out of a fairy tale. There was amazing scenery, the gorgeous ocean, vibrant plant life, and seafood to die for. During the reception there was even a fire dancing show.
The second phase of the reception was held in a lovely loft space in the South Loop of Chicago at Room 1520. We went around the city beforehand taking photos in locations that had sentimental value for Heather and Garret before heading back to the party. We spent a good amount of time during those wedding portraits visiting the Kinzie bridge, and the riverfront. The fact that the actual wedding had already happened seem to take a lot of stress out of the event (for the couple and attendees alike). A surprise addition to that night came in the form of hockey. All of this was happening the night the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2013. Heather and Garret are pretty big hawks fans, they had a whole cake dedicated to them with their logo on it. It was cut just after the announcement of their win.
I had a great time at both weddings, and I can’t say enough about how great this couple was to work with. Heather and Garret, I wish you the happiest future! Scroll down for some of the photos from both events.
