Destination Wedding Photographer – What a great way to start of 2018 with a blog from one of my favourite weddings ever, not just from last year.

Being a destination wedding photographer means that I can visit some amazing places, including Boston, USA – what a city. This was just another stop on a journey around the world to Cape Cod. Home of some of the best lobsters on earth and the destination of Cyndal and Ben’s wedding. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The journey started in London. Flying to Boston, jumping on an empty plane and lying down over three seats – that’s a great way to travel. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend it.

I left for America with my second shooter and assistant, Stephen Buss. We were lucky enough to fly on a Virgin Atlantic Dreamliner. After the normal meals, snacks and bad plane films we landed in Boston City, Massachusetts. It was really late but luckily customs was quick. Rather than picking up a normal car, we wanted to go all American, but sadly there were no Ford Mustangs left. So we went for a soft top, two seated Mercedes in white – perfect for the wedding. We couldn’t even get our gear in the back when the roof was down. As we arrived in the USA so late we spent our first night in Boston.

The next day we were up early and off to Cape Cod to scout the wedding venue. Wychmere Beach Club is set right on the coast and has a private beach that leads onto Bank Street Beach. This is where Cyndal and Ben would be getting married and the wedding coordinators were already planning the set up.

I introduced myself and discussed the details for the day. In a few hours, the wedding party would arrive for their rehearsal. Seeing both Cyndal and Ben again was a pleasure.

The last time we’d met in person was when Ben had proposed in Oxford. I was no longer the strange man following them in a small boat with a camera. Now I was here to capture their perfect day. That evening we joined their guests for a lobster and crab cook out. It was a very different experience not just be a part of the celebrations but to also feel like a part of the family. Cyndal’s cousins, aunt and grandma spent their evening chatting to Stephen and me about England. They also taught us how to eat crab. It was a packed evening of food, drink and speeches, so we were certainly ready for a good rest before the wedding in the morning.

My morning started with Cyndal and her bridesmaids while Stephen joined Ben and the boys. Gifts were shared around and Cyndal showed off a few things that Ben had picked out for her. Once everyone was ready we headed outside. Ben was on the harbour, facing out to sea and running through his vows. His groomsmen quickly stopped their garden games as Cyndal came down the steps. Everyone left to give Cyndal and Ben some alone time for their first look. All of the guests had already made their way down to the beach, so I headed to the front and the wedding party followed behind me. The weather stayed clear throughout the entire wedding and once the vows were said and rings exchanged they walked back up the beach, turned and hugged everyone they could.

Before all of Cyndal and Ben’s guests could swamp them, I lead them through to the fields for a few couple wedding photos. The sky instantly changed as huge clouds rolled in, creating a dramatic background. Once the guests had made their way to the reception hall, we walked down to the water’s edge, avoiding the alien looking Horseshoe crabs, for a few photos against the now dark sky. The celebrations continued with fantastic entrance dances, some beautiful speeches and Cyndal and Ben’s first dance. There were of course some traditions that aren’t as common in the UK but that’s what makes being a destination wedding photographer so much fun. You can learn new things and they prepare you for when you’re invited back for another Cape Cod wedding. I’m looking forward to that and to grabbing another lobster roll.

Thank you to Cyndal and Ben for inviting me to shoot your wedding. I loved every moment of my stay in America and delivering these photos brings back so many memories.

I asked Cyndal and Ben to choose the photos for the blog and to let me know why they chose those particular images. We as wedding photographers can often find ourselves guilty of being obsessed with the technicalities of our photos so I wanted the blog and the images to be very personal to this lovely couple.

I loved the photos that they chose and the words are amazing, I hope you enjoy.

Lots of love

Iain