La FLora Resort made a glorious setting right at the beautiful golden sandy beach of Bang Niang in Khao Lak. The girls got ready in their sister property Casa de la Flora just along the bay before the ceremony between the pool and the sea. One of the most memorable sunsets I have ever seen was followed by a candlelit dinner on the beach and dancing and partying in the resorts club.

I heard many of her friends saying they wished it had been their big day! And rightly so, it was just the perfect wedding…

Aidan

Hedda and Erlend from Oslo, Norway flew to Thailand with their two young children, Wilhelm and Sofia, to exchange their vows at Le Meridien Resort Khao Lak. Given that it was their first time in Asia and the only research they had was on the internet, it was a particularly brave move. However their choice was a brilliant one and the stunning Le Meridien Resort handled all their needs and put on a beautifully intimate ceremony.

We spent a fun morning in the resort grounds taking family photos around the pool and on the beach; getting pictures with children can be challenging but Wilhelm and Sofia were having too much fun to notice the camera! Late afternoon we wandered down to a private cove on the beach for a private ceremony just before sunset. Einar Arne Garlid, the priest from the the Norwegian Seaman’s Church (Sjømannskirken) in Pattaya had flown down to perform this special ceremony and also impressed everyone with his trumpet playing!

Thank you to all the family, it was a wonderful day and I know Hedda and Erlend are already looking at returning to Asia!

As always, it was a pleasure working at my favorite venue in Khao Lak – The Sarojin.

The location was the award-winning boutique hotel, The Sarojin at the North end of the Khao Lak strip, where Julian had been photographing a few months earlier. A ceremony on the beach was followed by sunset on the rocks and private dinner on the sands. What a beautiful day and a fun relaxed couple to be around!

With climbing Mount Kilimanjaro amongst their conquests, getting them to stand still for this 6 second exposure was a breeze! The waves were up to my waist and spraying the camera with sand and salt water, but the Canon 5d mk II didnt flinch, a great piece of kit.

Donna and Steve live in London, and decided on a small destination wedding in Thailand for various reasons, though I’m pretty sure that the weather this time of year in London was probably the deciding factor. The setting at the Sarojin resort could not have been better – lush yet understated. We had some spare time in the morning to fit in an impromptu engagement session and take advantage of that gorgeous blue ocean and green grounds, and in the afternoon I had lots of time to capture Donna and Steve preparing in their separate side-by-side suites.

And, for the first time in many many months, I was able to shoot a wedding bathed in stunning late afternoon sunshine. I finally know what it would feel like to shoot a wedding in southern California.

One of the advantages of photographing such a small wedding party (9 people in all) is that I got to spend a bit more time than usual getting to know everyone. And getting to know Donna and Steve was a genuine pleasure. They are one of the friendliest, fun couples I have met, let alone photographed. To have been allowed to be part of their intimate wedding was a real privilege, and a definite highlight of my year.