Destination Wedding Photographer | David & Aleksandra (part 1)

Call it a travel bug. Call it my insatiable longing for adventure. Call it being ungrounded. Call it crazy. Call it whatever you want to call it.

I call it living a life that I love.

There is something about destination weddings that gets my blood pumping just a bit faster and my adrenaline rushing just a bit stronger. It comes as no surprise to most of you that I have always loved to travel. And it certainly comes as no surprise to all of you that I love to shoot weddings. Therefore, destination weddings are RIGHT UP MY ALLEY! And not only a destination wedding, but a European destination wedding! And not only a European destination wedding, but a wedding in one of the most beautiful European countries I have ever been to: Switzerland.

There is very little about Switzerland that I don’t absolutely adore. The culture is rich in tradition, and the people are utterly charming. And then, of course, there are the mountains. Glorious, majestic, breathtakingly beautiful mountains! Scattered on these mountains are tiny villages, lined with cobblestone streets. And in these tiny villages you find the richness of Swiss culture- the little church that has been there for centuries, the bakery that has provided families with sweets for decades, and the families whose heritage in that village goes back for years upon years.

And that is why I love destination weddings.

David & Aleksandra were married on a day where the sun was shining beautifully over the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Their wedding was both unique and fun! It was a wonderful concoction of Russian tradition and Swiss tradition, mixed with a few close friends and family, and a big dose of laughter and charm.

One of the things I love about photographing weddings in Europe, or destination weddings in general is seeing how different traditions are. We started the day in a relaxing way with a brunch at their apartment in which friends and family tried to converse in English- a second language to everyone there. In the midst of broken English some Russian and Swiss-German words were thrown around. It was delightful. After getting ready, everybody headed over to a museum where David and Aleksandra said their vows in a very informal cozy setting. When they were finished we all went outside for a small reception, and then took a journey high up a mountaintop where we received a tour of a castle that was now also a museum. Once the tour was over, we all drove to a GORGEOUS old mansion-turned-restaurant. Upon arriving to the restaurant we were escorted stories below the surface to the wine cellar where a time of fun speeches and games were shared. After the cozy time in the wine cellar everyone went upstairs to partake in a lovely 5-course meal. It was charming, sweet, and everything you picture quaint European weddings to be.

Thanks David & Aleksandra for allowing me to be a part of and being the photographer for your destination wedding! (and David, thanks for flying me business-class to Zurich!!!)

A lovely, fresh, elegant bouquet!

Meet ??????? (pronounced “babushka”), Aleksandra’s Russian grandma! Pretty sure she was one of my favorite people of the day. Absolutely hilarious! I couldn’t understand a thing she said, as she only spoke Russian, but my goodness she had me laughing!

Excited to see her groom soon

I am…

such a…

HUGE FAN….

of “the first look” …

!!!!

Looking at the sky, so grateful that it was blue!

On their way into the museum to get married!

ohhh the anticipation!

exchanging of rings

Happily wedded!

Caught this shot during the ceremony. This little girl just adored her younger brother- it was the cutest thing ever!

The newlyweds and their happy guests

After spending about 20 minutes on the museum grounds taking some portraits, we walked back to see all the guests dancing on the stairs and making a music video to “I’m so excited”. This was David’s reaction when he realized what they were doing. The video was played later on that evening at the reception.

The castle we toured. One of the things I love about photographing destination weddings is being able to experience other wedding cultures.

Leading their guests up to the castle grounds

Boys will be boys….and yes, he was throwing it at ME!

A medieval torture method. Disturbing!

Taking a stroll through the castle like any true prince and princess would do!

The view from the castle top

One our way to dinner

Babushka again! I have no idea what she was doing, but she kept motioning to me to take her picture and when I pulled out my camera, this is the pose to took. Ha! I’m telling you, she was hilarious!