When I first met Gill, I knew he was planning something special. Despite personal tragedies, he found happiness with Lilly, whose warmth was undeniable. They chose the stunning Vrtba Garden in Prague for their wedding, a place with breathtaking views. After the ceremony, we captured intimate portraits amidst crowds of tourists. The celebration continued at the Hotel International, where a Bollywood DJ energized the party. Later, they had a second wedding in Sikh attire at a temple in Dresden, which will be shared in another blog post.
What a whirlwind of a wedding! When I first Katie & Michael a year prior to their wedding I knew they were planing a wonderful wedding day for their family & friends from around the world. As they live in the UK they are used to being pampered and having only the best, so when I listened to them speak excitably about their wedding day I could only smile. First, Katie is a gorgeous lady and though she opted not to have the bridal preparation covered (she is also very shy) she did mention that she would like to have a few single portraits. The one thing they really stressed was they wanted a reportage / natural style set of images from their Prague wedding. And so it was settled.
Their wedding venue: the incredible Vrtba Garden – a personal favorite. The wedding planners were Tim from Royal Wedding who is well known for crafting stunning weddings here in Prague and throughout the Czech Republic. For their very short portrait session (the evening party and events was of paramount importance) we decided on the Royal Garden which is stunning when in bloom offering incredible vistas. The evening dinner & party was to take place at the Alchymist Grand Hotel – a venerable Prague institution that I have always enjoyed.
What follows is a small sampling (they had about 600 beautiful images from their wedding day) of that very special day when Katie & Michael and their family & friends joined them in celebrating their union here in Prague.
{Prague wedding & pre wedding photographer / lifestyle photographer / Engagement photographer available worldwide}
J&J traveled over from Miami, Florida to have their dream elopement wedding at Prague’s historic and stunning Vrtba Garden. It is without a doubt one of those architectural gems that lends itself to wonderful wedding photography and in fact it is one of my favorite wedding & portrait locations in Prague.
As J&J explained, their first and foremost goal when coming here was finding the right photographer as they envisioned having a day of wedding portraits after their short ceremony. After all it is not every day a young couple are able to travel to Prague and have a very intimate portrait session captured in this incredible city. They told me that they really wanted a mixture of styles: magazine styled portraiture (to ensure everything is picture perfect so the lighting & hair & makeup team was brought out), natural reportage styled images captured of the two during their day (not too many staged images) and of course a killer / stylish & romantic night time portrait session that would be the envy of their family & friends back home. Additionally, the bride-to-be had a surprise for her beau: a fireworks show that was to take place near the Charles Bridge.
Our bride also wanted to have a ‘first look’ captured of the two of them at their hotel, the Boscolo Prague Luxury Hotel – a former bank building where no expense was spared on its architectural and interior details.
On the day of, I was able to capture the lovely bride to be for a few minutes before heading downstairs where J was waiting patiently at the bar. Though we created some very stylish portraits there, I felt that the best ‘man cave in Prague’ aka the Cigar Bar with its red leather couches, dark wooden and an interior would be perfect for our very stylish groom. We were not disappointed- it is without a very manly place for portraits.
A few minutes later, the lovely and beaming bride made her grand entry under the painted ceiling and J was quite clearly smitten with his lovely bride-to-be and before we knew it – we were off to the Vrtbovska Zahrada for their destination wedding.
Though it did rain during their portrait session, we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow and a stunning evening complete with a beautiful fireworks display for our newlyweds. In short, it was a very pleasant, fun filled day with two wonderful people who held their dream wedding & portrait session here in Prague. As a photographer it is sessions like this that make this ‘job’ all the worthwhile.
As a photographer I always feel that it is best to let the images speak for themselves as after all they should tell the story and not my personal reflections. The following collection of images is a small sampling of their favorites from their wedding day here in Prague.
To J&J thank you both once again for selecting my team and on behalf of all of us we wish you both much love, happiness and success in your new lives together.
Wedding Planning: Royal Weddings Hair & Makeup at the Boscolo: Portrait session Hair & Makeup: Eliska Matejkova
Wedding Location: Vrtbovska Zahrada / Vrtba Garden Wedding Dinner: Villa Richter Portrait Locations: Vrtba, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge
One of the happiest, funniest, coolest and a damn fun couple: Rachael & Jacob’s Vrtba Garden Wedding in Prague! They were not exactly keen on the usual wedding photo and so they had their wedding in their own way. Lots of laughing, horsing around, messing with peoples heads and just having a damn good time…
Rachael & Jacob could have had the typical big wedding at home but decided it was their day, and they wanted to have it on their own terms and in their special way. No fuss, no stress, no overpriced wedding cakes and especially no debt. Just two people in love, in a city they adore on their own.
Their only requests: a visit to their favorite hot dog stand (on Wenceslas Square no less) and to make it on time for their scheduled appointment at the tattoo parlor. Other than that what follows is too very cool, fun people having a brilliant time on their wedding day here in Prague.
To Rachael & Jacob, I wish you both much love, happiness and success in your new lives together as husband and wife.
{Prague wedding photographer / lifestyle photographer / pre wedding photographer available worldwide}
Sometimes everything just comes together and when it does – you just have to smile and enjoy the moment. When I met the radiant and beaming Leslie & her very handsome fiancée Anthony, I knew we would end up having a wonderful day and without the rain that was threatening to come down.
As they traveled from New York City (Brooklyn) to have their wedding in Prague (and as a fellow American) I really wanted to showcase the enchanted beauty of this city. Obviously there is Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge and of course the stunning architecture, but sometimes you want to escape the crowds of onlookers who also want their photographs of such a gorgeous couple and of course the many well wishers. So with my assistant, myself and a full video crew, we decided to head off for more intimate places so that these two could simply enjoy their first moments as husband and wife…
Our detour led to Vrtbovska Zahrada where the peaceful view of the city and of Prague Castle dominating the skyline would occasionally be broken by the sounds of the distant trams down below. The garden itself is simply stunning but when used as a backdrop for the Leslie & Anthony it seemed to pale in comparison. Later we head out and took in some more sites along the river as many happy snappers took photos of them as they walked around hand in hand.
Though times tends to go by quickly, in fact too quickly when you are having fun, what remains of that wonderful day: beautiful, striking & elegant images that capture not only what it looked like to be with them on their wedding day, but hopefully a small measure of what it felt like to be there with them too.
To Leslie & Anthony, it was a real pleasure getting to know you as well as sharing in this truly special day. I wish both of you much love, happiness and success in your new lives together as husband and wife!
—
Many thanks to my assistant Cary for doing a great job with the lighting and a special thanks to the newest and one of the best wedding planning agencies in Prague Royal Weddings. Check them out as they are hot and in great demand!
Old Town Hall Wedding / Leslie & Anthony / wedding photography
{Prague wedding photographer / lifestyle photographer / pre wedding photographer available worldwide}
It was simply one of the most beautiful days of the year and it was truly fitting for Akiko and Jakub who traveled over from Los Angelas to marry here in Prague.
Akiko & Jakub chose the most beautiful garden to marry in, the famous Vrtbovska Zahrada. As you can see it was a wonderful, intimate affair under the historic architecture and paintings of this famous garden. After their ceremony it was time for champagne and Hors d’ oeuvres with lots of hugs, congratulations and even a few tears of joy.
While family & friends were enjoying the garden, we headed to the top to take in one of the most spectacular views in Prague. This is truly a wonderful place to simply kick back and enjoy the peace and quite as you stare out over the stunning views of the river and the many towers protruding from the red tiles roofs. Everyone speaks of how beautiful Prague is but until you have seen it from this vantage point (or Prague Castle at night) you really can’t appreciate just how stunning this city is.
After a few portraits we headed off for a stroll around the centre to soak up the atmosphere. Wherever Akiko & Jakub went they were truly the center of attention as many tourists paused to congratulate them as well as take their pictures.
One of the things I enjoy about Akiko & Jakub is how relaxed and fun they are and so walking around with them, getting to know them and and creating these beautiful keepsakes of their time here was not only an honor but a real pleasure as we all had a great time.
To Akiko and Jakub, I wish both of you much love, happiness and success in your new lives together as husband & wife. And I look forward to meeting up with the two of you the next time you return to Praha!
—
A special thanks to the staff of the Four Seasons for recommending me for Akiko and Jakub’s wedding and their clients. And of course a big thanks to my kick ass assistant Max.
{Prague wedding photographer / lifestyle photographer / pre wedding photographer available worldwide}
