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}
First off the weather was gorgeous, picture perfect for our latest bride Polya who married the very lucky Dirk at Prague’s stunning Baroque garden Vrtba Zahrada. With a horse and carriage to deliver them to the garden it was a truly beautiful day for an elopement wedding. To be honest, as much as I enjoy weddings (especially those all day long affairs) I truly enjoy the intimacy of being with a young couple, who without fanfare, simply marry in a wonderful location. No fuss, no stress, no worries, just two people having a wonderful time exchanging their vows and then heading out for a truly fantastic portrait session as they experience their day as husband and wife.
If I was to marry again this is how I would do it!
To Polya and Dirk, my new friends. I am so looking forward to 2.0! You guys rock! Wishing you both much love, happiness and success in you new lives together as husband and wife!
{Prague wedding photographer / lifestyle photographer / pre wedding photographer available worldwide}
Michelle & Dan’s unforgettable Prague wedding featured a beautiful ceremony at the iconic Vrtba Garden. The setup was designed with the help of Royal Weddings along with talented florists at the bequest of Michelle. After their ceremony – with Dan fist-pumping his success in marrying the beautiful Michelle, they had a portrait session at several of Prague’s stunning landmarks before heading to Villa Richter for an intimate dinner and heartfelt speeches.
A dramatic lightning storm with torrential rains cut their river cruise short, but the lightning streaks across the Prague skyline and especially behind Prague Castle added to the hot, steamy, and yes, spectacular atmosphere with lots of laughing, dancing, and partying. The festivities continued late into the night with live music aboard the riverboat as their guests celebrated this memorable occasion. A truly unique, love-filled wedding experience befitting two wonderful people.
Roni & Tom, are a very fun, fantastic & fabulous couple to work with and so by the time it was their wedding day we already had established a wonderful connection with them. After their simple yet beautiful & elegant wedding ceremony we explored the city as our newlyweds took in the sights.
When I work with couples who are as much fun as Roni & Tom it makes me realize just how lucky I am to be a part of one’s truly memorable wedding day. Roni & Tom besides being a great looking couple are also two truly wonderful people. And though it sounds like a cliche, I really do wish Roni & Tom much Love, Happiness & Success in their new live’s together as husband & wife!
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And of course a special thanks to the lovely & talented Sherri Barber who 2nd shot as well as assisted myself and Max.
{Prague wedding photographer / lifestyle photographer / pre wedding photographer available worldwide}
