Linnie + Josh

Destination wedding: Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, The Bahamas

This past Thanksgiving brought about a couple of “firsts” for me. The obvious one is that I photographed my first destination wedding. Secondly, it was the first time I didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving at home with my family. While I know this business venture has come with its own host of sacrifices, I will say it felt odd not to be in Vermont over the holiday. During college, when most of my hockey teammates were unable to go home to consume turkey with their loved ones, I grew up close enough to Middlebury to make it home for a quick twenty-four hours, and I never took those times for granted. Now, going south to the warm, sunny Bahamas was a solid alternative, but I still missed eating my nana’s famous mashed potatoes and snapping everyone’s Christmas card photos. Can you tell I’m ready to head north for some quality time at home?!

Back to the important stuff: Linnie + Josh’s nuptials. I was honored to be a part of this small, intimate ocean-side wedding. These two got engaged in April at the Sandals resort in Exuma, Bahamas and dreamt of tying the knot in the same spot surrounded by their closest family and friends. While just a bystander, I can say that I think all of Linnie’s wedding dreams came true over that long holiday weekend in November (Josh, yours too?!). There was a constant stream of laughter, love, and joy. Please enjoy this photographic walk through their wedding day.

Normally, I’m squeezing into corners of small hotel rooms trying to capture candids of the groomsmen getting ready. Not in the Bahamas. After discussing our photo options, it was a unanimous decision that they’d simply continue hanging out by the pool through lunchtime, and I’d be there with my camera to capture the moments. Pizza, beer, and swim trunks. I know all future getting ready portions of the day won’t compare to this, so I very much enjoyed the chill nature and almost sunshine (we did have a few rain drops fall on our heads).

This group of women was the absolute best. Words and photos can’t recreate the laughs that were shared, especially when I almost peed in my jumpsuit due to laughter.

(note: Britty was trying to take over my job with the same camera Maeve uses…)

Next up is the first look. Linnie and Josh weren’t sure they wanted to do a first look, but boy am I glad they did! Our improvised location turned out to offer beautiful lighting and a nice tropical green backdrop, which was a great contrast to the turquoise waters in their ceremony shots. I’m a huge fan of first looks due to the intimate moment it creates. Given the hectic schedule of the day, I appreciated the opportunity to have ten minutes prior to the ceremony to alleviate some of the nerves and capture these authentic smiles.

I must admit, I was definitely spoiled during this wedding ceremony. After shooting without shoes in the soft sand, I never want to go back to anything different! This crew was such troopers, too. The ceremony ended around 4:30, and we had limited sunshine to get in all family portraits, wedding party photos, and shots of Linnie + Josh over on the golf course, which required a golf cart ride to get there. I probably sounded like a crazy person to other beachgoers who were spying on our wedding antics, but the middle school teacher came out in full force. Everyone listened to the marching orders, and miraculously, we beat Mother Nature’s clock and got in nearly all the shots Linnie and Josh hoped for.

Not surprisingly, this group danced long past nightfall. It’s not often that you get the chance to dance, drink, and laugh under the stars with twenty-two of your closest people, which is what made Linnie and Josh’s wedding night picture perfect. I, however, headed to bed because running around for eight hours left me feeling like I got hit by a truck…but, I escaped without a sunburn, so I’m chalking it up as a success!

Congratulations, Linnie + Josh!