Santorini Elopement – Elope to Europe Photography

On this cold winter day I’m dreaming of sunshine and wishing I could be taken back to this Santorini elopement that I photographed at the end of last year!  In addition to sharing the images with you I also wanted to share my three favorite tips for getting married abroad if it’s something that you are considering! 

1. Know the rules in the place where you would like to get married. Different countries have different requirements and they can be particularly challenging for non citizens and non residents. This might include medical exams, blood tests, translation of all of your documents into the language of the country, and requirements for the amount of time you must be in the country before the ceremony takes place. This article has a very good summary of the requirements in different European countries: http://www.marryabroad.co.uk/how-to-get-married-in-europe.shtml In many cases foreign couples may find that it’s easier to do everything legally at home and then have a non-official ceremony abroad, so that is also an option!
2. Use pinterest to visually communicate what you have in mind with your local vendors. What means ‘elegant’ or ‘chic’ to one person can mean a lot of different things to different people. Adding in complications with different languages, cultures and style it’s very unlikely that you will be able to get what you want with just words.  By demonstrating with pictures what you want you are less likely to be disappointed! 
3. Hire a photographer who speaks your native language. Unless you are a professional model, being in front of the camera is hard! Most people need little bit of guidance to know how to look best and by eliminating any communication gaps, you are giving yourself your best chance at awesome photographs. I certainly didn’t know what to do with myself during the couple’s portraits at my own wedding and having easy communication with your photographer will eliminate this problem. 

 

Eric and Courtney came to Greece all the way from Seattle to surprise friends and family with news that they tied the knot in a secret ceremony witnessed only by their grandparents. Courtney handmade announcement cards that were mailed to their closest family members before announcing more broadly to the rest of their family and friends through a post on facebook. It’s hard to believe these guys are not models (although they definitely could be could be!). The groom happens to be a wedding photographer himself (www.206mm.com) so these guys couple were complete pros in front of the camera! It was so wonderful getting to know them and helping to document their time on the beautiful island of Santorini.  

If you are thinking about getting married in Santorini or any of the greek Islands and would like to discuss your own wedding photography, please be in touch! I know Santorini and Mykonos well and would be happy to help you create gorgeous Santorini elopement images of your own.