After nearly two decades as a professional wedding photographer, I thought I’d seen it all. I have more than enough beautiful images in my portfolio to prove it. I’ve captured my fair share of tears, first looks, I do’s in almost every local venue (and a few across Canada!) imaginable. But as I sit here, making sure I am not forgetting anything as I pack, I keep asking myself a question that I am sure some of you are thinking too:
If I have been a successful wedding photographer for 17 years, why has it taken me so long to finally shoot a destination wedding?
It feels like some sort of cruel coincidence, doesn’t it? You’d think by year ten, I’d have a permanent tan on this pale Dutch Canadian skin tone and a collection of luggage tags and passport stamps from all sorts of amazing tropical places. The truth is, the “Destination Wedding” has been my white whale - the one box left unchecked on an otherwise very full career bucket list.
The Heartbreak of Hawaii
I was THIS close once. In the early days of the pandemic (sorry to bring that up!) I had the verbal commitment and a promise to “send the deposit at the end of the week when we get paid” for a dream wedding in Hawaii. Yes Hawaii. Then the world shut down, the “booking” became a memory and the wedding was held here in Southern Ontario. No one’s passport left their drawer. It was professional heartbreak that made me wonder if God just had different plans - one just to serve my local community that I have been blessed to serve for so many years.
Image is not property of Jeremy James Photography. Credit: https://dominicanexpert.com/
