James & Stacey Zante June 2018
James + Stacey Zante 2018 So this was our first ever destination wedding and in June 2018 I travelled along with my friend and colleague Paul Hollingsworth (Photographer) to Zante packing for this trip was challenging deciding on what kit to take or not to take the 6kg carry on allowance forced me to make some hard decisions I wanted to take all the essential kit I would need to film this wedding with me on board I have heard hours stories of how luggage can go missing so there was no way I was taking any chances I managed to take with me my camera bodies Sony x 2 handful of lenses and my very portable drone (Dji Mavic Air) along with many other essentials.
When we arrived we discovered that it had rained and locals informed us of thunderstorms and weather that they had not seen in 10 years not exactly what you want to hear when you have planned and prepped many months in advance for the challenges of what is by default going to very hot dry and bright conditions.
We arrived 2 days before the wedding and the plan was to be there for 4 days giving us a day either side of the wedding for the pre wedding shoot and a chance to relax after.
Day 1 Arrived on location Solmos Square (pre wedding)
looked cloudy definitely not the postcard hot bright we met with James and stacey at there resort where they had been staying with an entourage of family and guests I was conscious of the weather and time and wanted to get stuck in I had negotiated with my clients a few locations that I wanted to visit on our arrival for a pre wedding shoot we visited Solmos square by the marina which turned out to be a lovely location for a pre wedding shoot
Day 2 Power Cuts and thunderstorms
It rained all night I don’t think I have ever heard the full force of a thunder storm power was on and off started to get a little worried about how i was going to charge my kit. No wifi and no contact with the outside world eventually there was a break in the weather and day 2 was scheduled for a visit to Naviago beach or ship wreck island as its known as. We saw an opportunity and decided to get a taxi there as we started to climb to altitude along these narrow winding roads.
I started to notice some rain drops on the windscreen and the clouds getting darker we reached the viewing point and it poured down with rain heavy rain James and stacey borrowed a jacket from the taxi driver in noticed a plastic carrier bag in his boot and asked if I could borrow that conscious that my camera was going to get wet I needed to protect it I had a small trolley bag with my kit in that we then dragged along the uneven terrain and not very safe rock face never the less we were all determined to see if we could achieve anything here i made a small hole through for the lens having quickly checked the settings I just started to record getting battered by rain I knew we had less 5 minutes here we got back to the taxi and headed back all absolutely soaked I had no idea at this point if I had any useable footage or if this was a wasted trip.
Day 3 The wedding
The sun came out in all its glory a beautiful day we started nice and early in order to capture that beautiful soft morning light during preps we juggled between both resorts for bride and groom preps which luckily were next to each other.
11.30am whilst we were getting those all important bride getting into her dress moments all guests boarded the coach to head down to Cameo island for the ceremony we were meant to be on the coach they offered to turn around and come back we decided to get a taxi to the location.
On arrival we were greeted by the beautiful sights and scenery of cameo island the beautiful white laced drapes that hang above this iconic location.
A small private island off the coast of Laganas in Zante, the island can be accessed only via a wooden bridge, with its beautiful beaches providing the all-important scenic backdrop for wedding film and photographs. The groom and his groomsmen arrived in style by taxi boat across the Ionian Sea that joins Zante to Cameo Island
What a stunning backdrop for a wedding the ceremony lasted less than 15 minutes however there was still time to fly the drone and capture some beautiful moments. We then got on the coach and headed for vezalis beach where the reception would take place Greek meze at Vezalis, a local beachfront taverna.
Stacey and James arrived by horse and carriage along the beach waiting family friends and guests awaiting there arrival beautiful cake cutting and cup cakes before very emotional speeches. Some traditional greek dancing before the light started to fade into the night a full moon and stunning moonlight provided the perfect back drop for first dance and an epic firework finish to what was a truly spectacular wedding.
Stacey and James organised there wedding via Tsilivi travel Zante weddings a team of fully experienced wedding coordinators planners Countless hours of preparation is put into making sure everything is perfect for your big day including welcoming your guests, preparing you with your rehearsal, seating your guests for the ceremony, arranging the music for you, serving the champagne, setting up your family photo shots, seating you for dinner with your seating plan, sorting our speeches, announcing the first dance and finally surprising your guests with fireworks! They really do go the extra mile to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Starting from your pre-wedding meetings they even have private facebook page where you can chat with them and other couples to hear experiences and share ideas. Stacey and James informed us that they had a photographer included in there’re package and it was mandatory despite this they wanted to hire me for film and also hired Paul Hollingsworth for photography we had no issues with the planners or photographer and worked well with them Zante Weddings by Tsilivi Travel.
