Destination weddings are probably one of the most exciting tasks we take on as wedding cinematographers. We get to experience an exotic, new place, usually an island on the other side of the globe, while capturing breathlessly romantic ceremonies and epic receptions. It’s such an exciting getaway for us and the stakes are always higher to deliver our very best work. The couple who requests us to join them on their wedding weekend, expects us to create the perfect, flawless wedding film. A wedding film that captures the most sentimental and priceless moments of their big day. It’s always a thrill to see how we can stretch our creativity to ensure we capture the perfect angles and moments throughout the weekend as the couple exchanges their vows, makes their grand entrance, and dances the night away, all while surrounded by only the closest of family and friends and the bluest ocean and greenest mountains.

The Lovely Couple

Barron and Dana first met in 2012. They started dating in May of 2013 and in October 2016, Barron proposed. I don’t know if it gets more romantic than this: http://danaandbarron.com/proposal/.

After getting engaged and a day full of surprises, Barron and Dana began planning their magical wedding. They chose Saint Lucia for its warm and tropical weather. Their top picks were Cabo San Lucas and Saint Lucia because they’re so mountainous. So they finally decided on Saint Lucia as it was a a bit closer to travel for both the couple and their guests! St. Lucia was such a perfect choice for their big day!

Planning the wedding reception was like “planning the best party of our life, with everything and everyone we love” and it was evident that the guests were enjoying themselves during the party. Barron and Dana were radiating so much joy and happiness that filming their wedding was not only a blast but it was genuinely very exciting to be there in that moment with them and their loved ones.

Our Challenges

Flying to a destination wedding sort of limits the gear we can bring. Therefore, traveling to St. Lucia, we had to pack very lightly. I brought a smaller drone than what we usually use and also cut down on the lighting equipment. This made it a bit more challenging to work with these limitations, but luckily, we were able to pull everything off. I can’t stress how gorgeous and flawless the resort Royalton St. Lucia was! The couple put so much thought into the smallest details, and most of all, the guests had such a blast celebrating the couple all weekend.

Celebrating Love in St. Lucia

On Friday, we filmed the gorgeous wedding ceremony and reception in the resort. After all the tearful and emotional speeches, the couple exchanged their vows and were soon pronounced as husband and wife. It was as if the clouds knew exactly how to compliment the setting and add the perfect glow, making our job almost effortless though-out the day. The couple’s magical grand entrance to the reception blew everyone away. This was definitely my favorite part from this wedding. I mean, who knew confetti could add such an elegant touch! You can see that the couple worked so hard to create a beginning to their epic wedding celebration with a bang.

The following day, the couple presented us with a unique filming project-they wanted us to film a short music video to a song they love by John Legend – A Good Night. It was such a memorable experience to film a wonderful group of friends partying, singing and creating a memorable music video, while sailing through the peaceful waters of Saint Lucia. The effortless smiles and joyful vibe throughout that evening allowed us to easily film the most genuine and radiant love shared among the guests and couple. Start planning your wedding by exploring resorts, venues, and wedding packages at ParadiseWeddings.com.

As the sun set, I wasn’t prepared for the wild winds that take over and I was very close to losing my DJI Mavick Pro drone that evening! Luckily, the captain of the boat was kind enough to turn around so I could retrieve that little guy since he couldn’t keep up with our sailboat against the winds, just minutes before the battery almost ran out. This is their St. Lucia Wedding Music Video:

On the final day, I made arrangements to work my drone a bit more and filmed the natural beauty of Saint Lucia as I was on my way to the airport. This gave me an opportunity to capture footage of the true reason the couple chose this island for their wedding weekend. The footage was stunning and breathtaking. Take a look as some of these screen captures:

Choosing their Wedding Videographers

We actually filmed Barron and Dana’s sister’s destination wedding in the Dominican Republic about four years ago. This couple specifically requested us to join their family again for another destination wedding after watching that wedding film. They wanted an amazing video just like that for themselves since they knew they will be rewatching it for years after their wedding. Of course we were flattered and honored but that just meant that they expected us to deliver something epic which really raised the bar this time.

Barron and Dana requested their most trusted cinematographers and photographers for their destination wedding because they relied on our work to capture the memories for them to relive and enjoy forever. As the bride put it, “We flew our cinematographer and photographer out to Saint Lucia to capture everything… so it’s 100% our best wedding investment.”

Why I Love My Job

We were so honored to be a part of such a remarkable event! What was even more humbling was receiving an email from the bride with her genuine reaction, which always reminds me why I put in so much effort into every wedding I film: