The bride and groom contacted me when researching their wedding, after coming across photos that I had shot at previous couple’s wedding in the Gambia. I also will be returning to The Gambia in early Spring 2014 to photograph a Gambian wedding for another couple.
Their chosen wedding venue – Coco Ocean Hotel – is this magnificent luxury hotel in the Gambia in West Africa. The couple themselves are based in the UK, but have family connections to The Gambia, so it was the perfect choice for them. I stayed a full week, so was able to capture their cultural wedding ceremony – based on traditions in Sierra Leone – as well as general pics of themselves around the hotel prior to the actual legal ceremony in their private Royal Suite by their private pool, followed by a religious church-style ceremony outside by another huge swimming pool next to the sea.
This combined wedding and honeymoon, is a popular solution for many couples, particularly for those with family connections abroad, as it guarantees lovely weather, and a fabulous location for the wedding pictures. In this case it also made it easier for their family and friends who live in Sierra Leone to travel to a nearby country within Africa. By booking Reel Life Photos for their wedding they also were able to get the quality of storybook album their wedding deserved. Hope you enjoy looking, as there are many lovely portraits of all their special people, and unusually for my brides and grooms, I was given complete creative freedom, not only to create the design, but also to choose the images I knew they would like. Most couples spend hours choosing, but they trusted me to choose for them, which was wonderful.
If you are planning your wedding abroad or a multicultural wedding in the UK contact Elaine – wedding photographer at Reel Life Photos .
cover of storybook showing the main avenue from the hotel down towards the sea at night
Inside the Royal Suite
Bride and groom’s family enjoying their holiday at Coco Ocean
Romantic sunset and palm trees – what more could you want!
private pool in Royal Suite at Coco Ocean
Civil marriage ceremony in the Royal Suite
The couple’s daughter helps her mummy get ready for the wedding
Love this page in as it floats in black and white and a touch of colour.
bride leaves the Royal Suite with her father to go to her church style wedding ceremony by the pool at Coco Ocean
The bride is given a lift with her father and children to the poolside where the wedding blessing will take place
wedding guests waiting as the bride arrives and joins the groom
This is just magical! Everyone seated as if in a church – but outside in brilliant light of day, protected by white parasols, with the water sparkling alongside the guests and a see view.
The reverend conducts the wedding blessing by the pool
Getting married here by the side of that pool , facing the sea, must be a dream come true
pictures of Coco Ocean wedding in The Gambia
The rings are blessed.
So romantic!
Bridesmaids hold a bouquet of simple bougainvillea as hymns are sung and the couple’s children watch impatiently.
Sunlight and shadows, fan and foliage. Magic!
Such a romantic place to get married!
This minute could last forever in their minds as we look at this picture of such a happy moment.
Groomsmen take it easy during the ceremony.
Love the sight of the yellow bridesmaids dresses against the exotic foliage as the bride and groom walk out together
Lots going on as the wedding ceremony finishes…
“Now what shall I choose”, thinks the bride and groom’s son, when offered an array of nibbles by not one, but two waiters.
A big group shot all round the pool – so colourful!
Such great colours and so many happy people!
Perfect location for family wedding pictures.
Family wedding photos at Coco Ocean
photos by the pool then off to the wedding reception
Love this reception area with the dynamic stripey floor, so organised this pic of all the guests taken from the mezzanine floor above
bride and her family and close friends inside Coco Ocean reception area
Can you imagine having your wedding here? Such a brilliant family in an equally exciting wedding venue.
The couple enter their wedding reception dancing, and gather their children to dance with them.
Time to celebrate over a wonderful meal!
Amazing food and culinary delights at Coco Ocean. Just a shame I had to leave to catch a plane that evening on the last Thomas Cook flight out of the Gambia before the rainy season started, and also to photograph another wedding in the UK the very next day!
Night has fallen so I grab the bride and groom before the dessert course and take pictures of them within the delightful geometric designs of the contemporary architecture.
With the whole day being behind schedule after the Gambian registrar arrived one hour late, the daylight hours vanished so night time pictures of the bride and groom were the only solution.
Such a happy wedding picture on the beach at night!
Fun wedding pic on the beach at night
The night air is warm and the ambience delightful, but the bride and groom need to get back to their wedding reception and I need to head off soon for the airport!
Goodnight! Time to say goodbye to this wonderful couple in this amazing wedding venue in the Gambia, to fly back to the UK for an Asian wedding in Bradford in the morning!
If you are planning your wedding abroad or a multicultural wedding in the UK contact Elaine – wedding photographer at Reel Life Photos or keep up to date with recent weddings on Facebook
