Coco Ocean exotic wedding storybook pictures in The Gambia
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 .
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia The Royal Suite at Coco Ocean on wedding day](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding018-019.jpg)
bride leaves the Royal Suite with her father to go to her church style wedding ceremony by the pool at Coco Ocean
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia wedding by the sea in an exotic hotel abroad at Coco Ocean wedding venue in The Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding020-021.jpg)
The bride is given a lift with her father and children to the poolside where the wedding blessing will take place
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia wedding outside by the sea and pool at Coco Ocean in Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding024-025.jpg)
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.
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia wedding bouquet of bougainvillea at Coco Ocean in Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding034-035.jpg)
Bridesmaids hold a bouquet of simple bougainvillea as hymns are sung and the couple’s children watch impatiently.
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia exotic wedding abroad in the Gambia by uk photographer who travels](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding048-049.jpg)
Love the sight of the yellow bridesmaids dresses against the exotic foliage as the bride and groom walk out together
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia exotic wedding reception in the Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding052-053.jpg)
“Now what shall I choose”, thinks the bride and groom’s son, when offered an array of nibbles by not one, but two waiters.
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia luxury wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding064-065.jpg)
Love this reception area with the dynamic stripey floor, so organised this pic of all the guests taken from the mezzanine floor above
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia wedding photos inside Coco Ocean hotel reception in the Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding068-069.jpg)
Can you imagine having your wedding here? Such a brilliant family in an equally exciting wedding venue.
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia wedding reception pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding074-075.jpg)
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!
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia evening wedding pictures at night in the Gambia](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding076-077.jpg)
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.
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia romantic wedding picture on the beach by the sea in Gambia at night](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding078-079.jpg)
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.
![storybook wedding pictures at Coco Ocean in the Gambia Coco Ocean wedding at night](http://weddingphotos-video.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CocoOceanwedding084-085.jpg)
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
November 18th, 2013 at 11:23 am
[…] The rest of the pages in this storybook show their civil and religious weddings at Coco Ocean Hotel so have separated them out into a different blog post. […]
December 9th, 2013 at 11:39 am
[…] The second Gambian wedding I photographed was at Coco Ocean Hotel, plus a cultural ceremony at the bride’s mother’s house. You can see some of those wedding photos here, and the Coco Ocean storybook wedding album here. […]