Denise & Bakary’s Gambian wedding storybook album
Title Page for Denise and Bax’s wedding in The Gambia
Bride’s Father, Rings, dress and shoes ready for Gambian wedding
bride with father on way to wedding in the Gambia
Gambian “Boys” arrive at Sunset Beach Hotel for the wedding.
Denise arriving at Sunset Beach Hotel for outdoor wedding
Denise and Bax’s outdoor wedding ceremony at Sunset Beach Hotel
Exchange of rings in outdoor wedding ceremony
signing the register
The kiss: romantic wedding couple in The Gambia
Denise and Bax are married! Their happiness overflows…
The “boys” and band, pile into the official Gambian wedding pictures
family wedding photos by hotel pool
family wedding pictures
time for a quick kiss by the lush African vegetation
bride, groom and friends on the beach in Gambia
The boys, Denise and Bax
family wedding photos on the beach in Gambia
Denise and Bax by the Bougainvillea before going off in wedding car
wedding cars in The Gambia!
arrivals at the beachside restaurant for Gambian wedding reception
beautiful bride Denise by colourfully decorated wedding reception restaurant
Denise and Bax with some of their Gambian family
Top table at beach-side wedding reception in The Gambia
bride and groom photos on the beach in Gambia
romantic wedding photos of Denise and Bax on the beach
Sunset wedding photos on beach in The Gambia
wedding breakfast at beach restaurant in The Gambia
Cutting the wedding cake: end of first day of Denise and Bax’s Gambian wedding
Gambian wedding celebrations at Denise and Bax’s compound.
The newly-weds in colourful Gambian wedding costumes
happy smiles for the bride and groom on the Gambian wedding day
Denise on her Gambian wedding day
Muslim prayer time at Denise and Bax’s Gambian wedding
Gambian family wedding pictures
Traditional Gambian wedding gifts
Gambian traditional wedding celebrations
The beads are like the hanging mango – carefully nurtured
Dancing for the New Wife
Denise tries her hand with the drumstick on the makeshift drum
traditional Gambian wedding drink – mmm – delicious!
The two families unite
I wonder what the joke was… great fun anyway!
More Gambian wedding dancing pics!
New family united as one: lovely!
- Lamin plays with flashing light strips Denise has handed out
Denise and Bax in traditional Gambian wedding costume
Happily ever after…
Since then we have been back in The Gambia for another wedding – this time at Coco Ocean Hotel for a UK based couple from Sierra Leone . And we are back in Coco Ocean again now in December 2015 , for our 4th Gambian wedding this year alone! See more international weddings by wedding photographer Elaine !
Contact us via our website
June 8th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
100 pages. All filled as requested… Hopefully you’ll like it Denise and we can send it off to be printed.! xx
June 10th, 2010 at 1:29 am
Revamped again! Have used the colours from the original backgrounds blurred to remove emotional connections with the first day, but yet to retain the luminosity of the colours.xx
December 7th, 2010 at 12:00 am
[…] Camara commissioned us to cover her wedding in Gambia, and arranged for me to stay with the Best Man Adama in the district of Serrekunda. He kindly […]
January 29th, 2011 at 9:57 am
I have just looked through your lovely pics which bought a tear to my eye as i am planning on getting married to a Gambian man in November in the Gambia.
Just as i had pictured. It looks like you had a fantastic day. Congratulations.
January 29th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Oh how wonderful, Lynda! The Gambians are very special people, so I would jump at any chance to go back there, to meet up with all the friends I have made. Always happy to pay for my own flights and to jump on a plane or two for lovely people’s weddings! Would it be OK if I emailed you, as would love to hear your story, how you met and fell in love…? Denise & Bax met while she was working there in the tourist industry, and hired me to take their photos after finding my site and meeting up with me in person to check me out ( Denise) . We still keep in touch to, as I like to get updates on “my” couples. xx Elaine
February 13th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Hi Lynda Congratulations! feel free to contact me for advice on your gamiban wedding! you can contact me via Elaine, she has my e-mail address.
March 30th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Hi denise is me lamin how is england hope everything an everybody is ok say hi to polar and the rest of the family an say hi to bakary
March 30th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Hi denise is me lamin how is england hope everything an everybody is ok say hi to polar and the rest of the family an say hi to bakary an by the these are nice picture
April 22nd, 2011 at 2:51 pm
how beautiful, thank you for the inspiration, i”m getting married to a gambian in December and this is how i picture it. Thank you for sharing.
April 22nd, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Oh how lovely Shana! Congratulations! Whereabouts are you getting married in Gambia? If you like I could fly out to take you pictures for you…I even pay my own airfare, and already have somewhere I can stay with my Gambian friends. The Gambians don’t have many skilled photographers and simply can’t afford good cameras. I would love to go again and take my Gambian friends a few presents too! See the bride who married the Gambian’s feedback on her wedding photos here: http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile%28reel-life-photos%29_55227.htm
xx Elaine
August 8th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
oh, what lovely pics, the couple look sooo happy, real good shots. I too am getting married to a gambian in November 2011, thanks for sharing too
August 10th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Thanks Pat! Denise and Bax were SO happy on their wedding day and still are, as I keep in touch with them. Great to hear about your forthcoming wedding too! How did you two meet?
August 28th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Congratulations Denise and Bakary!! These photo’s are absolutely beautiful, they really capture the mood and surroundings fantastically, the colours are absolutely phenomenal. I am also getting married in The Gambia but not until April 2012, I hope it is as beautiful as your day was. Thank-you for sharing your memories 🙂
August 28th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
How lovely Susan. Denise is happy to chat about her experiences if you would like to send me (Elaine their wedding photographer) a personal email, I’ll pass the message on to her or just give you her contact details if you wish? xx
August 28th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
PS Susan. We are based in West Yorkshire, but are always happy to pay for our own flights to have the opportunity to share genuine couples’ weddings abroad. I now have many Gambian friends there too! xx Elaine
August 29th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Hi all
Thanks for the lovely comments everyone, Bax and I had a fantastic wedding day and we are still blissfully happy, we are now in the UK although going out to Gambia later in the year. If anyone needs any advise or just wants to talk about arranging a Gambian Wedding contact Elaine who has my e-mail or phone number. I know it is not easy arranging a Gambian wedding from outside of Gambia and can be frustrating getting information or even knowing were to start in organising things. We managed it and had a fab day as you can see in the wonderful pictures, Bax was in Gambia and me in France at the time we were making plans so give me a shout if you need any advice, hints or tips!
October 6th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
it is very wonderful and lovely to see a whitewoman and a black man getting married.
October 6th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Hi Kebba. We are used to that here in the UK. My husband is black too – but from Cuba – and my granddaughter is a quarter black, a quarter Greek, and eighth French Australian, so has blond afro hair but pale skin. Mixed race, inter-racial marriages are now the norm, and produce wonderful, coffee-coloured kids with unusual facial characteristics – all the better don’t you think? Where love exists – racial and cultural differences are no longer an issue in this day and age – at least not in the UK anyway… xx Elaine
February 6th, 2012 at 1:51 am
hello bax and denise ! i acme across your pic while i was researching for my own gambian wedding! all our photos are amazing! thanks for sharing
July 16th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
Denise, my friend got married in Gamba in March 2011. He still has not come to the UK. My friend went over on their anniversary. He is saying that he is waiting for his English exam results to come back still so he can sort the visa. Any advise you can give I would be most grateful. I am getting rather concerned as it is nearly 18 months since the wedding. Many thanks, Julie
July 26th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
[…] wonderful Gambian wedding day as well as an an outdoor Civil Ceremony at the hotel. They had the Italian Storybook album […]
November 16th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
[…] AND their finished storybook wedding album here! […]
March 2nd, 2013 at 10:22 pm
Hi, I would like to contact you regarding the formal wedding arrangements, visas and how life is like for your partner in the uk. I’m in a situation where I want exactly what you have with your Gambian man but there are a lot of horror stories and would be nice to speak to someone it has worked out for.
If you don’t mind sharing this information how would I contact you?
Thanks
Alex
March 2nd, 2013 at 10:44 pm
Hi Alex.
I was Bakary and Denise’s wedding photographer, and have remained firm friends of the couple ever since they hired me as their professional wedding photographer, so will happily pass your message on to Denise and Bax. They will definitely be very happy to help you. I will contact them right away for you. I met up with them again recently while Denise was helping Bax with his Home Office Visa to complete the permissions for permanent leave to remain in the UK. xx Elaine
March 29th, 2015 at 9:42 pm
Please don’t take offence to this,I was wondering if all ur relationships are still intact after leave to remain status has been given?
April 13th, 2015 at 11:23 pm
Absolutely! Till death do us part- and sadly there has been one death. I too married a man from abroad – and am still happily married 17 years on. There has only been one break up – following the birth of her baby – and that was between two PaKistanis. The groom’s family are devastated – and I have known them for 12 years. I don’t actually know of her immigration status though.
October 29th, 2015 at 8:26 pm
Hello, has Denise got Facebook by any chance as I would like to speak to her about getting married in The Gambia, thank you
October 30th, 2015 at 1:04 am
Yes, she has Chloe, and she is always willing to help other couples. I
ll send you it by email. I’ll be back in the Gambia at Christmas myself anyway, as have two more Gambian weddings to photograph – so that’s a total of 4 this year alone! xx Elaine