Right – this is the first of a series of posts covering an incredible destination wedding in Mustique with a fabulous, warm couple.
After booking this in, I discovered that by serendipity my parents were holidaying in the Caribbean – in Barbados, where they used to live – at the same time, so my assistant, Iain, and I jetted out a few days early and stayed with them. As well as the opportunity to catch up with my long-suffering mum and dad, this also gave us a chance to get used to the time zone and, have some photo fun. We indulged in one of my favourite pastimes – hunting out artistic ruins to photograph, playing with light generally exploring.
The rest of the thinking behind arriving early was to ensure we hit absolutely no problems with travel, as I’m fanatical – possibly OCD – about arriving in plenty of time for my commissions. So you can imagine my blood pressure when our private charter to Mustique was ‘cancelled due to generator problems.’ (I suspect this was code for ‘empty except for you.’) After six hours of waiting, trying to channel my inner zen monk, we finally got away on a private plane. The bonus was that we were flying into the clouds at sunset, so the camera came out again.
Mustique is the epitome of Caribbean relaxation: that vibe halfway between glamour and chilling. While we were there – name-drop alert! – Prince William, Kate and Prince George were visiting, their hire yacht moored off the beach. (While I was hard at work one day, Iain spent a few hours on the sand idly watching the royal family frolicking in the waves in front of him.) Mick Jagger was also around for the Mustique Blues Festival, jamming with the musicians on the last night. Because of the high-profile visitors there’s a prohibition on cameras on the island. In fact, there’s a ‘no photos’ sign at the jetty. I was discretely asked several times why I had cameras on me, but in a kind of relaxed way: the minute I explained I was there for a wedding, the smiles started. Adam and Maria had got to know the island when he worked in banking. His former boss had a villa which he used for corporate away days. Adam and Maria always promised each other that if they got married, they’d take their vows in this magical, peaceful place.
Maria had come to meet us at Mustique airport, which, charmingly, is no more than a shack with the word ‘Immigration’ painted on a wooden board. There are few cars on Mustique but we took one of the only taxi’s over to Cotton House, the iconic island hotel, and just had time to dump our stuff and freshen up before heading to Sunrise House, the fabulous villa where the the bride was staying. We were there to shoot the pre-wedding party: a happy matter of long tables on the beach against the blue, blue sea. Spending a week or so together at the wedding destination meant that Adam and Maria’s family and friends had the chance to get to know each other well in a low-pressure situation. There was a total mix of people of varied ages and cultures, all united by their affection for Adam and Maria, and the whole evening became a joyful celebration of this delightful couple’s love for each other.
Hit the link for more photos and be sure to tune in for Part II later in the week.
My Mum!
More adventures soon,
Alex 😀