I met Katie a few years back at a wedding I photographed in Philadelphia. She was the bridal sales associate at the venue and I got an amazing image of her falling in the kitchen doorway. I was honored when she chose me as her photographer for her Bahamas destination wedding. She grew up going to Hopetown as her family owns property there. The place is incredible. It took 3 planes, a taxi, a boat and a golf cart to get me to the island house that was rented for everyone. Hopetown is only about 4 miles wide and very private. The place we stayed at was 3 houses away from Verne Troyer (aka Mini Me) and he actually drove by on a golf cart right after the ceremony. Beyonce and Jay-Z were also on the island that week. The few days we spent there together were awesome. The wedding was beautiful and took place at the private house they rented. They had an incredible island band that dressed like Boys II Men. I will be posting more from their GTKY session we created down there and also the reception that they had in Philly about a week ago at Trust.
Hopetown sits on Elbow Cay in the Abacos chain, about 180 miles east of Nassau. There are no cars on the island. You get there by boat, then move around by golf cart. The harbor is lined with candy-colored cottages and the 1863 lighthouse is still hand-wound every day. It takes serious logistics to get a full wedding team there, which is exactly the kind of trip worth making. The whole island has maybe 500 permanent residents, so when your wedding guests fill a private house overlooking the water, the whole place feels like it belongs to you.
Luke and Katie tried to make the priest smile the whole time. He’s a tough one ;)
Pre-ceremony rituals…
Finally a smile!
Katie’s cousin was doing the Weekend at Bernie’s dance..
I gave the camera to someone so I can get the last jump in with the bride and groom
The island band dressed like Boyz II Men and they were completely committed to it. Katie grew up coming here and the family connection to the place was obvious in how everyone moved through it. Luke was steady the whole day. Their priest was stoic right until the very end, when he finally cracked, which is one of my favorite sequences from any ceremony. Katie’s cousin broke out the Weekend at Bernie’s at the reception, and by the end I handed off the camera so I could get in the last group jump myself.
Venue + Vendors
Location: Private residence, Hopetown, Elbow Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
Philadelphia reception: Trust, Philadelphia, PA
If you are planning a destination wedding and want a team that will travel anywhere with you, reach out here. For weddings closer to home, our guide to the best Philadelphia wedding venues and the top Jersey Shore wedding venues are both worth bookmarking.