Croatian island morning looks like this: soft breeze traveling through the pines, the deep blue sea splashes against the shore in rhythmic movements and the gold sun drenches the stone walls of holiday homes while the first coffee is being made.
Having lived this kind of peaceful summers for years now, the bride couldn’t have picked any other location than Mali Lošinj after getting engaged to her partner of many years.
From my experience as a wedding photographer, an island celebration takes commitment but gives back: what might have been an afternoon back home, now becomes three days of long lunches, late dinners and swims with people who were not stopped by miles to be there on your day.
While planning their wedding, Mia and Cody as citizens of Canada, had a task of hiring their vendors mainly through video calls and the support of their appointed coordinators that are locals. Lošinj hotels staff acted as their pillar in providing a list of their most trusted local vendors, while the couple extended their own search in assembling the day that had a very clear picture. Having the Mediterranean experience as the main task, they turned down anything that came close without landing exactly.
Confirming their date with me and my team as their photographers early in the process made me so grateful my work comes up when specially captured visuals are needed. Also, a well-coordinated team that would be in time for their island wedding meant to them a lot. Getting your photography crossed off the list is the one advice I swear by – which means we were part of the planning process rather than arriving to document the decisions already made.
I, alongside DK Studios as their videographers, made sure Mia’s and Cody’s wedding took form in the weeks the booked with us. The process was meticulous but something I take special pleasure in. In close collaboration with Lošinj hotels, we designed the getting ready and the intro to the photosession with the most beautiful architecture as backdrops. Hotel Bellevue, my favorite for clean lines, allowed a getting ready with Guiness as a fun prop and timeless portraits in the indoor hallways. Extending the photos to the hotel’s majestic stairs – where none of the elements compete for attention – helped our team to focus on couple’s style and their dispositions. If Bellevue was the modern element, Villa Rogue – already a trusted location with Dominik from DK Studio – answered with texture, period detail, and to our team’s excitement – a character that can’t be recreated. A 90-minute time window for couple portraits that is my standard for exquisite photos almost became too short for all captures I wanted to take.
Some time after the initial plans were made, the bride informed me that the ceremony was decided to be held in a chapel above water at what locals call rt Annunziata by that very chapel (Crkvica navještenja Blažene Djevice Marije). Incredibly grateful having found a priest that speaks English and communicated well with their needs, their decision was strongly backed with the idea that all of their guests have a close view to their ceremony – keeping it intimate and interwoven with tradition.
Some of the frames that caught my eye from the incredibly emotional church ceremony are of: Mia’s mother proud eyes in the second row, the groom crying while they exchanged vows, guests peeking through the chapel window and Mia & Cody cheerfully coming out of the chapel as husband and wife. I decided to take the family portraits right after the ceremony while everyone was still within reach, with the sunset light behind them, making it a perfect memory to be put in the frames of their homes back in Canada.
My team, after carrying our heavy equipment through narrow streets of Mali Lošinj were happy to effortlessly transfer to the perfect venue right by the Annunziata chapel, where the newlyweds carried on their celebration to. Lanterna, a venue in the bay which they bought out for their special event, fit their needs perfectly as the summer heat reached its peak on this June day and everyone benefited from a quick refreshment after congratulating Mia & Cody.
Photographing the décor and the venue space before the guests arrived is one of my favorite parts of the day. The artisan floral studio of Maline u Tehnikoloru brought the florals into Lanterna’s space so that the arrangements blended the exterior and tablescapes. The dinner ran into the sunset with traditional music playing, and then DJ Shurki opened the dancefloor and the room stayed on its feet past midnight. The frames I look for at every reception were all here: a very romantic and thought out first dance, then Mia with her father and Cody with his mother, guests dancing hard enough they end up on the floor and the bridal party lifting them both up on chairs to a roar from the room.
A reception with these moments – unplanned and authentic is what makes me leave content from a wedding day, knowing when I deliver the first previews my couples will get to see the day they organized.
Three days, one Mali Lošinj bay, and a guest list of people who all chose to make the journey. If that’s the kind of destination wedding you’re planning in Croatia, keep in mind that Mali Lošinj rewards couples who plan early and travel well. The same reason why an elopement in Korčula works well for destination wedding, Mali Lošinj has a short vendor list – and that’s the point. Island don’t sustain anyone that improvises. The florists, coordinators and venues working here have built their whole practice around ferry schedules and the knowledge that items need to be ordered early and confirmed twice.
Every dream island wedding starts the same way – with a date, a list of your dream locations and an inspiration board. If yours is somewhere in the Adriatic, write me a message here.
Photography — Tihana Car Photography
Videography — DK Studio
Coordination — Lošinj Hotels
Florals — Maline u Tehnikoloru
DJ — DJ Shurki
Getting ready & portraits — Hotel Bellevue, Villa Rouge
Ceremony — Crkva Navještenja Blažene Djevice Marije, rt Annunziata
Dinner & celebration — Lanterna Grill & Gourmet
Location — Mali Lošinj, Croatia
