I photographed a wedding in Norway – the fist time I visited Norway.
I’m fortunate enough to have travelled quite a bit, but for some reason Norway was never in my path before. Not that I wasn’t curious about this country, the time was never right before – but it sure was right this time!
Just to put everything into context, I’m a Portuguese wedding photographer and most of the weddings I photograph are in Portugal. I’ve thought a lot about becoming a destination wedding photographer because that would allow me to do two things I love: wedding photography and travel. But having a family with two small daughters made me decide to photograph weddings only in Portugal. Covid also helped with that decision, as travelling has become increasingly harder.
HOWEVER, I would love to photograph one or two weddings abroad per year, so if you’re looking for a destination wedding photographer I would love to hear from you!
But back to one of my favourite weddings of 2021 – Catarina and Stig’s!
The bride, Catarina, first got in touch with me in 2019, as she was planning her wedding to happen in Portugal in June 2020. It was supposed to have happened at a venue close to where she grew up until she was 8 years old, just a few minutes away from Lisbon. Covid forced her to change her plans several times, until they eventually decided to get married in Norway, close to where they live.
First, a little summary of the day!
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The couple – Catarina and Stig
They met on a dating site back in 2008. After some time they decided to meet in person, Catarina flew to Stavanger to meet Stig and has been living there ever since.
Ten years later they made a trip to Amsterdam to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Stig proposed to Catarina on a bridge on the 23rd march 2019, while she was taking pictures of the canal at night. I feel honoured that someone that likes photography chose me to be their wedding photographer!
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Planning a wedding during the Covid-19 pandemic
On its own, planning a wedding isn’t easy. Doing it from a distance is even harder. Having the indecision caused by the Covid-19 pandemic makes everything a lot worse. The pandemic has been difficult for everybody, but especially for couples getting married. It’s not easy to make decisions such as whether or not to postpone the wedding and get married at a different location.
At one point Catarina and Stig had to juggle three different guest lists, each with different priorities and happening at different locations. Fortunately, that’s long gone!
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A wedding in Norway – the big day!
The wedding happened in August 2021, close to their hometown of Stavanger in Norway. The sun was shining, even though the west coast of Norway is usually rainy even in the Summer. They got married at a beautiful little church with a beautiful view of the rolling hills down to the sea. The venue was by the sand dunes, very close to the beach.
We had some time to relax and take some pictures after the ceremony and before getting to the venue. We went to a beautiful forest and to the beach, it was great. I was surprised with how good the weather was – being so far up north I was sure I would be a little cold in the evening, but the temperature was pretty good all day long. Even the water temperature was great – very close to what I am used to in Portugal.
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Documentary wedding photography
Catarina chose my photography for having a style that shows the reality of the wedding day. That is exactly my purpose: to tell the story of the wedding day exactly how it happened. I avoid staging moments, because I want the couple to remember their day for what it was – not for what the photographer made it be!
And no, this isn’t easy! Those fleeting moments that matter don’t happen al the time and they go by very quickly. The difficult part of being a documentary wedding photographer is that I have to be constantly ready for taking the picture. Constantly looking for the next laugh, the next tear, the next kiss.
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Suppliers
Church : Sola Ruinkirke by Sola Kulturhus
Venue : Sola Stranden Gård
Wedding dress : Marju Noivas/Portugal
Shoes : Menbur Earrings by Lily and Rose
Make up artist : Camilla Fuggeli at Bewell
Groom’s suit: Dressmann
Groom’s accessories: Match
Fotobooth: Fotobaren.no
All cakes incl. Wedding cake: Jærbakeren
Flowers and decoration all done by Bride and Maids of honour
