Many of the couples whose weddings I photograph in the Seychelles are visiting the Seychelles for the first time. For some, it is their first long-distance trip or even their first flight.
I have put together some general tips here so that these couples can start the most beautiful journey of their lives as well prepared as possible, experience an absolutely perfect dream wedding and get the most beautiful photos ever. Having photographed more than 250 weddings in the Seychelles, I know what questions my wedding couples have. The following advice will probably answer many of these questions. 😊
The climate & sun protection
First of all, you should note that the Seychelles are very close to the equator. This not only means that on all 365 days of the year it gets light in the morning at around 06:00 and gets dark very quickly at around 18:30, but also that the sun’s rays are very intense during the day.
The UV index is high throughout the day – with the absolute peak from around 12 noon to 4 pm. For this reason, the much-needed “heat break” on our photo days always falls during this period. The Seychelles is also warm in summer all year round.
I love the climate in the Seychelles! Even at 3 a.m. you will never freeze in the Seychelles in light clothing – no matter what month you are traveling in. This is of course one of the many aspects that speak in favor of a trip to the Seychelles. However, it is very important that you never forget to protect yourself from the sun during the day.
Even on the few gray, overcast days, I apply SPF 50+ every morning without exception. Even if you are well accustomed to the sun, perhaps because you work outdoors all day in your home country, you should not use sunscreen with SPF 20 or even lower in the Seychelles (and all other destinations close to the equator around the world). Even SPF50 might not be enough for most travelers on a clear day – and most days in the Seychelles are clear and sunny – to stay in the sun all day long.
Gentlemen of creation, who have already been robbed of large parts of their hair by nature, are well advised to protect themselves from the sun with headgear when spending long periods outdoors.
The wedding dress
First of all, I can only give the following important advice: “Less is more!” As beautiful as the princess dress with nine layers of tulle and an endlessly long train may look in a bridal store in Stuttgart, Vienna or Berlin, it may well be a hindrance on the beach.
Of course you can also celebrate your wedding in the Seychelles in such an elaborate dress! The decision is of course yours alone. I would just like to point out that every bride with a long train involuntarily begins to collect sand and the dress gradually becomes heavier and heavier as a result. But I have also accompanied brides in very elaborate, multi-layered dresses at their wedding in the Seychelles. In general, anything is possible – and the most important thing is, of course, that the bride chooses her absolute dream dress! The photographer can say whatever he wants in response! Well – the photographer just wants to point out in advance that there is a surprising amount of sand on the beaches of the Seychelles… 😉
And there is hardly a dress that doesn’t get a quick visit from a cheeky wave in the afternoon at the latest, which suddenly hits the beach much higher than the 20 waves before!
I personally love the moment when the wedding dress comes into contact with the sea for the first time. Of course, this shouldn’t necessarily be the case before the wedding ceremony begins… 😉 But I’ve never experienced this with all the many beach weddings around the world.
But for many couples, the moment comes just before the end of the photo shoot at the latest:
The wedding dress usually gets wet voluntarily, but sometimes also involuntarily. From then on, experience shows that brides are usually particularly relaxed and keen to experiment (along the lines of “Now it’s wet anyway. So let’s run through the shallow water and get some great photos!”). I love these photos!
And don’t worry: with the temperatures in the Seychelles and the usually prevailing breeze, your dress will dry again in the evening in no time at all!
I also consider it particularly important that the bride’s dress and the groom’s shirt are color-coordinated. It doesn’t look right if the shirt is snow-white and the wedding dress is champagne-colored. For wedding dresses, I advise against snow white/pure white. A slightly more muted color such as “off-white” (creamy white) or “ivory” (ivory) looks better in the pictures and automatically ensures a more beautiful skin tone for almost every bride.
Ideally, the groom’s shirt should be the exact same color as the wedding dress. A blue shirt for the groom is not the right choice unless the wedding dress is also blue… 😉 The same applies to green, pink, black, etc.
The groom is particularly clever if he takes at least one spare shirt with him for the afternoon or for the next photo day(s). This should also match the wedding dress and therefore be identical to the first shirt.
The hairstyle
While men usually have it very easy when it comes to hairstyles, some ladies find it particularly difficult to decide on the right hairstyle. It is important to know that both the high humidity and the wind in the Seychelles often make the bridal hairstyle a challenge. What lasts perfectly all day long in your own home often only lasts a few hours or even less in the Seychelles. Excessive amounts of hairspray can often only counteract this phenomenon to a limited extent. The ideal solution in many cases is an updo!
In my years of experience, this is the most important tip when it comes to bridal hairstyles:
Please do not style individual strands of hair to “frame” the face. Even if it looked great on the promotional photo you discovered on the internet: On the beach with wind and high humidity, the world often looks very different.
Ideally, you should have a look at your wedding beach 24 hours before the ceremony. This will give you an overview of the prevailing position of the sun and the climatic conditions that you can expect during your wedding. Depending on the wind strength, you can then decide whether a veil makes sense or not.
The veil
If the bride chooses a veil, it should ideally be one that can be removed in a few simple steps and, if necessary, put back in again in a matter of seconds. Many brides have found that the veil can be more annoying in windy conditions than originally thought. In case of doubt, however, this is usually removed very quickly.
Depending on the lighting mood and wind conditions, a veil can massively enhance an image. However, it is usually not a good idea to wear the veil permanently throughout the day.
The bridal bouquet
It’s hard to believe – but for me, the bridal bouquet is the accessory that turns a lady in a wedding dress into a “real bride”. If the bride has no bouquet in her hand, something very elementary is missing from the picture.
There are also many different flowers and blossoms in the Seychelles that can be used for such a beautiful bridal bouquet. Of course, the bridal bouquet – as well as the entire wedding decoration – is designed entirely according to the wishes of the respective wedding couple.
It’s hard to believe – but for me, the bridal bouquet is the accessory that turns a lady in a wedding dress into a “real bride”. If the bride has no bouquet in her hand, something very elementary is missing from the picture.
There are also many different flowers and blossoms in the Seychelles that can be used for such a beautiful bridal bouquet. Of course, the bridal bouquet – as well as the entire wedding decoration – is designed entirely according to the wishes of the respective wedding couple.
Most Seychelles brides want the classic:
White frangipani. The white frangipani with its characteristic yellowish center and intense fragrance is the classic flower of the Seychelles. The flower is timelessly beautiful – but looks a little underwhelming against a light-colored wedding dress.
Personally, I really like a multi-colored bouquet as a nice contrast to the bright wedding dress! A multicolored bouquet brings color into play and stands out beautifully against the dress. But a bouquet with only pink frangipani or a mix of, for example, white (or pink) frangipani with fiery red orchids is also possible, to name just a few examples.
I would highly recommend that couples who book me for two or three days of photography treat themselves to a fresh bridal bouquet for each of our photo days together. Most bouquets – especially the frangipani bouquets – are in most cases already a case for the compost on the evening of the first day of photography. As sad as it may sound, under the tropical sun the picked flowers die a rapid death by heat.
Of course, the bouquet for the second day of photography can resemble the bouquet from the first day like two peas in a pod. However, it is also possible to have a completely different bridal bouquet on request! If desired, the bride can choose the classic white bouquet on the wedding day and a colorful mixed bouquet for the second photo day. You alone decide what you want!
One of my many wedding couples, who had booked me for three days, bought an artificial but deceptively real-looking bridal bouquet online before their trip to the Seychelles. You can see what it looked like in the photo.
Needless to say, he still looked as good as new on photo day no. 3. The bouquet had cost less than 30 euros on the Internet. If you consider that a real bridal bouquet in the Seychelles costs around 90 euros on average and therefore represents an investment of 270 euros for three days of photography, the artificial bouquet may be an attractive alternative for some couples.