What is Recherche Photography doing this time of year? Wedding consultations. (Along with LOTS of baby portraits!). I’ve traveled to some of the most wonderfully romantic wedding destinations all over the world, but to be honest, the last decade has been such a whirlwind that I barely remember it. Looking back on my first ten years of wedding photography feels pretty surreal. I’m so thankful to have something gorgeous to show for all the hours I’ve spend in airports, hotels, rental cars, trudging around with film cameras, laptops, etc. It didn’t feel very romantic at the time, but you’d never know from these photos!

Thank you to all my amazing clients and family and friends for making my life so fabulous. Here’s to another decade of destination wedding photography!

A wedding image of Krystal & Chris on the ruins in Belize. Love how Chris’ shirt is the same color as the sky!

This is one of my favorite shots from Susie and David Duval’s wedding at his beach house in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. We did all the formal portraits on the beach (with no shoes of course) and the kids were eager to get down there first!

Abby & Drew with their faithful companions. Pastures of Plenty is just the most wonderful organic outdoor wedding venue in Boulder County. The food is scrumptious and the setting is just lovely.

Kim & Chris chose a little hacienda, Playa del Secreto, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for their breezy ocean-side wedding. Although it was storming on both sides of us, the weather was perfectly overcast for the entire ceremony. (And this wedding was my very FIRST blog post!!)

Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, CO has always been picturesque; the epitome of Colorado rustic mountain charm, but in the last five years they completed a major renovation. Now is not just charming but completely luxurious, spoiling Amy & Heath and all their guests.

Josh & Stephanie were wed on a private little island in Fiji, aptly named Treasure Island. I nearly expired of heat exhaustion, but we try to forget that bit! Private little cabanas, huge spiders, the most amazing selection of fruits and seafood I have ever seen. And the sunsets were unreal.

Marion & Jason’s wedding at The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera was the sweetest thing. Every detail, from the hanging vases of flowers in the gazebo to the personalized m&m’s in yellow and blue, were impeccable. But more importantly, the couple just adored one another (and still do!)

The picture below says it all- a perfect fall wedding at the Wild Basin Lodge in Allenspark, Colorado. Sublime.

If you need an elegant venue in Denver, CO for a wedding of well under 200 guests, Grant-Humphreys Mansion in Denver just might suit you! Courtney & Ben certainly made it work!

It came as no surprise to anyone that the lovely Heather Dwight from Calluna Events made a stunning bride. She chose as her venue the private and exclusive Boulder Canyon House. A few drops brought out the umbrellas and perfect light.

Harkness Park in Mystic, Connecticut was one of my all-time favorite locations. The day on which Suzanne & Andrew married, it was stormy, blustery and bone-chilling; something straight out of an Emily Bronte novel. All the guests were lamenting the weather but I was ecstatic.”

After this couple wed in a beautiful little Catholic Church in San Pedro, California we drove along the coastline to their reception venue. We got out and take in the view and and shoot a few gorgeous images of the wedding couple.

A beach wedding on Marco Island, Florida was Vanessa’s dream. It did NOT, however, include a gale so strong that it blew all the un-sat guests chairs all the way down the beach and a torrential downpour of rain on the entire party. I was still shooting film WAY back then and my assistant, Cat, was desperately trying to cover me up with a flimsy umbrella and shower cap so I could change film and keep shooting the oh-so-dramatic event!! (See the watermarks on the lens? Those are NOT photoshopped!)

The Sunrise Amphitheateris one of Boulder, Colorado’s most lovely wedding ceremony spots. That’s about all I have to say about that!

The Keystone Lodge in Timber Ridge, Colorado. Again, no words necessary. Actually, I should just really stop writing anything besides the location. This post would go a lot faster…

The Villa Terrace Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Perhaps the farthest I’ve traveled for a destination wedding was Sydney Australia for Wendy & Paul’s wedding. Lush & lovely. (And check out that ancient blog post!!! Geeze!)

A destination wedding at Snow Mountain Ranch’s Columbine Point. I was speechless. Just one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen.

The first destination wedding I photographed in Europe- or the British Isles was in Shannon, Ireland at this fantastic castle. It was early September and the castle gardens were stunning. The whole thing still feels like a dream.

Tina & Joe’s ceremony at the Wedding Chapel in Kauai, Hawaii had a very tiny guest count- her parents and brother. And me. They basically eloped and brought along a photographer. Perhaps my most favorite type of destination wedding of all!

I feel SO lucky to have captured this image of this wonderful wedding couple tucked back in an aspen glade in Beaver Creek Colorado just outside Saddle Ridge. I had about five minutes to do all the portraits of them because the groom could not stand still for more than 15 seconds! So fun!

This destination wedding at the famously fabulous Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs was dripping ceiling to floor in elegance.

This wedding couple escaped the pouring rain with a tender moment under the outdoor covering of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church. I was taking cover on the other side of the garden and caught this image.

One of my favorite destination weddings took place at a resort in Costa Rica

planned by the fabulous Aimee Monihan of Tropical Occasions.. I shot this romantic image of the wedding couple taking a moment to themselves after their ceremony by taking a stroll down the beach.

The Apple Valley Orchard in Lyons Colorado is a private estate so this wedding couple was ecstatic to secure an October date for their wedding. The colors could not have been more stunning.

We shot this beautiful formal portrait of all the wedding guests at Anna & Rob’s destination wedding at St. Malo Catholic Church in Estes Park, Colorado.

It was a dream come true for this bride to have her wedding the Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota Florida as her father grew up in this mansion which has since become a historical museum. She has a keen eye for funky vintage glam and an impeccable sense of style so everywhere I turned there was another gorgeous detail, a stunning angle, a lovely expression to photograph. Incidentally, this mansion is where they filmed Great Expectations several years ago- before they did a major renovation so shooting this wedding was a vintage romantic destination wedding photographer’s dream come true!

As an artist in a highly competitive industry, it is easy (for me at least) to feel like I’ve never really “succeeded.” I see other photographers’ images, people with kids, fancy cars and a second home in some fabulous place and a little voice whispers that I have nothing to show for my life. Well, perhaps I don’t have those types of things, but I am happy, loved and have stacks of lovely images created for my clients. Over and over again I need to define success on my own terms and focus on all the beauty in my life. Perhaps take a moment to jot down YOUR definition of success in your own life.