Part 2

International Destination Wedding

Luanda, Angola

Couple Shoot

(Part 1 – Civil Ceremony can be viewed here!)

Part 3 – The Religious Ceremony & wedding can be viewed here!

This International destination wedding was slightly different to the way weddings are done in South Africa.  Tania & Jose were legally married on the Thursday evening during a civil ceremony which can be viewed here!  The religious ceremony would only happen two days later on the Saturday.  So I was asked to do a couple shoot on the Friday evening especially as there is seldom time for a couple shoot during the religious wedding.  Which I soon found out for myself is exactly the case as they have a full Catholic Ceremony which is about two hours long and then hundreds of family members and friends come up and take photos with them at the front of the church afterwards.  I also realise that in comparison to Angola …our weddings are relatively tiny!  There were about 500 guests at their religious wedding …so in retrospect …I am very grateful that we had the opportunity to do a couple shoot with Tania & Jose on the friday night.  They took us to an island across the bay from the City …about a 10 minute boat ride …and when we got there …we felt as if we had escaped the mayhem of Luanda and landed on a deserted tropical island …well not so deserted ..there was at least a barman serving delicious cocktails!  With this lovely backdrop, Tania & Jose relaxed and appreciated the step they had taken (they were in essence already married) and the big day they had in front of them the following day.  They were both relaxed and natural with each other and it was a pleasure to take them interacting with each other in a loving way.  I was looking forward to concluding my first International Destination wedding the next day!  Keep watching for the religious ceremony coming next …it truly felt like a Royal Wedding and Tania’s dress was absolutely beautiful, very similar in many ways to Nicky Hiltons beautiful dress a few months ago!

The post International destination wedding – Angola appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.

Tania & Jose

Civil Ceremony

Luanda, Angola

Part 1

(Part 2 engagement shoot can be viewed here)

(Part 3 – Religious ceremony & wedding can be viewed here)

This was my first International Destination wedding in Luanda, Angola which is a country on the West Coast of Africa and is surrounded by Namibia to the South, Zambia to the East, Democratic Republic of Congo to the North East and the Atlantic Ocean to the West.  The language is predominantly Portuguese and the religion is mainly Catholic.

I will honestly admit that Angola was a complete eye opener to myself and my second shooter, Jilda.  The disparity between wealth and poverty is huge and Luanda is frightfully expensive.  I have been led to believe that it is the most expensive city in the world. And from what I saw, I could honestly believe it.  The roads are complete chaos …if you thought Johannesburg and Cape Town traffic was bad, think again ….traffic in Luanda is chaos.  The city is a hive of activity …it just seems to pump!

Their weddings are also slightly different to the way we do things in Cape Town.  Tania & Jose had a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony two days later.  The civil ceremony was held at the 5 star HCTA Hotel in Luanda which was beautiful and the ceremony was held in the courtyard.  The quality of light in Angola is really gorgeous and we were excited to see how soft and flattering it was looking.  Unfortunately though, our beautiful bride was very late and the light faded as she entered the courtyard.  The videographer was quite prepared though and zapped on his orange video light which lent some gorgeous drama to some of the images!

Another highlight of Angolan weddings is that their guests go to town with dressing up for weddings.  There were some gorgeous outfits on display and the men looked dashing in very snazzy suits and some of the ladies looked like Hollywood Glamour Stars!  The civil ceremony is not as big as the religious ceremony and less guests are invited to this …just very close family and friends from what I gathered.

Tania looked beautiful in her dress which was purchased in Portugal.  It suited her to perfection.

I wondered how she could possibly look any better for her religious ceremony!  But she did …..I do believe she gave every Royal Bride a good run for their money.  The Religious ceremony was truly beautiful …the church was something else …and Tania gave Nicky Hilton a good run for her money with a dress that was just as beautiful and traditional.

My first International destination wedding knocked my socks off me thats for sure!  Stay Tuned!

A big thank you to my second shooter, Jilda Gildenhuys for the support and for being an awesome translator!  Wouldnt have wanted to have done this trip with anyone but you!

Part 2 can be viewed here!

Part 3 can be viewed here!

The post International destination wedding Luanda, Angola appeared first on Jo Ann Stokes.