FUN IN ARUBA | MONDAY MEMOS | DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

FUN IN ARUBA | MONDAY MEMOS | DESTINATION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Last Sunday, I woke up early planning to spend the day prepping blogs. I had a low key week ahead, set up strategically for catching up before our upcoming vacation during the first week of August. After dealing with the dogs and a bit of cleaning, I made my way up to office. A friend had reached out through one of my local communities about a destination wedding happening on Tuesday. She needed someone to help last minute, and I reached out.

It’s important to share with you that I’ve been in the position to respond to these threads online before. I have never, ever been the person chosen to come through. Admittedly, I assumed this situation would be similar. So many amazing photographers responded in an effort to help. When I was told I’d be going, it was a bit surreal.

24 hours later, I was in Aruba. Through a whirlwind of communication, planning, packing, little sleep, and a ton of excitement-I arrived. This was not your typical Monday. The island was welcoming and it was so easy to get to the Holiday Inn Resort. Checking in was simple and I quickly changed into a bathing suit and went down to the beach to meet the bride. As luck would have it, Images by Amber Robinson was available for a few days and I had a bonus second shooter as well as a travel companion!

TAKEAWAY TIPS

The wedding was gorgeous. I loved everything about Aruba. This unexpected getaway was such a delighted surprise. Here are my five little tips:

1. We paid in U.S. currency everywhere there we couldn’t charge to our room.
2. The weather is a dream. The water is clear and the sand is so soft. It’s warm and tropical with a constant breeze that makes it so enjoyable to be outside. Just remember to pack hair ties!
3. Aruba felt like one of the safest places that I’ve traveled. It seems super friendly to families and couples alike.
4. The best place we ate was Chicken and Lobster. We did brunch and it was so delicious. The restaurant is super cute with open air dining and Edison bulbs hanging from the ceilings. We also especially loved that they were a straw free establishment!
5. There is no time difference to adjust to! Night life isn’t exactly poppin’ in Aruba. We tried to eat after 11:00 PM one night and had a really hard time finding anything. Lucky for us, our new local friend Michael introduced us to an awesome taco truck where we got four delicious tacos for around $10.

As you can see, Aruba was fantastic. I hope to return with my husband soon! In a couple weeks, I’ll be sharing more from Ashley and Shawn’s wedding. Check back soon when I have the green light to show off all of their beautiful images. Meanwhile, if you’re planning a destination wedding-let’s talk!

-Ash <3