Reviews

Category: Video

William and Alejandra

Posted on by Sigmar Sommer

William and Alejandra

William and Alejandra

William and Alejandra’s love story could be straight out of a movie. They met while on vacation in Aruba and were immediately drawn to each other. William, a handsome Dutchman, was on a trip with his buddies, while Alejandra, a stunning Colombian woman living in Italy, was also enjoying a break from her busy life. One fateful night at a club, William was captivated by Alejandra’s beauty and approached her with his smooth dance moves. They spent the rest of their vacation exploring the island, enjoying romantic dinners, and falling deeply in love.

When their vacation ended, William and Alejandra returned to their respective homes, but they couldn’t stop thinking about each other. They started a long-distance relationship, traveling back and forth to see each other whenever possible. Their love only grew stronger with each visit, and after several years, they decided to take their relationship to the next level and move in together in the Netherlands.

As their relationship blossomed, William and Alejandra knew they wanted to get married, but they also knew they wanted to do it where they first fell in love: Aruba. They started planning their dream wedding, and our team was honored to be asked to capture every moment of their special day.

William and Alejandra’s wedding was a two-part celebration, beginning with a civil ceremony at City Hall in downtown Oranjestad. The bright and colorful Dutch Caribbean architecture of City Hall served as the perfect backdrop for some casual couple shots after the more formal ceremony. Our team snapped photos of the happy couple as they posed in front of the building’s vibrant walls and beautiful archways.

The second part of the wedding took place on the beach at the Divi Sandpiper, and it was indeed a magical setting. The beach was adorned with a wooden arch draped with sheer fabric and decorated with three big flower bouquets set in the pristine sand close to the water’s edge. Next to this was the reception area, where three beautifully decorated dinner tables were set under three large pergolas, also draped with sheer fabric, decorative ivy, and twinkling lights. The pergolas were centered around a makeshift dance floor, where the couple shared their first dance as newlyweds.

Our team captured some beautiful moments throughout the day, from the couple’s first dance to the cake-cutting ceremony, which featured a stunning cake frosted with ripples of icing. We also loved the various speeches in several languages, reflecting the couple’s backgrounds and the cultural fusion that made their relationship unique. But what stood out the most was William and Alejandra’s deep love and connection. Their love radiated throughout the day, and our team felt honored to capture that love in every frame. It was clear to everyone who attended the wedding that this was a couple who were truly meant to be together.

As the sun set over the Caribbean Sea and the stars came out, William and Alejandra celebrated their love with family and friends. It was a truly magical day, and our team was thrilled to be a part of it. We wish the happy couple all the best as they embark on this new chapter in their lives together, and we know that their love story will continue to inspire others for years to come.

Kristen & Kyle Brodhagen

Posted on by Sigmar Sommer

Kristen & Kyle Brodhagen

Kristen & Kyle Brodhagen

Over-the-top elegant, rustic, bohemian, classic, you name it. When it comes to wedding photography and videos, our Aruba Wedding team aims to capture the vibe of each type. While we don’t necessarily have a favorite kind of wedding to shoot, we will say that there are advantages to each and every one. So what about the simple, understated wedding? What’s the advantage there? Kristen & Kyle Brodhagen’s simply elegant wedding on the shores of Palm Beach at the RIU Antillas in Aruba on November 16, 2022, perfectly illustrates the photographic advantage of the unassuming wedding celebration. A simple arch, tastefully decorated with sheer white fabric and white flowers, framing the gorgeous Caribbean Sea, set the stage for their small, intimate wedding, surrounded by close friends and family. The classic, one-tier cake and the casual reception added to the no-frills of it all. So what’s the advantage here? Take one look at the videos and photos of their wedding. We think you’ll see it too. Kristen and Kyle’s warm personalities and genuine love for one another shine brightly and become the focal point of each video and photo. Nothing else gets in the way. It’s truly beautiful!

While capturing his wedding message before the ceremony, Kyle shared that Kristen arrived an hour late on her first date. She had made a mistake while navigating and took a wrong turn, causing her to arrive at the wrong location. When She finally arrived, She found Kyle sitting on the porch waiting for her. Kyle, Still in good spirits, looked up at her and saw her smile. That smile instantly made the waiting worthwhile.

His favorite thing about Kristen is that she is always positive and upbeat. Indeed, her beautiful, genuine smile lights up the entire day. She can hardly keep the huge grin off her face! In her message, Kristen shared that Kyle is her rock, always steady, trustworthy, and taking care of everything. Again, this is apparent in their videos and photos—he is a solid, calm presence that grounds her and, as she mentions in her vows, “always feels like home to her.” This is exactly the feeling we get when we look at the images we captured.

When Kyle read his vows, he spoke about how when he was little, whether it was a good day or bad day, all would be ok because there were always cartoons in the morning. Bad days were good days, and good days were great days, because instead of cartoons, he has her in the mornings. We loved this analogy! The couple also has a playful side, which we were able to capture during the vows. Kristen had wanted Kyle to write the vows in a book, but Kyle, wanting to stay true to his off-the-cuff character, never wrote them down, and after finishing his vows, playfully showed her the empty pages of the little notebook he was supposedly reading from, eliciting cries of laughter from Kristen.

Our team always strives to capture the unique vibe in each wedding photograph or clip as we document a wedding. This one was no exception. The simplicity of the setting allowed us to focus on the couple’s personalities and their genuine love for each other, which shines through in every photo and video. We absolutely loved the extra time allocated for portraits and video, which allowed us to delve into the couple’s dynamic and produce stunning and intimate results. Shooting wedding portraits is an essential part of any wedding photography experience. It allows the couple to have beautiful, timeless images they can cherish forever. It is essential to allow enough time for the photographer to shoot the portraits. Often times we are left with a short period because Wedding Ceremonies generally take place close to sunset due to the hot midday sun in Aruba. Additionally, when we set out to shoot a wedding video and photography, we love to add little snippets of the portrait session to emphasize the love between the bride&groom. Having extra time with a couple

of which the chemistry is so tangible only adds to the magic in both photography and video.

While their wedding was understated, Kristen and Kyle’s love was much more radiant in every one of their wedding videos and photos. Thank you, Kristen and Kyle, for allowing us the pleasure of capturing your radiance!
We are incredibly grateful to Kristen and Kyle for entrusting us with the task of capturing the radiance of their love, and we feel privileged to have been a part of their special day.

Brooke & Ralph

Posted on by Sigmar Sommer

Brooke & Ralph

Brooke & Ralph

Their love story began when Ralph used to wait outside Brooke’s math class during high school to sneak a kiss between classes. In the next 10 or so years, the love of these high school sweethearts matured and evolved into a truly beautiful relationship, and our team was honored to capture the day, June 23, when they officially committed themselves to each other in marriage.

These Long Island, NY, natives, both of Italian background, invited their families and friends to share their special day with them at Divi Sandpiper in gorgeous Aruba, with everything painstakingly planned and coordinated by the amazing team of Aruba Weddings For You.

From behind our cameras, we could sense how important family is to both Brooke and Ralph, and also how intertwined their respective families are, given the longevity of Brooke and Ralph’s relationship. We captured a beautiful moment when Ralph’s mom was reading a letter from Brooke that stated, “I’ve been your girl since 16,” as well as the moving words, “Today a wife, tomorrow a bride, forever your daughter.” It was moments like these that perfectly illustrated the strong love between the bride and groom’s families, with the couple’s own love at the core. Ralph and Brooke’s letters to one another shed more light on their love story as well as where their story goes next. They are both excited to start a family together, and in their words, “It starts today.”

The couple added special touches to their wedding that we featured in their wedding video, including the unity sand ceremony, as well as a moving memorial butterfly release in honor of Ralph’s late father. The Divi Sandpiper, as always, created the perfect setting for the wedding ceremony on the beach, followed by a beachside reception. After some really great speeches given by family and friends, the newlywed couple and all their guests tore it up on the dance floor.

Brooke and Ralph additionally chose to book our photography and videography island tour, whereby we took them to gorgeous island landmarks for even more amazing opportunities to build their story through photos and video. We took them to the quaint Civil Town House in downtown Oranjestad, as well as a few special spots highlighting Aruba’s beautiful and unique nature. We were really happy with how these shots turned out, as we were able to truly leverage Brooke and Ralph’s playful personalities against perfect backdrops.

Cheers to Brooke, Ralph, and their families, as well as the new family they will soon start together!