Category: Videography Story

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.

Katelyn & Christopher

Posted on by Sigmar Sommer

Katelyn & Christopher

Katelyn & Christopher

While Christopher explained a “love at first sight” scenario (“the first time I saw her across the room, with her side braid, she stole my heart”), the love that he and Katelyn have for one another is based on true friendship. Katelyn made this very clear when she so beautifully shared that she is marrying the love of her life, her best friend, her partner, and everything that makes her a better person.  She added, “You have been my favorite part of every day, and I can’t wait to have more of those with you.”

As photographers and videographers, we strive to capture weddings in a way that truly reflects the unique relationship that exists between couples. For Katelyn and Christopher’s wedding, we knew that we needed to make sure to capture and showcase the deep, down-to-earth connection that these two lovely people—these best friends—share as they tied the knot in front of their friends and family on May 28 at the Divi Resorts, under the guiding hand of Divi’s premier wedding planner, Aruba Weddings for You!. Both Katelyn and Christopher are also very close to their families, which we also aimed to highlight.

The festivities began as both the groom and bride got ready with the wedding party in their respective rooms. The couple chose beautiful pistachio green and khaki as their wedding colors, which perfectly complemented the couple’s easy, laid-back vibe. The guys threw back a few beers wrapped in personalized beer cozies while the ladies had some fun of their own with some bubbly as they primped.

Dad’s first look was incredibly special. Katelyn had a beautiful gift for her dad—a handkerchief printed with words of love and appreciation for the “first man she ever loved.” We felt truly honored to witness and capture such an important moment between father and daughter.

The day could not have been more gorgeous, with the sun reflecting off the pure white sands of Sandpiper Beach. The couple exchanged their vows under a breathtaking wedding arch filled with white flowers, lush greenery, and wispy heather. A unity sand ceremony followed, representing the couple’s new union and their mutual vow to embark upon a new life together, no matter the challenges they would face.

We love that the couple chose to hold their reception right on the same beach where they just got married. We also loved the specially rehearsed first dances of the night, which took place under the gorgeous twinkling lights strung over the sand dance floor. Most of all, we were incredibly impressed by the sincere sentiments shared during the speeches given by the bride’s sister and the groom’s brother. It’s been a long time since we heard such an emotional, heartfelt speech given by the best man, and our first thought was, “This marriage is definitely going to work!”

We were truly honored to work with such a great couple with inspiring energy. We established a really amazing chemistry with both the couple and the wedding party, and that’s truly one of the most important keys in capturing incredible footage. Thank you, Katelyn and Christopher, for allowing us to be part of such an amazing day and for reminding us that love based on friendship is perhaps one of the best kinds of love there is.

Brooke & Ralph

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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!

Elaine & Travis

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Elaine & Travis

Elaine & Travis

When you’re in the business of wedding photography and videography, you come across a lot of photographs and videos capturing all sorts of weddings, from simple yet elegant beachside ceremonies to extravagant ballroom affairs. You would think that the particular color scheme of the wedding or the ceremony décor or the choice of poses or even the weather would play a major role in determining the quality of wedding photos and videos, but you would be wrong. So what matters the most? The positive energy of the couple as well as their wedding guests…hands down.

Case in point…the Drobbins. We recently had the true pleasure of working with Travis and Elaine Drobbin from Hoboken, New Jersey, who chose beautiful Aruba for their destination wedding. From the moment we met them, our team clicked with this lovely couple. They exuded a warm, relaxed, down-to-earth energy that drew us in and made us feel equally relaxed and comfortable. This positive chemistry created space for mutual respect and trust, which is the backbone of any successful collaboration.

Not only were Travis and Elaine incredibly welcoming of our team, but so were their friends and family. We weren’t just documenting their celebration – we were PART of their celebration, allowing us to capture all those intimate, raw moments that often only close family and friends get to witness.

The fact that Travis and Elaine were so relaxed also ensured that they looked completely natural in the photographs and video. For them, their wedding wasn’t about creating the perfect moment, but rather about LIVING in the moment, which translated so beautifully in photo and film. It was this “living in the moment” attitude that had them all jumping in the pool by the end of the night!

Ultimately, the level of comfort and trust established between the wedding couple and our team is one of the most important factors determining how “successful” wedding photos turn out. Positive vibes almost always equate to fabulous photos and videos, no doubt about it. After all, this trust that we hope to establish on every shoot gives us the freedom to be creative.

Alexi & Todd

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Alexi & Todd

Alexi & Todd

During all the years we have spent as destination wedding photographers and videographers in Aruba, we have yet to experience rain during the ceremony. With over 300 days of sunshine recorded annually, located outside of the hurricane belt, and enjoying steady trade winds, Aruba is a sure bet for nice weather on your wedding day. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t rain in Aruba at all. On October 1, 2020, after that whole Covid lock-down, postponing the wedding, and postponing again, Alexi, Todd, and loved ones finally made the trip to Aruba for their destination wedding.

Expecting clear skies and sunshine, Alexi was not in a good mood when she woke up to see dark skies over our lovely island. The tone was set for the day. Stressed because of the weather, people were arriving late. You can only imagine. When we entered Todd’s room to take the preparation shots, you could see the worry in his eyes. What would Alexi be going through!? He was a caring man; he checked if there was a “bad weather option” for the ceremony. Here in Aruba, although we have never experienced a destination wedding ceremony indoors, almost all hotels do have the option to move indoors in case of bad weather.

After looking at the weather radar and speaking with people, Todd and Alexi took the risk to continue their destination wedding ceremony on the beach.

We then met up with Alexi for her part of the wedding preparation photography, and boy, she was worried. At this point, I told her that we had never had rain during the ceremony, and there is something about the Aruban climate so that it doesn’t rain around sunset. It is hard to explain, but I have never seen it occur.

At that moment, as if it was meant to be, the sun peeked through from behind the clouds. At this point, Alexi relaxed, and we could get some great wedding preparation photography done here. Doesn’t she look stunning in these wedding portraits?

Finally, when we headed down to the ceremony, the skies cleared a bit further. Things started moving smoothly. During her vows, Alexi told Todd that the hair-dresser that morning said to her that rain on your wedding day is a blessing because a wet knot is hard to untie; therefore, if you tie the knot on a rainy day, your marriage is hard to unravel.

Days after the big day, we met up with the happy couple once more to take a few bridal portraits in the Aruban countryside in a short “trash-the-dress” photo shoot. They looked like they could stand whatever comes their way, ready to face a lifetime together.

The wedding photography looks fantastic, and once again, we chalked up another dry ceremony, cementing the fact that in the years of experience we have as destination wedding photographers and videographers, we have never had rain during the ceremony.

Nature is a fickle beast, though, so please don’t hold it against us when you plan you plan your destination wedding in Aruba, and you have a slight drizzle during the ceremony…wink wink.

Dustin & Jenna

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Dustin & Jenna

Dustin & Jenna

On September 4th, 2021, after many delays, We were finally able to be part of Dustin Smylek and Jenna Tureson’s big day. And what a day it was!!

The Marriott Stellaris Casino and Resort – here in Aruba has some of the most professional wedding coordinators. Jenna & Dustin knew what they wanted, and together they came up with quite a list of little moments to make their Aruba Destination Wedding Extra special. We, of course, we were there to take their Wedding Photography and Wedding Videography.

Perfect little moments like the first look with Jenna and her father, a special gift from Dustin for Jenna with a handwritten card, or the first touch with Dustin and Jenna. And what an emotional rollercoaster it was.

Please take a look at that moment when Dustin gets to hold Jenna’s hand without seeing her….You can clearly see his heart racing. The emotions were unmistakable. He was able to hold some of the tears back, although one escaped him. This did build up the tension for when he first got to see her walking down the aisle. Then and There, the emotions got the better of him.

There was a lot more going on that day, though. So let’s drop a little truth bomb here, though. I know Aruba is generally well known for the sunny days and a sure bet for dry weather during your wedding. And it still is. But, we did get a little scare during the preparations. Look, the Aruban flora and fauna also need some water to survive…and yes. However unlikely, there is always a chance it rains on your wedding day. This was such a day. And as you can imagine, Jenna was visibly under pressure. Luckily she was about the say her “I Do” to Dustin.

For the most part, this was the case. Up until the meeting right before the wedding. Look, we have seen many brides, and we know that this” getting married” thing is a lot. We have seen many grooms “just being part of it.” But not Dustin. Once Dustin knew what would happen on the big day. he was on top of things. In the last days leading up to the big day, he carried the torch, making sure we knew changes.

During the preparations, Dustin made sure everything was taken care of, elevating some of the pressure. And when the rain poured down on the big day at about 3 pm, Dusting made sure to express Jenna’s wish to continue as planned and have a ceremony on the beach. (If you plan your ceremony at a resort, they generally have a bad weather option)

Now, I assume you are still reading this, right? And you will be like, “OMG, what if that happens to me ?!?! Let me tell you the following. As a wedding photographer with more than seven years of photographing Destination weddings in Aruba, adding to that the experience of my colleagues here at Aruba Wedding, we have, in all that time, only once had a little spritz of rain, right before the ceremony. Once. Never during a ceremony, and never during the reception. That is not to say this will not happen to your destination wedding. That guarantee we can’t give you. We can say, though, that it is highly unlikely.

And guess what happened on September 4th?? at 5 pm, the weather cleared, and the sun peaked through the clouds right as Jenna walked down the aisle. From that moment on, the only drops falling were tears of joy from Dustin’s face and drinks spilling from glasses during a wild and crazy Wedding Reception !!

Christina & Aaron

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Christina & Aaron

Christina & Aaron

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”

Paul Caponigro

I, personally love this quote. It is true, Not every one is as comfortable in-front of a camera. Their personality gets hidden from the camera by their shy appearance, awkward looks etc. Luckily we have a large toolbox of tricks to get that personality to the surface and shine bright in all our clients Wedding Photographs. A Destination wedding in Aruba is something to remember, after all, and nothing helps you remember like wedding photographs & Video.

Sometimes though…just sometimes, we meet people for their wedding photography and we instantly know, that there is now hiding that personality. That personality will shine bright!!

After walking into a barbershop, Aaron sat down in Christina’s chair for a haircut, and, well, basically, he never left. If love at first sight exists, this was definitely it, and from what we saw, it was a love ever so true. While Christina is working her magic with scissors day in and day out, Aaron has a demanding job as a lawyer. “No one calls a lawyer just to talk about the weather,” Aaron points out, “but whenever my mind is clouded with stress, it’s the ever-smiling Christina who brightens up my day.” And wow, how she brightens up places! On April 22, 2017, Christina and Aaron finally tied the knot during their breathtaking destination wedding on Aruba, and Christina was absolutely radiant. Her personality shined so bright Aaron couldn’t take his eyes of her. It couldn’t be more clear that these two are perfectly made for each other. And from all the things they have in common, we would say their shared love of dancing and having fun is high up there on the list…what a party!

There are many things that influence the flow of a wedding-day and unlike in many places like the US, it is customary in Aruba to have your ceremony around 5:30pm, 6pm and do Formal’s or Family Photographs after that, and of-course Bridal Portraits after that.

This is partly because of the fact that it is just too darn hot to do those shots prior to the ceremony, but also due to the fact that most people want their Bridal Portraits to be shot with at sunset on the Aruban Beaches.

When doing “formal’s” or family combinations, it’s important to have someone to help gather all the people together. We, as Wedding Photographer’s don’t know all the names of friend’s and family members, and if we spend too much time trying to wrangle everyone together—first the family of the bride, then the family of the groom, then the bride’s friends, then the groom’s friends, etc.—we’ll run out of sunlight for those stunning sunset Bridal Portraits that every couple wants.

Fortunately, we received lots of help from various guests in pulling everyone together in a timely manner. (And trust us, we know it’s not easy getting Uncle John away from the bar!)

Consequently, we could get all the group shots we needed with these great people and still beat the sun to get those epic sunset shots! It’s highly possible these folks were also very efficient during the photography session because they were eager to get back to the party…what a wild shebang!

We hope the laughter and happiness we witnessed on their wedding night is a reflection of the life that Christina and Aaron are about to share together.