Kaitlin Noel Photography | Cape May Professional Photographer
Coming from a girl that is constantly moving at a mach 5 pace, for me to saying slowing down is ‘good’….you KNOW the Jamaican sun got to me! In the beginning of this month I had the insane honor and privilege of shooting my first 2013 wedding in Ochos Rios Jamaica. It was also my first destination wedding. Sure, I have shot all over the East Coast… but a tropical island….that was definitely a first I hope to repeat many times! : )
In the down-time Michael and I had, we attempted naps. We had many fruity cocktails that included about 5 different pours of rum. (I didnt even know there were than many kinds of rum). We ate….and ate a lot. We sunbathed, did excursions, made friends and hugged and kissed. To many…this all seems to easy and expected. But as parents of 2 kids under 3…the idea of sneaking away for a week like this…only having to be responsible for ourselves, its unheard of and we are wildly out of practice! Turning off ‘work brain’, ‘stress over kids brain’ and then focusing on cherrishing the memories we were making as husband and wife became our new mission…and I think…if only for a few days, we accomplished that. : )
I have never snorkeled. If you ask the party we went out with, they could assure you of that. I was shaking. Talking faster than the energizer bunny. HOLY NERVOUS. How was I not going to drown myself? What if I saw a shark, or a stingray, or a barracuda bit me. These thoughts running through my brain at warp speed caused for a very stressed Kaitlin. After swallowing a few gulps of salt water…THROUGH MY NOSE I MIGHT ADD, I got it! I was breathing through my mouth, and consciously trying to remind myself my nose was not open for operation. It was ah-mazing. I crossed it off my bucket list, conquered a fear, and actually can’t wait to do it again one day. (However….if another one of those blue Dori look fish touch me again, we may have issues….I screamed so loud UNDER WATER, no fish came near me for the rest of the snorkeling adventure!) lol
Here are some pictures we grabbed with our water camera…so fun!
When we weren’t snorkling…we were playing around on the beach. It was more of a bay-cove than a beach…with maybe only 5 feet of sand, then immediate water, there was an inlet we were allowed to swim in, and stand with a beverage while hearing all the music that played ashore : )
Excursion days were my favorite! One we went on was a catamaran to do some more snorkling and then ended up at Duns River Falls. EPIC! That really is the only word that comes to my mind next to wet and cold. hahahaha
It was gorgeous, fun, exciting, a challenge, its was fabulous! I was so glad I didnt bring my REAL camera along…poor buddy wouldn’t have made it. Instead, we got another water camera and snapped a few shots. Best part? The whole thing was filmed and I am just dying to see THAT footage! : )
With squishy water shoes on (YES, I found one of the only pink pairs in the bin), we made the climb, hand in hand, and stopped at different platforms only to find we still had more to climb. LOVED IT!
My bride and groom, Joanna and Jim and me and Mike….waterfallin’ it : P
Here is where we got a couples massage…and 100% the best massage I have ever had in my life. Jamaican women’s hands= strong as steel! : P
Here are some more views from where we were and where we spent lazy days sun bathing : P
My hubby wake boarding? Is that what you call this? It looked like waaaay to much effort, so I stayed on dry land! : P
One of our favorite bartenders….everything he said was followed by “OOOHHHH JESSSUS” IN A VERY JAMAICAN ACCENT! WE LOVED IT! Plus, he knew me and my pink drinks! : P
On top of great drinks, we had some amazing food. Jerk Chicken = amazing. Every desert looked too pretty to eat. And the views in each dinner….ah-mazing!
The bride and her girls and me….I felt soooo loved! : )
Would I go back? YES! Did I have a blast? YES! Am I the luckiest photog ever to have made such amazing friends and had such an amazing opportunity to photograph a wedding adn have a mini vacation with my Michael? TRIIPPLLE YESSS!!!
XOXO,
Kaitlin Noel
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