A destination wedding in the maldives

I’m not really sure if any of you had ever thought of getting married in the Maldives, but the place does make for the perfect destination for a beach wedding. Scattered like gems across the turquoise Indian Ocean, the Maldives’ tiny coral atolls are some of the world’s most romantic destinations. Beautiful resorts nestle on the small islands surrounded by white-sand beaches, coconut palms and warm, crystal clear blue waters. Quite close to paradise. Drina and Mat have chosen Vilamendhoo island as the backdrop of their dream beach wedding, and it was just as beautiful as it sounds.

Vilamendhoo Island Resort in the Maldives is a tropical paradise­ of palm trees, white sandy beaches,­ warm­ turquoise lagoons and colourful coral reefs teeming with abundant marine life.
The island is about 900 meters long by 250 meters wide and to reach one must catch a seaplane from Male international airport. It is a scenic, 25 minute flight, and a great way to start your vacation. Our pilot was bare-footed and quite chilled out.

A Traditional Goan Roce Ceremony

Mat and Drina now live in Dubai but Drina’s family is originally from Goa. Mat’s family, and many friends came all the way from Adelaide Australia. It was a great mix of cultures and people form all over. The day before the wedding started with a traditional Goan ceremony called ‘roce’.  The couple were seated together, along with the best man and woman, for a bath of cold coconut milk. This ceremony signifies the last bath that the bride or the groom will be taking in their bachelorhood/spinsterhood, and the beginning of the wedding celebration. More than anything it was just a lot of fun that ended in a quick run into the sea to wash off. That afternoon we all went out on a dolphin cruise and ended the night having dinner on the other side of the island.

A Gorgeous Beach Wedding on Vilamendhoo Island

The weather, that was a bit grey on the first couple of days, really did get better for the wedding day. The sun came out and made the afternoon simply magical.  The island is really so incredibly picturesque that it is almost impossible to avoid the kitsch. It is possibly a better option to simply go with kitsch when you come to Maldives, as it is really the absolute ultimate backdrop for those really great wedding images. I think all in all we did pretty well. We even had that little bit of pure purple light after sunset.

Sephi Bergerson is an international destination wedding photographer represented worldwide by SILK PHOTOS. He is based in India with extensive experience of covering weddings all over the subcontinent. He is available for wedding photography in Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, as well as weddings in Mombasa and elsewhere in Africa.