Timing is everything when it comes to photography.

When planning a destination wedding on the beach in the Virgin Islands, it’s important to time your ceremony carefully to get the perfect wedding photos. Personally, I like the way the beach looks either first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon. The main reason is that people are more comfortable on the beach when the sun is less intense to avoid squinting and sweating. I have also noticed when people are comfortable they look more beautiful in photos. There also tends to be fewer sunbathers on the beach at either end of the day. 

A morning wedding tends to have a very “Caribbean look” where the sky is a vibrant blue and the ocean looks crystal clear. The morning light tends to be a little cooler and crisp. The one thing I love the most about a morning wedding is that you have all day to celebrate your wedding day after the big event. Here are a few examples of what photos look like at a morning wedding:

Sunset weddings are the most popular. A sunset wedding should be planned to start at least one hour prior to the sun setting.  There are certain beaches on St Thomas that need to be planned even earlier because of the angle of the sun. The evening light tends to be softer and more pastel. The color of the ocean and sky tend to look dark blue and the light is very warm. Here are a few examples of sunset wedding photos:

Since the Virgin Islands are so close to the equator our light changes quickly. This is why it’s so important to make sure you are on time for your wedding. Just being 15 minutes late might mean the difference of catching the perfect sunset wedding photos to being in the total darkness.