Fira, Santorini, Greece Elopement Photo Story Award

The veil and hair of the bride were flying about in the hot breeze and there were teardrops. I would say I witnessed one of the most perfect and extraordinary marriage ceremonies ever. The image is of the first kiss of the married couple after the ring exchange. The sunset ceremony was so poetic, with the great volcanic island and the Aegean Sea in view.

There are many reasons I have a passion to take photos but one of the most important reasons is that photography takes you to the most beautiful places in the world. Santorini, which is 50 minutes of air distance away from my home is one of them. Dear Sam and Stephen reached me from Denver, America, and requested my services, and this made me super happy. 

Sam and Stephen were visiting Santorini for the first time. They wanted to have an unplanned, unscheduled day after their own hearts. Another couple, Kelsey and Jay, who are their closest friends accompanied them. Their dream was a ceremony away from people, in other words, elopement, on top of the cliffs, at the exact moment of sunset. This mentality excited me more and I decided to go to the island two days early to look for the best places for a photo session and the marriage ceremony.

As a matter of fact, Santorini is a crater formed as a result of a volcanic eruption that occurred 2,200 years ago. Following the formation of the volcano, some parts of the crater have submerged and the structure composed of islands rose to the surface. The most popular settlements on the island are Fira and Oia. Whited houses on the cliffs, pathways, and stairs reaching down from rocky slopes and the famous sunset in front of this background are factors that make this island extra romantic. For me, it is an exciting and huge photography set.

On the second floor, Stephen prepared with his close friend Jay. In the bathroom, with blue colored walls, they shaved.

After the preparations, we left for the rockies by two cars. I was in one of the cars with Stephen, and Sam was in the other with the group. Our aim was to prevent them from seeing each other before the wedding and we achieved this. Stephen and I were the first to arrive there and began waiting for Sam after climbing the rocks. We came together at sunset.

Jay performed the marriage ceremony and made a wonderful speech. I experienced an incredible sunset owing to them. It is a great honor to witness such special moments of two persons who are deeply in love with each other.

Later on we visited Tropical Bar and Murphy’s Bar, respectively, and the final of the night was in Two Brothers. We have really enjoyed ourselves. I have to confess that I kept taking photos even though they told me not to so that we all can party together.