Imagine getting married on a small, remote island with nobody around but your closest friends and family. That’s what today’s adventurous couple Sonja and Tom did, on a small island off the coast of Croatia. Let Matija Kljunak whisk you off to this sunny island and tell you their story.
A Remote Island Wedding In Croatia
Sonja and Tom were probably the most easy-going couple I ever met. They were so informal, in fact, that they weren’t even going to get a photographer for their big day. Luckily, her mum told them to do anything and everything their way, but do get a photographer; she knew how frail memories are. And this is where this story begins.
Even though they both live in Canada, Sonja has a long family history linking her to Korčula and Vela Luka, where she spent a part of her early childhood. After she moved to Canada, she spent all her summers there, and when she met Tom they went there for their summers together as well. Tom proposed when they went for a swim on Osjak, a small uninhabited island near Vela Luka. Sonja has been coming here since she was a baby and she learned to swim there as well.
Sonja told me her heart beats for the ocean and Tom, and his heart beats for the mountains, forests… and Sonja. Each and every part of their wedding reflected this.
Imagine a wedding on a pebble beach, waves gently crashing on the rocks surrounding them, at sunset. And imagine this beach on a small island, completely deserted except for their closest guests. And let’s have that island be just off a bigger island, where she spent her childhood summers and where she took Tom for their summers. And let’s have that island be in the country with a thousand islands, in all directions around them.
A Simple, Unplugged Ceremony
She described their wedding as a love ceremony. What did that mean, I wondered? Weren’t all weddings love ceremonies? Well, it was all shrouded in mystery until the day came, where it turned out that love ceremony was what she really meant! There was no officiant, no priest. No music, no chairs for the big wedding party. No mobile phones held in the air, no recording instead of experiencing. No reading of the vows or sermons. What was there?
The closest friends and family gathered in a circle as Sonja’s brother gave a few introductory words. Instead of the vows, everyone paused for a minute to look at awe and immerse themselves in the place they found themselves — on a beautiful beach, alone, at sunset. They exchanged the rings and kissed… Beauty is in the simplicity.
Finally, you will surely notice a stunning wedding dress Hollie by Grace Loves Lace, which fluttered in the sea breeze with all of its ribbons. I couldn’t imagine a better choice for this occasion — it just merged seamlessly with the beauty around us as it fluttered in the wind. Her shoes were simple ocean-themed beach sandals by Lola Cruz. Flats were needed for hiking across the island and climbing down the rocks to get to the ceremony ‘venue’ – the pebble beach.
Vendors:
Photography Matija Kljunak Weddings // Flowers: Anisa Flowers // Music Bolero band // Restaurant Restaurant Proizd // Dress Grace Loves Lace // Shoes Lola Cruz
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