Wedding photography at Alexander The Great Beach Hotel Paphos, Cyprus.
Fun-loving couple Jade and Mike from Mold in North Wales flew me out to photograph their beautiful destination wedding at Alexander The Great Beach Hotel Paphos – (Pafos) which is situated on the southwestern coast of Cyprus.
Alexander the Great Beach Hotel was the perfect setting for hosting the couple’s dream of an intimate wedding celebration at a fully private elevated terrace offering uninterrupted, breath-taking views of the Mediterranean Sea, the Medieval Castle and magical Paphos sunsets.
The couple was joined in Cyprus by family and friends in a week-long celebration. The wedding was a beautiful late afternoon ceremony that allowed time for some creative location photography in and around Paphos.
Here is their story…
DESTINATION WEDDING IN PAPHOS
Jade and Mike chose Alexander The Great Beach Hotel Paphos for their dream destination wedding on the island of love in Cyprus. They wanted a beachfront wedding with views of the Mediterranean sea.
Alexander The Great Beach Hotel Paphos is a well known and luxurious hotel which sits directly overlooking a stunning ‘Blue Flag’ sandy beach and just a few minutes walk from picturesque Paphos harbour.
The wedding ceremony took place on the top floor the hotel’s beautiful Unity Terrace which offered breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, Pafos (Paphos) fishing harbour and the Medieval Castle.
Mike’s daughters where proud flower-girls and Jade’s Dad excitedly walked her down the aisle. The happy couple giggled their way through the late afternoon open-air wedding ceremony and exchanged vows in front of family and friends who had travelled from the UK.
A champaign cocktail reception complimented the sea view and an amazing Paphian sunset, all of which made for the perfect setting for Jade and Mikes dream of a destination wedding in Paphos.
WEDDING RECEPTION
The wedding reception was held in the Corinthian Ballroom at The Alexander The Great Beach Hotel which was tastefully decorated to match the wedding theme.
Guests were treated to champagne, authentic Greek food and traditional Greek dancing as surprise entertainment. They had three wedding speeches and played traditional Greek wedding games before the hotel DJ played everyone’s favourite songs late into the night.
Returning home to the UK, I asked Jade and Mike; what was the highlight of their day, and they both agreed that seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day was such an emotional and special moment.
WHAT TO WEAR FOR A WEDDING IN CYPRUS?
Jade wore a beautiful Maggie Sottero designer wedding gown which was complemented by a pair of Jimmy Choo’s and an Everton Football Club badged wedding garter. The bridesmaids wore coral and the flower girls ivory.
The Groom kept his cool and wore a muted soft blown waistcoat and pants with a crisp white shirt. The Users, Best-man and Father of the Bride kept it simple with matching pants and white shirts.
PAPHOS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
As the sun was setting on Jade and Mike’s Alexander The Great Beach Hotel wedding day, the couple and myself jumped into a waiting Mercedes and headed to nearby by Paphos harbour for some relaxed portraits of just the two of them.
It was important to Jade and Mike that they got some alone time during the wedding day and as they had planned a week-long destination wedding celebration, they didn’t feel the pressure of having to spend every minute with their guests.
The couple wanted wedding photos that would reflect their personalities but also capture the essence of Paphos. They wanted something a little ‘arty and creative’ not your typical ‘Cypriot’ style wedding photography.
The bride and groom photos took literally 20 minutes, I don’t believe in taking the couple away for too long. It’s a wedding, not a photoshoot. I work fast and after 13 years of photographing weddings, I know how to get the best out of the locations I visit.
As we were heading back to the car, we spotted five wedding couples all being separately posed in a line at the water’s edge (see below photo). We could see their wedding photographers all getting exactly the same type of on-camera flash sunset pictures.
Jade turned to me and said…
“Wes, look at them, it’s like a McDonald’s drive-through of wedding photographers! and that’s exactly what we didn’t want and one of the main reasons why we booked you.”
ABOUT ALEXANDER THE GREAT BEACH HOTEL PAPHOS
Alexander the Great Beach Hotel Paphos is part of the Kanika group, it’s a well established four-star hotel with a great location right on the seafront and under an hours drive from Paphos airport.
Wedding ceremonies are usually performed at the Unity Terrace, a fully covered wedding terrace in complete privacy overlooking the Mediterranean sea. The picturesque Paphos harbour is a stone throw away which makes for the perfect backdrop to your wedding pictures.
The elevated position of the Unity Terrace provides amazing views of the beachfront, and the magical sunsets available here provide the main characteristics for a romantic setting to a special day.
Following the wedding ceremony, a champagne and cocktail reception is served at the front terrace of the hotel, this allows guests to enjoy the stunning views of the Alexander The Great Beach Hotel Paphos swimming pools and Cypriot sunset.
Unity Terrace wedding dinner can accommodate up to 60 people.
CORINTHIAN BALLROOM
A beautifully designed banqueting hall at the Alexander The Great Beach Hotel is adapted to cater for any type of wedding from a cocktail reception for up to 200 guests or can be discreetly divided to provide a romantic setting for hosting smaller sit-down wedding meals or buffets for up to 150 persons.
The Corinthian Ballrooms also leads onto a spectacular veranda with an amazing view of the Mediterranean sea, the Harbour and the famous Paphos Castle, for those preferring an alfresco reception this is also an ideal option for a Cyprus wedding venue.
PAPHOS WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
I am a UK based destination wedding photographer available for weddings throughout Cyprus. You get to deal with me in the UK before, during and after the wedding. You can trust, the style of photography you have seen on my website is exactly the type of first-class wedding photography you will receive.
Take a look at my destination wedding photographer page which is crammed full of advice and information and visit the destination wedding gallery for more examples of work.
If you’re planning a wedding at The Alexander The Great Beach Hotel, somewhere else in Cyprus or the world, and want the security of a UK based wedding photographer to capture the magic of your wedding, please feel free to contact me, my passport is ready.
