Monday, April 13 2009 (Cayo Guillermo, Cuba) photographed by Chelsea Gray
When I was asked to shoot Erin and Jean-Simon’s wedding in Cayo Guillermo, an extraordinary tourist destination in Cuba’s Sabana Camagüey archipelago, there was no hesitation!
Prior to the wedding, I had done a little research about the area where we were staying and it mentioned that Cayo Coco was home to one of the most highly populated flamingo herds in the world (30,000+), so I asked around and managed to hire a private bird-watcher to take us on a tour the day of the wedding at 10am. All four of us (Jean-Simon,Erin, my boyfriend and myself) jumped into the car and headed out on our mission to capture the most original wedding photos ever! Our guide, Paulino, opened up the car doors and blasted flamingo calls so that they would approach us…. He also took us out to a completely desolate hut on a private, unspoiled beach, which turned into an impromptu musical jam with the two security guards! Jean-Simon grabbed the tamtams, one man brought out his guitar, Erin started dancing and when we told them it was their wedding day, they started playing the wedding song! I was so proud to watch Erin and JS dancing together to the Cuban up-tempo version of the “wedding song” in this little remote hut in the middle of nowhere… I can’t express how unique that moment was, and it was just the beginning!
This was a dance in pleasure and bliss! What a fantastic eye and subject. Setting spectacular! Thanks for sharing – your artist friend and friendly coordinator… Evie
It certainly was! The setting was a desolate beach, with only those 2 men in the hut. We had an impromptu concert and dance party as soon as I told them it was Erin and Jean-Simon’s wedding…What a spectacular memory:)