Dreaming of your desert elopement but you have that feeling .. That inner voice that echoes to your head and tells you No ! May it seem like a fairytale but it is impossible to happen. Well, NO! It is so, so easy to happen. Especially in a country like Jordan. Esspecially in Wadi Rum. Still thinking of it? Still hesitating? So, here’s the story of James and Charlie who were daring enough to do so. Who decided to walk out of the beaten path and they did not regret it at all. Not once. They live with their adorable dog in Southern England. They already got married few months ago, but deep inside they felt that something was missing. Somehow, they felt that they needed something else, something stronger, something adventurous to embrace their love. After all, they may have gotten married but who says that they can not elope and renew their vows, right the way their souls showed them. And that was enough to make their decision.
Ok, the decision had been made. What about the place. Their bucket list is too long. It wouldn’t be easy to choose. On the other hand .. sun, desert, camels .. well, that’s enough! Wadi Rum has it all. No second thoughts, no more seeking. From that moment, they started planning their upcoming elopement. They were so excited! So happy! Like two little kids who just won the biggest ice cream they’ve ever seen! Still remember that excitement. From our very first Skype call. Daily inspiration, tones of ideas, unstoppable exchange of mails. To be honest, we were as excited as they were. Always dreamt of photographing a desert elopement with camels. And there it was! James and Charlie knew exactly what they wanted. First priority was to keep it plain. They wanted the Jordanian aura. They dreamt of a traditional symbolic ceremony. They wanted Bedouins. And that was our mission.
We met one day in prior at the Ancient City of Petra and took some beautiful pictures around the site. But that was not what they (and we) were long for. We returned to our desert camp, ate a traditional dinner under the sounds of Jordanian music and went to our tents. Definitely needed some rest. A big day was loading.
We woke up early in the morning. The desert view, once you get out of the tent, is something that you don’t see everyday. Absolute silence all around and the only thing that you could hear was the strange noises the camels do with their mouths. We had breakfast with some tea. The weather was great, although we were in the middle of February. James wrote his vows in the camp somewhere where he could be all alone and stay concentrated. Charlie wrote hers at their tent and chose a beautiful Grace loves lace wedding gown that fitted perfectly with her personality. Got ready separately, and met with our local guide, Hasan. Our jeep was ready.
Hasan was an incredible driver with a great knowledge of the Wadi Rum desert. After few moments, we met the camel man with his two camels, Leila and Mohamad. Took pictures at the red desert, drove between the sand dunes and while driving we admired the wild beauty if this different world. Camels, sheep, wild horses .. and Bedouins dressed exactly like the ones we saw in Lorens of Arabia. Oh God, had a constant feeling that we were transferred to an other century. So hard to believe what our eyes see.
Moments before the sun sets, that time when the colors of the nature look at its best and the desert seems even more beautiful .. James and Charlie exchanged vows of faith and eternal love. Their celebrant, a local Bedouin, whispered a Jordanian pray and wished them in his own, unique way. He even sang a song that none of us understood. Mohamad and Leila stood nearby and witnessed, probably for the fist time, this amazing connection. Perfect ending of this special day, some champagne in front of the fire. Could this be more romantic? Could this look more dreamy? Did this day came close to Jamie and Charlie’s expectations? It probably over exceeded them!
Oh what a day..How can we ever forget about this day.. we were blessed enough to take pictures of this incredible couple’s elopement. Thousands of images, never been seen before, in this huge desert. A desert so wild and kind at the same time. With the locals, always smiley and willing to help. Even camels became our friends. Tones of mixed feelings. Excitement, laughter, emotions, respect.. sitting in front of my computer and trying to realize what we lived. Was it true? It was us? Oh, yes, cause pics never lie. And will always remind us that we were there. With James, Charlie, Hasan, Leila and Mohamad. Thank you guys! Once again got the feeling that experiences like this, make life worth living! And we love it!
