Samantha and Josh were married on August 4th 2017 on the island of Roatan. Their destination wedding was at The Meridian Resort at Lighthouse Point and they were married under palm trees looking out over the sea. The couple had an intimate wedding with their close friends and family who all traveled down for the week. Most of the wedding party was from Texas so there was a constant feeling of warmth, southern hospitality and of course lots of great dancing. Samantha and Josh love each other fiercely and you can see it the moment you are around them.  Their love shines bright and it is clear they are soul mates, what a beautiful thing that they found each other.

I met Samantha years ago when she was living on Nantucket. She loves Nantucket and has family on the island. She even has Nantucket tattooed on her wrist, now that is true dedication to the faraway island! When she told me of her engagement and upcoming plans for a destination wedding on another beautiful island and that she wanted me to be their photographer.  I was all in! Here is a little more about their story and why they chose Roatan, Honduras, to tie the knot….

“We choose our wedding location because it was where we fell in love, it was our first vacation together. We joked about us getting married and if we were to get married it would be in Roatan, I believe I messaged you after our trip that I wanted you to be my photographer. Its special to us because we fell in love with each other but also Roatan. We want to move there some day. Its a magical place, amazing people, the culture, and of course the beauty of the entire island. ”

The island was nothing short of magical. With teal water, white sand and all kinds of surprises, the couple and their guests enjoyed a week to remember. In Roatan everyone is on the water and at the beach all day to well past sunset. Before the wedding day we spent a day on Little French Key and got to visit a Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary which made for many fun photos. Roatan was full of surprises too, we had a wild rain and lightning storm that hit just as the welcome party began the night before the wedding. Samantha and Josh ran through the rain and showed up with all smiles. It didn’t matter if it was sunny, raining or lightning, everyone was there to celebrate nonstop! They even had fireworks and a fire dancing performance at the wedding! Moments after their first dance, fireworks shot up into the night sky on the little beach at The Kismet, the Meridian Restaurant where they had their reception. The rain showed up again on the wedding day too, once as the bride walked down the aisle and once during the fire dancing performance, but the rain didn’t last long and everyone just enjoyed the moment. If what they say is true and rain is good luck, then Samantha and Josh will have plenty of that luck to last a lifetime! Needless to say Roatan kept us on our toes with excitement around every corner and I was thankful to be photographing a couple who embraced all of the surprises and who was thankful, above all, to be marrying the love of their life.

“The most memorable part of the day for me was when my parents and I walked down the aisle, it started to lightly rain, it was still so beautiful out. When I approached the aisle and saw Josh was teared up and we were seeing each other for the first time that day and not being able to share a kiss. We also set off lanterns in honor of our loved ones who are no longer with us. His twin brother and my my best friend.  The entire day was memorable, one for the record books. At the end of the night we stood in a heart ring of fire in the sand, it was pretty awesome!”

This highlight post took a while to make simply because there were so many wonderful, fun and exciting moments that came out of the week! It’s a collection of a few photos from around Roatan, the adventure to Little French Key, the Welcome Party (with lightning) and of course the Wedding Day! There are so many more photos that accompany these, but for now, here’s a glimpse into our journey to Roatan to celebrate the love of Samantha and Josh! Two souls that became one, two people that couldn’t be more in love with one another. Thanks for trusting me to capture your beautiful week!

Venue: The Meridian at Light House Point, Roatan, Honduras,  Catering and Reception: The Kismet at The Meridian, Wedding Planner and Floral Design: Roatan Events, Photographer: Katie Kaizer Photography, Videographer: Heartify, Fire Dancer Performance: Islands Fire, Bride’s Hair: Fringe Salon by Becca Bayne,

Flying into Roatan we pass right over The Meridian at Lighthouse Point where they had the wedding! You can see the resort if you look at the furthest corner to the right of the island in this photo!

Enjoy! – Katie K.