St. John, in the US Virgin Island chain has to be one of my favorite destination wedding spots. Having had the chance to photograph a number of St. John weddings now, it’s easy to see why so many people fall in love with this gorgeous little island. It is even nicknamed Love City- which is a perfect way to describe it. When you think about Caribbean weddings, you think about crystal clear, turquoise water lapping up on pristine, palm covered beaches- and this is exactly what you get with St. John weddings. Typically, you’ll fly into St. Thomas and then catch a ferry over to St. John, and immediately you realize that all of your preconceived ideas about the USVI’s are actually true here. Water so clear that the depth is deceiving, and lush green tropical forests cover the mountain islands. And because St. John is 75% National Park, only a small part of the island is actually developed, creating a window into how these islands looked hundreds of years ago when they were first explored. It truly is breathtaking- and then add onto that a destination wedding at one of it’s resorts, or many beautiful cove beaches and you have a wedding photographers dream come true. With some of the most picturesque beaches in the Atlantic, brides and grooms are often heard saying “I can’t believe this is us, I can’t believe this is our wedding!” It all just feels like a tropical fairy tale. And wether your wedding guests choose a resort to stay at, or a little Airbnb bungalow, St. John weddings have something for everyone. From snorkeling with sea turtles right off the beach to hiking through old sugar plantation ruins, to renting stand up paddle boards, to just sitting at the edge of the water with a rum drink (Painkillers are the unofficial drink of St. John) letting the day go by as slowly as possible, you will not be disappointed. And even though destination weddings are usually more intimate because of the number of people willing and able to make the trip, the ones that do attend the wedding will be left with memories of a trip that will last a lifetime. If you are thinking about planning a USVI destination wedding, or a BVI destination wedding I would love to hear from you and talk through some of the logistics and put you in touch with other great wedding vendors on the islands who are worth looking into. St. John weddings are always so amazing to photograph and I can’t wait for the next trip down! Traveling to places like this makes it easy to see why being a destination wedding photographer is so much fun!