Istanbul Wedding | Karen & John

November 22, 2022

This bride and groom, the locations, the love, the excitement and elation...it was a sensory overload! To say that I am so unbelievably happy that my dear friend found the man of her dreams is an understatement!! J & K - you two are so suitable it is uncanny!!

Karen Davenport, the outrageously stylish and stunning bride, as well as a very very dear friend, wrote this post, which I am going to share here- Karen thank you for your infinite kindness and generosity. You are the epitome of GRACE! We are really overwhelmed by this beautiful compliment:

I cannot overstate the importance of choosing the right photographer. Yes it's about their style of capturing images but so very much of it is about the person you will have next to you for pretty much most of your wedding day.

Let's face it, no wedding day is without a bit of chaos, spoons of anxiety and some waves of emotion (the good and the not so good). You need to be sure that the person staring at you from behind the lens is calm, focused and patient. They need to have a sense of humour and an abundance of patience to navigate your families dynamic and your photographic requirements. They have a monumental task and they cannot show that they are under enormous pressure. They have to balance their professional needs with the energy in the room and those of your great aunt from overseas who hasn't seen you in 10 years who needs to tell you about her wedding day during the height of WWII in exceptional detail.

Now add the fact that you are terrified to be photographed. That you think you're going to ruin every shot and that you have no idea what to do with your hands, eyes, feet, mouth, shoulders, hips, knees or nostrils. You feel incredibly vulnerable and you NEED your photographer to help you like you'd need a surgeon to help you with a burst appendix. It's serious! Are you sure that your photographer has that skillset? Along with the talent to capture the moment, the right light and the emotion?

And we're still talking about a hometown wedding here. Imagine what it required of your photographer when you ask them to shoot your destination wedding in a foreign city they've never been to where no one speaks English.

I will never be able to express enough gratitude to Amanda of Estilo Photography for what she gave of herself on and around the days before and after our wedding day. Herself and Don were incredibly gracious, always joyful and patient beyond measure.

You may think I'm biased because we are friends but I only came to know Amanda after first meeting her in the wedding industry and working with her on many projects over 8 years. And long before our friendship I admired her kindness, her talent and professionalism. She's a flipping unicorn!