This tropical U.S. Virgin Islands wedding that is every island-lover’s dream was photographed on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Hannah photographed this wedding in Christiansted, St. Croix at the historic Club Comanche. Hannah is a destination wedding photographer available to shoot destination weddings all over the world.

It’s no secret that I am absolutely obsessed with all things tropical. My natural habitat is anyplace with a warm breeze and palm trees! When Kayla & Kiyoon first reached out to me, it was to photograph their engagement photos here in Washington, D.C. Shortly after, I found out that their wedding would be in the U.S. Virgin Islands! You can imagine how absolutely ecstatic I was when they asked me to photograph their wedding!

Kayla & Kiyoon are the type of people that become very fast friends. From the very first time we met, I’ve felt like I’d known Kayla for a long time! Spending time with Kiyoon and Kayla is absolutely effortless. I’m pretty sure their pre-wedding consultation could have lasted 5 more hours if we had had the time! This couple did an incredible job balancing all of the craziness involved in planning a destination wedding and it was truly a joy to be their photographer!

It’s hard to know where to begin talking about this wedding. Everything about it was a U.S. Virgin Island-lover’s dream! Kayla grew up in the Virgin Islands – mostly in St. Thomas and then in St. Croix when her parents moved. Her knowledge and love for her home made this wedding so much more than a destination wedding. Guests came from all over the world to celebrate, including Kiyoon’s family traveled from South Korea. The blending of many different cultures gave the wedding so much character – it was a blast!

Christiansted, St. Croix itself has a unique, beautiful culture, blending native Carib influences, African, European, and American heritage. While we were there, I learned that locals are called Crucians, rum cake is the dessert of specialty, mocko jumbies are dancers on stilts that appear regularly at celebrations, that there are roosters galore, and everywhere you look, it’s beautiful! We absolutely LOVED our time in the U.S. Virgin Islands and hope to shoot another wedding there very soon!

A few highlights from the wedding day: seeing Kiyoon’s face when Kayla walked down the aisle in the most gorgeous historic, open-air Catholic church, Kayla’s stunning wedding dress which fit her perfectly, the parade through Christiansted led by the newlyweds and mocko jumbies and Kiyoon’s epic DJ set at the end of the reception. This wedding was perhaps one of my favorites of all time, and I am so excited to share this gorgeousness with you!

Photographer: Hannah Bjorndal

Venue: Club Comanche

Wedding Planner: Weddings by Michelle Marquis

DJ: Media One Productions