Hvar Wedding | An Elopement in Croatia

Calee + Cody’s Hvar wedding was a sun-drenched, intimate celebration on an incredible little island in the Adriatic. A literal handful of people: the two of them, a celebrant (in this case, my wife!), and me. Read on for more details! 

A wonderfully intimate Hvar wedding

Everyone, say hi to Canadians Calee and Cody. When they originally asked me to shoot their elopement, it was going to look pretty different to this. Their original plan was to have the elopement in Norway, in the tiny archipelago called the Lofoten Islands (click here to see an elopement I’ve shot there). As it turns out, they had a particularly long and cold Canadian winter and decided that a warm, sunny location would be better. And so, we ended up on this impossibly beautiful island in the Adriatic for their Hvar wedding. 

A Croatian Island Elopement

I think Croatia is my favourite country in the world. I’ve now been to five Croatian islands, and explored much of the mainland. If I was to get married again, I’d probably have my own Hvar Wedding. This island is just incredible! It’s small enough to navigate easily, and has a really diverse range of places to see. Tiny ancient villages, impossibly turquoise waters. 

Calee and Cody helped each other get ready at Villa Vito. The island is dotted with these incredible villas that you can rent and stay at. I love when couples get ready together for their elopement. We then walked a short distance to a lovely grove of trees for their ceremony. My wife Michelle was the celebrant. 

If you’re wondering how this works, I’ll explain. Michelle isn’t really a celebrant. When a couple elopes, especially on an island like Hvar, it can be tough to find a celebrant. So in this case, Calee and Cody had their marriage registered in Canada before they came over to Croatia. But it was at their Hvar wedding where they read their vows, shed their tears, and made a true commitment to each other. 

Are you eloping somewhere? Do you need a photographer? 

If you’re planning an elopement anywhere in the world, I’m your man. I spend half the year in Australia, and half the year in the UK, which covers a lot of the planet haha. I hope you enjoy looking at this Hvar wedding as much as I enjoyed shooting it! 

Calee, Cody: thank you SO much for having me along to document your Hvar wedding. Maybe we could have a 5 year reunion and see you back there for more chips and beers 😀