For many reasons the last two months have been two of the most stressful months of our lives. We had real issues as opposed to the many 1^st world aggravations one normally deals with. We are happy to say we are on the other side of them and deciding to go to Bermuda to combine a bit of work and play seemed like the perfect short Christmas vacation.

We went to Bermuda to catch up with our friends and plan future race walking efforts on the Island as well of course to take a few wedding dress photos. It was a perfect time to do it, because the direct short flight meant instead of adding to our stress and spending a day in the airport on either end it was a quick jump to the wonderful island and country of Bermuda. It’s also the low season and while it means chillier days, it also means significantly less people (especially right before Christmas) and much lower rates for hotels (over half off their peak prices).

We actually didn’t realize we were miscounting countries all these years and this was our 50^th country with the dress. We had many great photos planned, but Jennifer significantly hurt her back the week before the trip and we knew we would be limited. Given the logistics and our need for a carefree set of days, we decided to stay in a very upscale hotel, the The Hamilton Princess & Beach Club. In the past, when we’ve splurged for a more expensive hotel, after staying there we were almost never happy with the decision to spend the extra money (the exception was in Kotor). We are pleased to say this was another rare exception. Ideally, located with fantastic facilities and an even more outstanding staff, we were thrilled. Neither Jennifer or I can remember a friendlier staff from top to bottom. They gave us more ideas than we could ever shoot and were saddened that we couldn’t follow through without risking further injury. Unlike some, we are not willing to take unnecessary risks to get a photograph.

So, we focused on two shots that didn’t require a lot of movement on Jennifer’s part. For our first shot, we wanted to highlight some part of the hotel. So Jennifer relaxed by the fire pits in front of the Hamilton Harbor was it. While this would normally be an easy photoshoot from a technological perspective, I had just sold all my Canon gear and replaced it all with Sony mirrorless equipment. We were pleased to say, the learning curve wasn’t too steep and here’s the result.

The next shoot took a bit more preparation. There are ruins of an unfinished church in St. George. Partially constructed in the 1800’s it was never finished. Our NJ friends clued us in that there is a gate around them and you can’t get in. However, our local bestie got on it and put us in touch with the caretakers. They couldn’t have been kinder. They politely requested a donation, but beyond that they were very happy to help with our project. They even offered to leave it open for days in case we wanted to come back.

Unfortunately, we choose poorly and decided to drive over in a Twizzy. A Twizzy is a two seater (one front, one back) electric “car” or as Jennifer calls it a moped with four wheels. It wreaked havoc with Jennifer’s already torqued back and we were lucky to be able to shoot. Lighting was really tough. We didn’t think we could get a shot, but the light moved just enough to crack a shine where Jennifer was sitting. Sure that might have made a nice shot, but then Brooster the Rooster popped in to see if Jennifer’s dress was edible. I wasn’t sure from looking at it in the camera that we got the exposure well, but the results speak for themselves. 😊

If you are interested in a wedding or photo shoot at the church, you can contact the Unfinished Church is Nandi Outerbridge at wedding@stpeters.bm. The fee for exclusive access for a photo shoot is $200 and weddings start at $1750.

Next, we had a lunch by the sea and relaxed a bit until the sun set. We drove back to the church and then were horrified to find my flashlight turned on in the bag and was dead. I could see the frustration in Jennifer’s face, but she knows how much I like blue light shots and she sat in pain. Truthfully, I should have called the shot, but we were very invested in getting a great church shot. Searching on the Internet, I didn’t find a single shot at night. In the end, we got something decent, but the day shot worked much better.

We took advantage of the hotel grounds both inside and out.

We had a few more treats; our hotel had a Gombey Dancer parade for Boxing Day. Gombey dancers are West African in origin and are considered similar in tradition to our mummers. There’s a rich history to the parade going back hundreds of years. The costumes hid individuals identities. Back in the time of slavery, people would use the parade to plan their escapes.

Then our local friend came over to bring us an authentic Bermudian Christmas dinner, which we had for lunch with her sitting out in the brightly lit harbor. With the sun’s rays warming us, it didn’t feel like Christmas, but it was delicious none the less.

Our final treat was the steak dinner at the Marcus Restaurant. While the food did not disappoint it was the added entertainment of the millennial couple four tables over. They were clearly on their first date and didn’t seem to understand what an indoor voice meant. The young “gentleman,” was peacocking in grand form. Sadly, this somehow included trying to be as offensive as possible. Hopefully, this isn’t a millennial trait. They started by insulting Jewish people, but pretty much hit every religion and ethnicity. The table closet to them were cringing. We wanted to tell them they are the greatest cure for marital woes ever, because if that was dating today, every troubled married couple would stick with their own problems. I felt like I was in a bad Seinfeld episode, while Jennifer was looking for cameras from a show like What Would You Do? We wanted to tell them they are the greatest cure for marital woes ever, because if that was dating today, every troubled married couple would stick with their own problems.

Sadly, we had to leave Bermuda with the sun still shining brightly. We were lucky enough to have a later flight and enjoyed the morning pool and harbor side.