A destination Marrakech wedding was the choice of our French couple Clem and Max for their three day wedding in Morocco. Having seen the magic of the red city, we were so excited when they chose us for their destination wedding photography. We had already helped Max with his London proposal to Clem so to hear them say they couldn’t have anyone else shoot their wedding in Marrakech was incredible for us. And what a wedding it was!
Keeping things intimate
There is something truly lovely about an intimate destination wedding. It’s like going on holiday with your most favourite people, and actually having the time to spend with each one. This approach meant Clem and Max had the opportunity to really spend quality time with their 20 or so friends and family. It meant they could spend the day before the wedding wandering the souks with their guests, before hitting the pool at their super relaxed pool resort venue, Manzil la Tortue, just 15km out of the city centre.
After pounding the shopping streets, it was back to the pool to chill ahead of their pre-wedding dinner under the stars, with an Arabian Nights theme.
Your wedding morning doesn't have to start at 7am!
After a relaxing poolside breakfast, it was a morning swimming and chilling for our couple and guests, bar a few that wanted to head to the famous Jardin Majorelle or have another wander around the souks. We stuck by our couple for a refreshing swim before it was time to get ready for the 5pm ceremony. Like many destination wedding locations such as Italy or Spain, ceremonies are well planned to be later where it is supposed to be cooler. We say supposed to be, as it was still super warm at 5pm on this September evening.
After getting ready in the stylish rooms at Manzil La Tortue, it was time for the poolside ceremony. Many of the décor was provided by stylist Madame Reve. After a heartfelt ceremony, it was time to party into the night! By this point we had got to know all the wedding party well, so it was like being away with friends, always special for us as destination wedding photographers. This is another reason why multi day coverage works so well, not just for the memories!
Embracing Moroccan Culture
Clem and Max adore Marrakech and wanted their wedding to feel like a wedding in Morocco. From traditional food served throughout, to welcoming Moroccan musicians to play after the ceremony, this was a celebration of Marrakech culture, rather than just cultivating a stereotype. Oh and the food by Manzil La Tortue was amazing!
One thing we particularly loved, was the foregoing of dessert directly after the main. A few hours later local cakes and French champagne was enjoyed, a great dance floor pick me up! Followed a little later by fresh Moroccan mint tea and small cakes, there was no way anyone was going to run out of energy.
Party with no restrictions
There was no way this party was going to be finishing up early, and when the heat got too much, our bride made her way into the pool for a cool off, which felt so good for us all and a pretty fun moment to shoot!
The bar staff seems to enjoy the party too whilst they kept the guests topped up with drinks as they (we!) danced the night away to DJ Momo. There was no curfew as our couple had the whole venue for exclusive use. As the night rounded off in the early hours, Clem and Max took a final big dip into the pool, rounding off an excellent day.
Your post wedding chilled pool vibe
Just how they started their pre-wedding, post-wedding day was also a chilled pool vibe. This wedding venue in Marrakech really is perfect if a relaxed pool party vibe is what you would love for your destination wedding in Marrakech. Marrakech is a place with so many things to do, if chilling by the pool isn’t your thing you could always arrange trips to the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, the important architectual monument Medersa Ben Youssef, the Bahia Palace and more. We also absolutely love The House of Photography of Marrkech, which isn’t just for photography enthusiasts, it’s a wonderful collection of important photography immortalising Morrocan culture. It’s also in a beautiful building and – top tip – lunch on the roof terrace is delicious and very good value!!
Where to stay in Marrakech
If you’re heading to Marrakech to check out wedding venues, or maybe for a long weekend away, we highly recommend staying in a Riad around the souks. As we were so excited to be going to Marrakech we added on a day either side of Clem and Max’s wedding at our own expense, to get to know the city. We cannot recommend the beautiful Riad Bamboo and Spa enough. A stunning building with only a handful of rooms, a gorgeous roof terrace to have a delicious breakfast on under the morning sun, and, very excitingly, the most adorable cat! The owners were super friendly and it is a five minute walk from the famous Jemaa el-Fna square and all the surrounding souks.
It’s worth also mentioning that at no point did we ever feel unsafe in the central city, and we enjoyed chatting to locals and trying to local food. The city has such a wonderful buzz about it, we can’t wait to return as Marrakech wedding photographers – so if you like what you see get in touch with your date here
Lina and Tom are international destination wedding photographers travelling all over the globe including your Marrakech wedding photography
