Croatian islands. They have a special kind of vibe. Each of them. This time it was Šolta, but we are regular visitors to other Croatian islands like Hvar, Korčula, Brač… When Laura and Fergus asked us to document their Šolta wedding, we instantly imagined a crystal clear sea, old stone villages, a relaxing ferry ride, and diving deep into an island state of mind.
We love Croatian islands so much because it seems like time has stopped on them, and the furthest the island is from the mainland, the more preserved the traditional way of life is. People on the island tend to be closer to one another because that’s how things are on the islands. You rely on your neighbors.
We both had the role of photographer for Šolta wedding of Laura and Fergus, something we love as it gives us a unique opportunity to cover more angles and unleash our creativity.
The ferry ride to Šolta
Šolta is one of the southern Croatian islands located just opposite the famous city of Split which is also a starting port for 1-hour long ferry ride to Šolta island. It’s a relatively small island, smaller than most of the neighboring islands such as Brač and Hvar. But the size of the island is irrelevant as Šolta has many beautiful places scattered in a smaller area.
We arrived at a Split ferry port early in the morning and it was already packed with people and cars. It was the beginning of July and the high season was slowly knocking on the doors. It was quite hot even though we arrived at one of the early morning ferries. We always like to arrive at a wedding venue at least a few hours before we start shooting or even a day in advance, just to explore around, and drink a coffee. Or take a swim in the sea.
Exploring Šolta island
So we arrived quite earlier and headed straight to Maslinica bay where this Šolta wedding was taking place. It takes less than 15 minutes of driving to reach Maslinica from Rogač where the ferry ride to Šolta ends. Once we arrived we first had a coffee with Maja, a wedding planner with whom we work a lot. We already wrote a whole article about the reasons why you should hire a wedding planner in Croatia if you are planning a larger wedding in Croatia so check it out if you are in doubt.
In short, wedding planners are the ones responsible for everything on your wedding to run as smoothly as possible so you don’t have to stress out on your wedding day. After the final arrangements we had with Maja, we still had some free time so we decided to explore the area for a photo session that will take place after the wedding. We also didn’t skip a chance to take a swim in the sea. The islands of Croatia have the most vibrant and clear sea you will ever see.
Let’s get ready
Both Laura and Fergus are from the UK, and Laura’s father fell in love with Maslinica a long time ago and bought a house there. So Laura was visiting Šolta for a long time now and she had more than enough time to fall in love with it and decide to get married there. What a good choice did she make!
Laura and Fergus were getting ready in separate venues – Laura in her family house and Fergus in Martinis Marchi, the best hotel on Šolta island if you ask us. To be completely exact, Fergus was getting ready in the Imperial Tower of Karlo VI which is the most luxurious suite of Martinis Marchi hotel.
Since Šolta wedding of Laura and Fergus was totally easygoing and relaxed, we had more than enough time to shoot the getting ready part without any rush. The good thing is that both venues are located in Maslinica, just a few minutes of walking away from each other.
Šolta wedding in Martinis Marchi
Laura and Fergus chose to have their wedding in Martinis Marchi, one of the best wedding venues on Šolta island. Their wedding had around 50 guests and the wedding ceremony was held in the Martinis Marchi garden. Laura and Fergus chose to have a legal ceremony, led by a civil officiant and a translator. All the legal wedding ceremonies in Croatia are conducted in the Croatian language and need to be translated into a language of a couple that gets married. The translation is done by a certified translator.
Apart from a legal ceremony, there are also other types of wedding and elopement ceremonies and the most famous one is the symbolic one conducted by a symbolic officiant or friend/family member.
After the wedding ceremony of Laura and Fergus, it was time for some group portraits and toast with the guests. A while later, all the guests went to the reception venue while we stayed with Laura and Fergus for a wedding photo session.
Photo session time
We used a wedding ceremony venue as the starting point of this Šolta wedding and we snapped quite a number of photos there. Martinis Marchi is indeed a beautiful venue with a lot to offer. After we were done with the Martinis Marchi, we continued the photo session on the coastline near the Maslinica.
Our usual photo sessions last around 30-40 minutes and we always balance between shooting and some rest time for the couple. The weather conditions and time of the day for this photo session were simply amazing and since we were both photographers for this Šolta wedding, we were able to capture many interesting scenes.
Boat ride in the sunset
The wedding reception for the wedding of Laura and Fergus was in a famous restaurant called Šišmiš (The Bat in English). It’s located in a bay neighboring Maslinica bay and all the guests went there by small boats. At the end of the photo session, one of the boats came to pick us up too, and we had approximately 15 minutes of boat ride until we reached Šišmiš.
We used this opportunity to snap a few more photos and enjoy a ride in the sunset.
Wedding reception in Šišmiš
Laura and Fergus met their guests once again in Šišmiš restaurant. As we approached by the boat, we already saw all the guests waiting for our boat on the restaurant’s terrace, cheering as we were coming closer. Šišmiš restaurant is some 20 meters above sea level, overlooking the Šešula bay in which it is located.
The restaurant was decorated with small fairy lights and the wedding dance floor was actually the outdoor terrace of the Šišmiš restaurant. As this Šolta wedding was organized at the beginning of July, the nights were already quite warm. The buffet-style dinner was served in the enclosed part of the restaurant which was also decorated with fairy lights.
If you are organizing a wedding in Croatia, we advise you to think about the light effects during the reception time. Most couples are unaware of this detail which can really lift the atmosphere and experience of every wedding. Great lights on a dancing floor and on the rest of the wedding reception venue produce multiple positive effects and it’s something that every photographer loves too since it gives us many possibilities to play and experiment.
As the night was slowly falling on Šolta island, Laura and Fergus had their first dance and the party began. Regarding the Šišmiš, we will just say that it had some of the best food we have ever tried while documenting weddings in Croatia. It was something out of this world both by the look and by the taste.
Sparklers exit as a perfect ending to a wedding
Another important aspect of every wedding is the music. Laura and Fergus chose a band that played some of the most popular pop and rock hits and everybody danced all night long. Perfect venue, perfect food, perfect music. When you have a wedding like this, you need to have a perfect ending to it too.
Laura and Fergus chose to end their Šolta wedding by sparklers exit, something we won’t especially explain but leave to you to see from the photos how does it look like. Think about it for your wedding too. It’s rather cheap but it produces a great effect.
And with the sparklers exit ended the wedding of Laura and Fergus. They headed back home to Maslinica while the guests stayed for a few more songs.
Looking for a Šolta wedding photographer and videographer
We believe that this story of Laura and Fergus showed you what a Šolta wedding might look like and provided at least some inspiration to you for the planning of your own wedding in Croatia. Some of the things you will see in the photos below work for any wedding location in Croatia, sparklers exit for example. Šolta is also a prerfect island if you are planning to elope in Croatia.
If you have any additional questions regarding the Šolta wedding or you are interested to see what our Šolta wedding packages look like, feel free to contact us and we’ll gladly answer you.