Hey, hey! 

You’ve stumbled onto the Laura McMullin Photography blog, where classic wedding photography gets pumped full of color, personality, and passion. Here, we are all about embracing what makes your love unique. 

My name is Laura. I’m an Annapolis-based destination wedding photographer for out-of-the-box lovers. I specialize in capturing a mix of colorful candids and editorial-style photos that get you excited about your future gallery wall. 

Some fun facts about me: I’m an Aquarius. I love board games. And I want to travel. I don’t care where – I don’t care how. I just want to see everything, meet everyone, and eat all the weird food I can find. 

Okay, I guess I care a little bit about where I go and how I get there. 

I want to go to beautiful places with beautiful people who are in love with each other and with life. 

My bucket list is wayyyyyy too long to include here, but this blog post highlights 10 countries I want to travel to with you to photograph your destination wedding or elopement. Each location is gorgeous, has a unique appeal for different kinds of people, and would make the coolest wedding photos EVER. 

This is the sister blog to my previous post, A Wedding Photographer’s 5 Favorite U.S. Cities for Destination Weddings & Elopements. If you want to find a fun city in the U.S. to get married in, go read that blog. If you want to escape the stars and stripes for your wedding, keep reading this one!

The Best Foreign Locations for Incredible Destination Wedding Photos

England 

I haven’t attached a specific city to this, because you could drive from one end of England to the other in about 16 hours and visit allllll the tourist spots on that road trip. 

Granted, that’s probably not what you want to do on your wedding day. But it does mean that you could get married at a chapel in London, take pictures at Westminster Abbey, then hop on a train and take a whole other set of wedding photos at the White Cliffs of Dover.

Despite England being a small country, there is a ton of diversity. Let’s visit Oxford for some dark academic vibes. We can walk through the Shambles in York and pretend we’re in Harry Potter. We can recreate Notting Hill and About Time! If you’re okay embracing the overcast skies of England, we can capture the best memories of your life (ahem, your wedding day!) with the most incredible backdrops.

Iceland

I think Iceland is the QUEEN of destination wedding locations. 

Want to get married by a waterfall? Check.

How about an ice cave? Easy!

Oh, what about an active volcano with lava flow? Totally possible. 

Iceland is the destination wedding location for the adventurers. If you want to experience something incredible, otherworldly, and truly unique, you must consider a destination wedding in Iceland. 

Iceland is also very LGBTQ+ friendly and their marriage certificate is legally recognized by the United States! (Cool wedding photos and a foreign marriage certificate?? You’re winning at life).

Italy 

Venice. Florence. Amalfi. Tuscany. Rome. You really can’t go wrong planning your destination wedding in Italy! You will have incredible food. Stunning sights. Kind people. Great wine. What else do I need to say to convince you?

If you love history, you have Pompeii and Rome. If you love shopping, you have Florence and Milan. If you love the coast, you have Amalfi and Capri. And if you love the countryside, you have Tuscany. 

Whether you want an all-out destination wedding celebration or an intimate elopement, you can easily find something that fits you and your partner’s wedding style.

Sweden

Mountains. Mountains. Mountains. 

But also… beaches. Northern Lights. Ice Caves. Clean Streets. Palaces. Fishing towns. 

Whatever venue you want for your wedding, you can find it in Sweden. Known for idyllic villages and great skiing, Sweden will charm you and make you seriously consider moving your entire life to the edge of the Baltic Sea.

The South of France

Okay, yes, ALL of France is beautiful and would be perfect for a destination wedding. But I just really, really want to tour southern France – or French as le Midi, as the locals say. 

Exchange the crowded streets of Paris with a sea breeze from the Mediterranean. In southern France, we’ve got Bordeaux, Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Cannes… the list goes on. If you want your destination wedding to be unique, luxurious, and top quality from the linens to the food… France is your best option.

Amsterdam

When it comes to destination wedding photography, Amsterdam is most well-known for its tulip fields. And while I love myself a good tulip field, I’m more interested in Amsterdam for its architecture and history. 

You can get married in botanical gardens, historic chapels, museums, industrial buildings turned venues, and more. Amsterdam is a cultural center with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and ways of life. 

Like Iceland, Amsterdam is wildly LGBTQ+ friendly! In fact, Homosexuality was decriminalized in the 1800s! However, unless you or your partner is Dutch, you cannot get legally married there. I recommend a small, official ceremony in the States and a beautiful symbolic ceremony in Amsterdam.

Bali, Indonesia

Bali is for lovers who want their destination wedding to feel like paradise. Bali’s tropical climate, lush rainforests, and jaw-dropping beaches make it ideal for destination weddings, elopements, and, of course, honeymooning! 

What kind of traveler are you? If you prefer all-inclusive resorts with access to private beaches, you can totally find that in Bali. If you prefer something lowkey, like a completely isolated yurt with exclusive access to private waterfalls? You can find that, too. 

(Please, please, please take me to Bali!!!)

Japan

I want to go to Japan SO FUCKING BAD. But unfortunately, I’m already married, so I can’t have my destination wedding there. Looks like it’s up to you, then!

Japan isn’t just Tokyo, though Tokyo is incredible and has been on my bucket list for over ten years. Japan is about the size of California and features incredible natural and manmade wonders. You can explore cities like Toyko, Hiroshima, and Osaka. Then, you escape into nature and explore the coral reefs in Okinawa!

There is so much to explore in Japan and so many incredible backdrops for wedding photos. I will happily follow you and your lover around if it means we get incredible shots in this stunning country!

Switzerland

If you want to rent out an entire castle estate for your destination wedding, I recommend doing so in Switzerland. Switzerland has some of the most incredible mountainside resorts and lakeside estates. 

Most people visit Switzerland for the Alps (which take up a whopping 65% of the country). And honestly? That’s why I would go, too. 

Just imagine an intimate destination wedding. You and your lover are standing on a mountaintop, with snowy peaks emerging from the clouds behind you and the bluest lake you’ve ever seen sparkling in the valley below. 

Or maybe you want a big wedding in a massive castle estate. The view stays the same. The party just gets bigger. 

Whatever energy you want your wedding to have, Switzerland can meet and elevate your experience.

Peru

Peru probably isn’t your first thought when it comes to locations for a destination wedding… but it should be. South America is rich in history, culture, and color! (And we all know how much I love color). 

If you and your partner love history, want to party, or explore some of the oldest ruins in the world… Peru. If you want to experience something wildly different than your everyday life… Peru. You can get married by a local shaman and spend your wedding weekend exploring the incredible ancient city of Machu Picchu!

Which Location Fits Your Destination Wedding Vibe? 

Ughhhh I could talk about destination wedding locations for hours. This is only the beginning of my suggestions (and let’s be real, daydreams) for destination wedding locations. Sometimes, when I’m feeling uninspired, I find photos from these locations and feel my creative spark reignite. 

When I see photos of couples in locations like these, I remember why I became a destination wedding photographer! It’s because moments like that – saying “I do” in front of a thundering waterfall, or a snowcapped mountain, or with sand between your toes, or a tropical breeze playing with your hair – are too important to forget. 

I want you to hold in your hands the proof that you have lived and loved well. Proof that your marriage is the continuation of an incredible adventure. Proof that there is so much love and beauty in this world. 

This is your wedding. You should get married, however, wherever, and to whoever, you want. There are no rules, limits, or expectations. If one of the locations on this list excites you, good! Pursue that excitement! 

And then call me because I will crank up the volume on that excitement! Destination weddings are kinda my whole thing, and I would love to cheer you on through the entire wedding planning process – and then, of course, take the coolest wedding photos you’ve ever seen. 
So which of these locations fits your dream destination wedding? Or do you have another location in mind? I want to hear about it! Click here to get in touch, where we can totally freak out about how cool your wedding is going to be.