ESSAOUIRA WEDDING & ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

Are you searching for a Wedding or Event photographer in Essaouira?

I have been covering over 170 Weddings since July 2014, I can say that I am full of advice and help for your big day.

My couples are similar and so different at the same time. I would say that they have certain similar characteristics, they prefer to spend time with their families and friends rather than spending an hour taking the couple photos, they are usually shy, they don’t feel at ease to be the center of the attention, they have a certain knowledge about art, sometimes photography and painting.

Do you want to have an intimate wedding in Essaouira that reflects your journey as a couple, your passions, and your spirit of adventure?  

This is elopement photography for couples who want to ignore tradition and get married in a way that feels authentic to them. As a photographer, my purpose is to discreetly capture the story of your day in an honest and heartfelt way, without posing or intruding. I will record every aspect, from the raw emotions and poignant moments as they unfold, to the details you won’t want to forget.

I care deeply about creating meaningful connections with every couple who invites me to be a part of their journey. My approach is to innovate, not to conform to conventions. Your elopement experience should be as personal, genuine, and unique as you are.

Emotional Photographer documenting emotional Weddings.

Since July 2014, I document your intimate wedding, your Minimony, Sequel Wedding, Micro wedding or Adventurous Elopement, proposal, and engagement and I have seen a lot of love stories, full of joy and emotions. It has a lot of different names but only the story matters. I am moved by telling the story of your day in the most natural and genuine way possible. No need to spend one hour behind the church with me to take the couple photographs, I will always value letting you spend time with family and friends. This is your day, not mine.

Most of my couples define themselves as shy in front of the camera, I believe simply they don’t know how easy it is to spend a few simple moments with their partner in front of my camera. I will follow you from getting ready to the dance floor in the most natural way possible. To deliver a poetic and unique vision of the most important day of your life.
I have a lot of experience and expertise in traveling around Europe mostly. For the last 6 years, I have covered most of my weddings abroad and overseas.

I believe I can help you with my experience and advice for a perfect wedding day. I have prepared some articles to help you to find the right place to get married or to be inspired in some places like Spain, The Balearic Islands such as Ibiza, Mallorca,… Mexico, Morocco and of course Portugal. I have also written an article about the most underrated locations in Europe to have your small and intimate wedding with friends.

• Where to get married in the balearic Islands? HERE

• Where to get married in Morocco? HERE

• Where to get married in Mexico? HERE

• Where to get married in Spain? HERE

• Where to get married in Portugal? HERE

• More articles to come … HERE

Specialised in Wedding and Elopement Coverage since 2014.

My Philosophy in Few Words :

Real Stories - Intimate - Journalistic - Real Stories - Poetic - Cinematic - Discreet - Non Traditional - Simplicity.

Photography Service for all kind of Intimate Weddings and Elopements

Barn Wedding - Church Wedding - Religious Wedding - Hacienda Wedding - Finca Wedding - Lake Wedding - Rooftop Wedding - Rainy Wedding - Sunset Wedding - Winter Wedding - Backyard Wedding - Beach Wedding - Forest Wedding - Island Wedding -Outdoor Wedding - Ranch Wedding - Mexican Wedding - Vineyard Wedding - Circus Wedding - Indian Wedding - Chinese Wedding - Asian Wedding - Japanese Wedding - Punjabi Wedding - Korean Wedding - Same-Sex Wedding - Vietnamese Wedding - Greek Wedding - Lebanese Wedding - Scottish Wedding - British Wedding - Urban Wedding - Country Side Wedding - Jewish Wedding - Orthodox Wedding - New Orleans Wedding - Russian Wedding - Moroccan Wedding - Interfaith Wedding - Civil Wedding - African Wedding.

My Visual Experience :

With years of experience photographing my couples in beautiful locations across the world, I have brought together some valuable ideas and tips to help with elopement planning as well as for those planning larger weddings.I have covered over 150 Weddings on the last 5 years and they are all different. I have prepared a Succession of Articles dedicated to you. Please click on the article of your choice to learn more about it:

• Top Outfit Ideas for your Intimate Couple Session HERE

• Top 10 Tips to Plan your Intimate Wedding. HERE

• What is an Elopement? HERE

• Top 8 Tips to plan your Elopement. HERE

• Top 5 Reasons to Elope. HERE

• Eloping : With or Without guests and family? HERE

• Top 10 Activities to do on your Elopement Day. HERE

• What is the difference between an Elopement, a Minimony and a Microwedding? How to choose what is the best for you? HERE

• What is a Virtual / Online Wedding? HERE

Where to organize your Wedding or Elopement in Essaouira?

If you have always dreamed of traveling within Essaouira, Morocco is one of the top destinations you should consider for your elopement, due to its magnificent countryside and coastline. As an experienced elopement photographer, I have photographed many beautiful elopements here for couples forgoing traditional weddings and embracing their spirit of adventure.

Essaouira is one of the top elopement destinations in Morocco a country with a lot of history, great weather/cuisine, and amazing traditions. You’ll be overwhelmed with choice for beautiful places to elope in this place, from the big cities full of character and atmosphere to the magical forests.   The possibilities for breath-taking locations are endless.

You can find some of the best wedding venues for your Wedding Or Elopement.

Looking for more Inspiration and Locations for your Wedding or Elopement?

If you are still considering other options in Europe, check out [link to the article ‘the top underrated wedding locations in Europe you should definitely consider.

• Where to Elope (30+ Best European Locations for your Elopement & Top Underrated Wedding Locations in Europe you should consider. HERE

What About COVID 19?

Learn about how the Covid 19 Corona Virus have changed the face of the wedding industry but not only HERE

What is next? Simply contact me to create a simple but deep connection

At ericrenepenoy@gmail.com

Awards and announcements : 

RANGEFINDER RISING STAR OF THE WEDDING INDUSTRY 2019 WORLDWIDE
BODAF NEW TALENT EUROPE WINNER 2017.
JUNEBUG BEST OF THE BEST 2016 & 2017.
TOP 50 BEST UK PHOTOGRAPHER 2019 GOHEN.
BEST ELOPEMENT OF THE YEAR (SECOND PLACE).
MEMBER OF THE WEDDING COLLECTIVE FROM 2015 TO 2018 (BEFORE MOVING TO PORTUGAL).
WRITER AT BACKSTAGE MAGAZINE
CREATOR OF RESONANCE INSPIRATION
CREATOR OF MY BIG WORKSHOP

Published on :

JUNEBUG. RANGEFINDER. VSCO. RESONANCE. DEVIANT ART. MY WED. LE BLOG DE MADAME C. LA MARIEE AUX PIEDS NUS. WAY OUT WEDDING. QUEEN FOR A DAY. FEMME ACTUELLE. ELLE. LE JOURNAL DU MARIE. BIPPITY MAG. MINHA FILHA VAI. TRIBE RED LEAF. BRAW BRIDES. WELLWED. MAGAZINE NEW YORK. PORTRAIT OU PAYSAGE. WE FELL IN LOVE. PRISMPHOTOGRAPHY. WELLWED USA. LOOKS LIKE FILM. WHIMSICAL WONDERLAND WEDDINGS. WEDDBOOK. 20MINUTOS. THE KNOT. PINTEREST.

A bit of History about Essaouira.

Essaouira (formerly called Mogador by the Portuguese, in Arabic: الصويرة aṣ-Ṣawîrah) is a port city and a municipality in Morocco, capital of the province of Essaouira, in the region of Marrakech-Safi. It is located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and had 77,966 inhabitants in 2014.

Although the region of Essaouira has been inhabited since Antiquity in a discontinuous manner by the Phoenicians, by the Berbers at the time of Juba II then by the Romans, it was not until the sixteenth century that the site was truly occupied by the Portuguese, who in 1506 built a fortress and ramparts which were quickly abandoned in the face of fierce resistance from the local population.

The foundation of the city of Essaouira itself will be the work of Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah, who launches its construction from 1760 and made an original experience by entrusting it to several renowned architects, in particular Théodore Cornut, who traces the plan of the city, and with the mission of building a city adapted to the needs of foreign merchants. Once built, it continues to grow and experience a golden age and exceptional development, becoming the most important commercial port in the country but also its diplomatic capital between the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. It is also becoming a multicultural and artistic city.

Located on the Atlantic coast, the city of Essaouira is 173 km north of Agadir, 174 km west of Marrakech9 and 406 km south-west of Casablanca. It is the eponymous capital of the province of Essaouira, within the region of Marrakech-Safi. The city is bounded to the south and east by the municipality of Sidi Kaouki, to the north by the municipality of Lagdadra, to the east by the municipality of Aït Saïd and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean.

Essaouira is located in a bay of 5 km thanks to a curvature to the south, while the north coast is straight, forming a cape. Its syncline, which is part of the Essaouira basin, is positioned in an area of low altitude. Its relief is made up of a series of stepped plateaus where you have to sink to 25 km to be able to reach 300 m. These plateaus are oriented parallel to the coast in a meridian direction. The Essaouira plateau is limited to the north by the Akermoud plateau and to the south by the Ida Ou Groud plateau. Several hills covered with argan trees are found near the town.

The Purpuraires Islands, off Essaouira.

To the east of the city, a dune massif has accumulated between the city and the Ouljian slope, with a very low altitude, from 25 to 45 m. The Moghrebian is the most developed Plio-Pleistocene formation, which consists of five dune systems. They bring into play the wind factor and come from marine dynamics. The Maarifian, Uljian and Upper Pleistocene systems are built during climatic phases, while the historical and current systems seem to be consecutive to anthropization.

For the city's water supply, the main underground sources come from the Villafranchien and Turonien aquifers which are found in the Essaouira basin. The Turonian aquifer is difficult to exploit because of its high cost. The waters of the Ksob are also used to feed the population and the surrounding agricultural land. The Ksob is a river which is located only a few kilometers to the south, a dam is built there. When heavy rains hit the surroundings, this river often causes flooding and flooding in the city, which can cause a lot of damage, although initiatives are taken for the construction of dikes. The Purpuraires Islands, which form an archipelago, lie just a few hundred meters from the town's shore and are the bay's main protection against the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

The city of Essaouira, founded in the second half of the 18th century, has always been a modest city. Before independence, it never reached 50,000 inhabitants, in particular because it knew several obstacles to its emancipation. Initially inhabited by a population of all origins and religions, it is now losing its multiculturalism. Indeed, at the end of the eighteenth century, the city experienced its first decline in population, and was affected in 1799 by a violent epidemic of plague causing the death of about 4,500 inhabitants and causing the departure of Christians.

In 1844, the bombardment by the French fleet of Essouira, led to the flight of its entire population and its plunder by the countrymen of the surroundings. This directly causes the beginning of the decline of the city and the manifest drop in its population to 10,000 inhabitants. In 1886, the city experienced a population increase, and is now populated by 18,000 inhabitants. A very ephemeral increase, since the commercial role of the city falls terribly with the arrival of the French protectorate, and its population stagnates in 40 years; it is still populated by about 18,000 inhabitants in 1926.

At independence in 1960, the city was populated by 26,392 inhabitants35. Essaouira experienced a dramatic drop in population in 1967, following the outbreak of the Six Day War, almost all of the city's Jews leaving Morocco, which explains the very low population increase experienced by the city in 1971 because only populated by 30,061 inhabitants38. Since that date, the city's population has continued to increase, notably thanks to its climate, to a rural exodus, but also to its exceptional rebirth since the beginning of the 1990s, mainly due to tourism. Since 2014, the city has officially been populated by 77,966 inhabitants and has 20,290 households.

The situation in the city deteriorated considerably between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century following the bombardment it suffered in 1844 and then with the installation of the French protectorate in 1912. It lost its importance and did not exist. is no longer the international port and the diplomatic capital of the country. After independence, the departure of the Jewish community also caused very significant economic damage to the city.

However, since the end of the twentieth century, Essaouira has experienced a spectacular renaissance mainly due to tourism, but also to its cultural vocation. The medina of Essaouira has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.

The name of the city is usually spelled Essaouira in Latin script, and الصويرة in Arabic script. Both spellings represent its name in Moroccan Arabic, ṣ-Ṣwiṛa. This is the diminutive (with definite article) of the noun ṣuṛ which means "wall (as round a yard, city), rampart". The pronunciation with pharyngealized /ṣ/ and /ṛ/ is a typically Moroccan development. In Classical Arabic, the noun is sūr (with plain /s/ and /r/), diminutive suwayrah. Hence, the spelling of the name in Arabic script according to the classical pronunciation is السويرة al-Suwayrah (with sīn not ṣād).

In the Berber language, which is spoken by a sizeable proportion of the city's inhabitants, it is called "Taṣṣort", meaning 'the small fortress'.

In Moroccan Arabic, a single male inhabitant is called ṣwiṛi, plural ṣwiṛiyin, a single female inhabitant is ṣwiṛiya, plural ṣwiṛiyat. In the Berber language, a single male inhabitant is U-Taṣṣort, plural: Ayt Taṣṣoṛt, a single female inhabitant is Ult Taṣṣort, plural Ist Taṣṣort.

Until the 1960s, Essaouira was generally known by its Portuguese name, Mogador. This name is probably a corruption of the older Berber name Amegdul أمقدول, which is mentioned by the 11th-century geographer al-Bakrī.

Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.

Essaouira has long been considered as one of the best anchorages of the Moroccan coast. The Carthaginian navigator Hanno visited in the 5th century BC and established the trading post of Arambys.

Around the end of the 1st century BCE or early 1st century CE, the Berber king Juba II established a Tyrian purple factory, processing the murex and purpura shells found in the intertidal rocks at Essaouira and the Iles Purpuraires. This dye colored the purple stripe in the togas worn by the Senators of Imperial Rome.

A Roman villa was excavated on Mogador island. A Roman vase was found as well as coinage from the 3rd century CE. Most of the artifacts are now visible in the Sidi Mohammed ben Abdallah Museum and the Rabat Archaeological Museum.

 CHOOSING A SIMILAR LOCATION FOR YOUR INTIMATE WEDDING OR ELOPEMENT

Covering an Elopement or Intimate wedding in that location is amazing. I am keen, honored, and humbled to be able to cover your special day. I am always available for you, even on weekdays from Tuesday to Thursday if I have to travel. Just shoot me a message or an email or even a direct message on WhatsApp on the links below.
I can wait to read or hear from you and create a unique story, in a nontraditional way and create a beautiful narrative. Keeping emotion, small gestures, epic portraiture, group shots, and dance floor photographs to create a gallery with at least 1200 pictures for you to create your own story.

When you hired me, you get the entire me, my creativity, my knowledge, my brain, my emotions,
my SOUL, my MIND, my HEART.