An introduction from a friend in the Expat community had connected me with a Khmer couple that were looking, quite desperately, for a photographer to capture their wedding day. We met for a discussion over a cup of coffee, which also involved quite a lot of Google translate, followed it with a visit to a bar and then penned in the shoot for the following week. 

They had clearly expressed to me a desire to go back to their school, the place where they met... Super romantic, so I said of course, count me in. 

The first day of shooting was outdoors in a remote location south of Phnom Penh, and the weather completely sweltering at 36 degrees Celsius. The bride had an assistant whose job was simply to wipe off the sweat and re-apply make-up as needed. I was running into my own problems with the heat and effectively gripping my camera but after the first hour or so, we all seemed to become accustomed to the heat, gain comfortability with each other and it led to some fantastic shots, of which I have only showcased a few, to respect the privacy of this lovely couple. 

The following day we headed off to the Khmer high school that they had met and grown-up in, and we spent a lot of time recreating the scene... by this time, despite my poor Khmer and their almost non-existent English, we were all laughing and joking with each other which allowed for a much more relaxed day and everyone involved was so great with helping each other to relax, suggesting different poses etc etc. Unforgettable day.

On the third and final day we met in a bar owned by one of our associates and locked its doors for the afternoon so that we could get on with more shooting, it isn't a setting that I would have recommended to any couple but this couple seemed to know what they wanted, and they were right! They were most thrilled with the bar scene photos over the others (perhaps the free flowing alcohol lent a hand to relax us all).