Brian & Aneela | Wadi Rum Jordan Elopement

Wadi Rum, Jordan

‘Vast, echoing, and God-like’ are the famous words that Lawrence of Arabia used to describe Wadi Rum. An Arabian fairy tale, it is a protected desert wilderness in southern Jordan. Nomadic Bedouin tribes inhabit “The Valley of the Moon,” which Hollywood depicts as Mars in several feature films.

Brian and Aneela’s story started back in 2010 when I had the pleasure of photographing Aneela and Brian’s elopement in Khao Lak Thailand. It was my first wedding in Thailand and their celebrations were featured in Trinidad Weddings Magazine where Aneela is from.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Fast forward a decade and they invited me along to capture their 10th-anniversary trip in Jordan. They have visited over 30 countries together since their wedding (55 since they met) but Jordan is where they had picked for their milestone anniversary. We booked and planned to go in early 2020, but the world stopped and we thought the trip wouldn’t happen.

Undeterred and as soon as they were able to they rebooked their Arabic adventure. In late 2022, we excitedly made our way to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Amman

We flew into the capital Amman, brimming with mouth-watering food and incredibly hospitable people. Its history goes back many millennia and charmingly, the most commonly known English phrase is “Welcome to Jordan”.

The capital was initially built on seven hills. While it makes for a testing walk it offers some spectacular views of the city.

Dead Sea

An incredible natural wonder, the Dead Sea is a salt lake that lies in the Jordan Rift Valley. It is bordered by Jordan and the West Bank/Israel.

The lowest point on the face of the earth the unusually warm, incredibly buoyant, and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.

We only had a short stop here but made use of the stunning Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. Perched on the edge of the waters we wandered around the grounds and their beautiful infinity pools at sunrise.

Petra

Dating to around 300 B.C., Petra is a famous archaeological site in Jordan’s southwestern desert. Accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs. Its most famous structure is the 45m-high Al Khazneh. A temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, known as The Treasury.

However, given the popularity of Petra and its sprawling size, we escaped the tourists and made our way 6 km north of the Nabataean capital’s center. Siq al-Barid “Cold Canyon”, also known as Little Petra.

Wadi Rum

T.E. Lawrence described his entrance into the Valley of Rumm. “The hills on the right grew taller and sharper, a fair counterpart of the other side which straightened itself to one massive rampart of redness. They drew together until only two miles divided them: and then, towering gradually till their parallel parapets must have been a thousand feet above us, ran forward in an avenue for miles. The crags were capped in nests of domes, less hotly red than the body of the hill; rather grey and shallow. They gave the finishing semblance of Byzantine architecture to this irresistible place: this processional way greater than imagination.”

Wadi Rum was the ultimate destination. And we braved the blistering heat to explore and capture this remarkable corner of the globe.

Features and Awards

Brian & Aneela’s wedding in Khzo Lak Thailand was featured in Trinidad Weddings Magazine where Aneela comes from.

From Brian & Aneela

“Thank you ever so much for the GORGEOUS photos. You did a fantastic job and we are truly pleased with the final products! Everyone has been raving about your photos :-)”