Brian & Aneela | Wadi Rum Jordan Honeymoon

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 in 2010 when I had the pleasure of photographing their elopement in Khao Lak, Thailand. It was my first wedding in Thailand, and Trinidad Weddings Magazine featured their celebrations, which is 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’ve traveled to more than 30 countries together since their wedding (and 55 since they first met). Yet, Jordan was the unique destination they chose to celebrate 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 could, they rebooked their Arabic adventure. In late 2022, we traveled to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Amman

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

The locals built Amman on seven hills. While it makes for a testing walk, it offers spectacular city views.

Dead Sea

An incredible natural wonder, the Dead Sea is a salt lake in the Jordan Rift Valley. Jordan and the West Bank/Israel border it.

The Earth’s lowest point, with its warm, buoyant, and mineral-rich waters, has been a magnet for visitors throughout history. These have included King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.

We only had a short stop here but used the stunning Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. Perched on the water’s edge, 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.

Yet, given the popularity of Petra and its sprawling size, we escaped the tourists. We 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

Featured in Destination I Do magazine

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 :-)”