Mr S’s 40th Birthday Photo Shoot At Amanzoe

I knew Mr S would love Amanzoe. I knew he’d love the private barbecue, the boat trip and ampitheatre. But there was one thing that I booked that was rather rogue… I asked our hotel to arrange a photographer so that we could have a memorable photoshoot. As everything that I’d organised for this trip was a surprise, I revealed to Mr S that we would be having the shoot on the day we were doing it. I knew it was a risk…but when I saw Mr S’s face it said it all…. Now I didn’t take too much offence, I think most of my friend’s husbands wouldn’t be too thrilled about posing for a couple’s photo shoot but I did immediately regret booking it as I was worried I’d ruined his whole day / whole trip. But fortunately I was wrong and I loved the photos so much that I wanted to share them on here with you. 
The hotel arranged a hairdresser to the room to coiff my locks, and I got ready in my favourite Dolce & Gabbana dress whilst Mr S adopted a casual look.
We soon met Katerina Nomikou who the hotel had recommended to take our photographs. Even though in the past year, I’ve got more used to being in front of the camera, even hiring a photographer to take photos of me for my Instagram, I was still nervous about the shoot too. But Katerina soon put us at ease and the public areas of the hotel were very quiet so there was no need to feel self-conscious. 
The architecture at Amanzoe is inspired by ancient Greece and it is absolutely stunning, it also made a gorgeous backdrop for our photo shoot. I felt like I wore the exact right dress!
And of course I used the opportunity to get a few sneaky shots for Instagram.

Some of my favourite shots made use of the hotel’s decorative pool in the main Pavilion. I just love the reflection shots here!

As the sun went down, golden hour set in and we got some absolutely stunning shots in that beautiful light.

Including a few in the hotel’s gorgeous garden.

Doubtful Mr S was having such a good time that he suggested we extend the photo session. As other hotel guests were starting to arrive for sunset drinks, we headed back to our room and had a quick change of clothes. 
The sunset created some beautiful colours so we made the most of the outdoor area in our own pavilion. That night, I had something very special prepared for Mr S. A private dinner in the hotel’s own amphitheatre, I knew it would be dark there so we suggested Katerina come with us for ten minutes to work her magic and get a few photos before dinner.

I was so glad that I did as the space  was lit up so beautifully with candles and fairylights. Perfect for a final few romantic shots.

And the best part of the photo shoot? Afterwards Mr S said ‘I admit it, you were right about doing that.’ Not only had he got into it, we ended up extending for around two hours and ended up with around 400 photos. So I could give him a present on his actual birthday I printed about 100 of the photos (something that we rarely do) and framed a few of them for our flat. Honestly, if a couples photo shoot is something you’re considering, I really recommend going for it, even if your husband or boyfriend is doubtful at the start, it’s likely they will be very happy with the result and the long term memories.