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Christine and Nader Wed in Cairo Garden | Cairo Egypt Wedding Photography

kaldasia — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:11:19 +0000

Christine and Nader were a wonderful couple to work with. Christine was a huge fan of my work and while many of my clients have told me how much they tell their friends about me I have never attended a wedding at which so many of the guests had visited my website (at Christine’s instructions) and greeted me with compliments regarding my photography. The day went beautifully. We began in Christine’s grandmother’s old apartment in Garden City which was absolutely stunning. Also Christine’s grandmother was exceptionally sweet to us during our time at the flat. Then we moved to the Church near Korba and finally ended up at a garden near Alexandria Desert Road. The reception venue was beautiful and we arrived a couple of hours before sunset allowing for photographing in the most beautiful light a photographer can ask for. Here are some of the images that tell the days story. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Thanks.

Omar and Kathryn Wed at Katameya Heights in New Cairo | Cairo Egypt Wedding Photography

kaldasia — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:24:55 +0000

Omar and Kathryn are a great couple I met this last December. They’re based in DC where I used to live and came out here to celebrate their wedding near Omar’s family which is based in Cairo. They had a second ceremony in Nebraska near Kathryn’s family. I had a wonderful time at their wedding. DJ Roro and Said Mrad did an amazing job keeping people dancing. Dina Iskandar’s decor was excellent as always. Omar and Kathryn brought together an exceptionally cosmopolitan group of friends from just about everywhere with some pretty incredible and energetic dancers amongst them as you’ll see below. Thanks Omar and Kathryn for having me on your special day and congrats to you both.

Karen and Bassel Wed at Katameya Heights in Cairo | Cairo Egypt Wedding Photography

kaldasia — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:12:29 +0000

Karen and Bassel were a great couple to work with who are among the most patient I have ever had as clients. Thanks again for that They’re both a lot of fun and definitely know how to party. We started the day at the JW Marriott in New Cairo. Shady from Mohamed Sagheer did a brilliant job on Karen’s makeup and Karen was pretty ecstatic when he finished. Then my friend Mass Gharios came in to do Karen’s hair and was artful as always. Dina Iskander and her team did an amazing job decorating and lighting the Basilique Church in Korba and Katemeya Heights for the reception. My friend Ray quenched all the guests thirst with his masterful cocktail mixing skills. The DJ, Samba did a great job keeping the guests on the dance floor and making me work overtime. We were supposed to finish early! 15 and a half hours after I arrived at the JW Marriott to shoot Karen’s makeup the party had dwindled from around 700 guests to 20 or 30 and Bassel and I chatted at the bar before I headed off. That said I had a wonderful time and think we got some great photos. Let me know what you think.

Also I’d like to extend a special thanks to my friend Steve for loaning me his golf clubs for a special photo below. I need to get those back to you

Jumana and Ashraf wed at Port Ghalib | Marsa Alam, Egypt Wedding Photographer

kaldasia — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:11:02 +0000

Jumana and I met in May of 2009 at Nermine and George’s Wedding. It was the third wedding I had ever photographed and Jumana was one of the bridesmaids. Later she would complain to me that I took several unflattering photos of her singing at the top of her lungs during the wedding. Naturally, this is why she chose to hire me to shoot her own wedding If you can understand that, you may begin to understand Jumana. In May of 2010 I ran into her again on the roof of the Fairmont Nile City. I was there to shoot Yasmine and Randhir’s Wedding. Jumana was there to check out the venue as a possible location for her own wedding. She told me she wanted an outdoor daytime wedding and was between July and September for months to schedule it. Keep in mind, as she said this it was May and the temperature was nearing 40 degrees celsius (that means hot for my American friends) and we were delaying the entrance of the bride and groom because it was too hot. So naturally July would be an even better time to schedule an outdoor daytime wedding! I suggested the fall may be a better choice. She eventually agreed and told me she’d be calling me in a few days… she meant August. I spent this August shooting in the UK with PR Photography and while I was there I finally got a call from Jumana. She was almost ready to book, she claimed, AND she was coming to London to pick out her wedding dress so we could meet up while she was there. Fantastic! A few weeks later, she still hadn’t booked, still hadn’t come to London and still hadn’t booked a dj, flights, a wedding decorator or uhhhh anything else. It was two weeks from the alleged “wedding date.” I suggested postponing might be a good idea given the situation. She agreed. I returned to Cairo and again she said we have to meet up and eventually we did. Then she said she would get back to me next week on the details. Of course she did not. She was trying to finalize all her plans for her now-destination wedding in Marsa Alam. About 10 days before the wedding she was booking her DJ and we had another meeting. 3 days before the wedding I sent her an ultimatum. “Tell me yes or no tonight or I’m not coming no matter what.” She didn’t call of course. The next afternoon she called. 24 hours later I was on a plane to her wedding in Marsa Alam in Port Ghalib (my threats are generally empty in case you were wondering .

For the next 72 hours I documented the process through which this chaos was brought together into what I must describe as a fabulous wedding. I’m not just saying that. As crazy as Jumana is, she’s also a last minute genius. We landed in Marsa Alam with her friends and family to a 4 hotel resort complex that still had no clear idea as to what the plan was for the weekend. As you’ll see in the photos below. The first 36 hours was mostly meetings upon meetings upon site checks upon meetings trying to finalize every detail for the parties and activities for the guests. In spite of the seeming absence of a plan Jumana had a clear vision and somehow managed to pull it off. It was an amazing weekend. The guests were all wonderful, friendly, interesting people and I count many of them among my friends today. So many people played a crucial role in bringing this weekend together. Jumana’s mother performed amazing logistical feats organizing the resort management and staff. The management and staff at the Intercontinental hotels at Port Ghalib are perhaps the best mind readers on earth because they somehow managed to navigate Jumana and her mother’s, at times, contradictory instructions. Jumana’s brother Mohamed drove from Cairo to Marsa Alam in what he described as some sort of monster truck to bring in supplies for the wedding. Her friend Mona stayed behind in Cairo to pick up Jumana’s dress from the tailor who was doing some last minute touches and then did Jumana’s makeup for the Bedouin night party. Nermine spent the weekend trying to keep Jumana sane and relaxed. Jumana’s dad was just incredibly hilarious. That was his primary contribution, but it was valuable I assure you.

Now as for my dear friend Ashraf; he is a pillar of patience. He survived the most haphazard elaborate and last minute wedding planning process I have ever witnessed in my career without any sort of breakdown. I’m still impressed. I brought him cigars with me from Cairo which successfully got us both yelled at. I take full responsibility, of course, for corrupting him That said with the help of the occasional whisky he was able to gracefully glide across the chaos while actually attending a surprising number of these meetings himself.

All in all, in spite of the stress and confusion this was honestly one of the most fun wedding weekends I have ever attended and while I was the photographer I felt welcomed as a guest. Congratulations Jumana and Ashraf and best of luck in the years to come.

Oh yes, and here are some of the photographs

Moments Magazine Features Timothy Kaldas Photography | Cairo Egypt Wedding Photographer

kaldasia — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 06:14:11 +0000

A few months ago Sam at moments magazine sat down with me to ask about the wedding photography scene in Egypt and my observations regarding it as well as my style in photography. The piece just got published in their debut issue for January 2011. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks.

You can find the magazine in Costa, Cilantro, Starbucks, etc. or online at http://www.momentsmagazine.net/

Cairo Egypt Wedding Photographer | Sherifa and Fred Wed at Andrawis Nile Garden

kaldasia — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:17:38 +0000

I think the vast majority of couples coming from abroad to marry in Cairo find me in their search for a photographer. One guy in London once called me asking if I was the only wedding photographer in Egypt. I laughed and explained no, I’m just one of the few you can find on google. Everybody else is on facebook. Sherifa’s friend from Texas was helping her plan for her wedding in Cairo when she came across my website and contacted me telling me I’d be perfect for her friend. Then Sherifa and Fredrik got in touch with me to finalize things and the rest is history. Sherifa and Fred put together a beautiful wedding at Ganaynat Andrawis (Andrawis Nile Garden) with the help of their friends and family, especially Sherifa’s mother! With the efficiency of a drill sergeant she kept the various vendors in order and made sure everything was perfect. Their friends woke up early in the morning to make the floral arrangements for the wedding and prepare the decorations. I found them at the garden at 10 AM. Then we went back to the hotel where one of Sherifa’s friends did her hair and another her makeup. Music was complements of a talented violinist attending the wedding and various iPods

Sherifa’s brother officiated the marriage ceremony and Fredrik’s sister put on a skit with caveman outfits! Oh, and one of Fred’s relatives I believe ending things nicely by nearly setting fire to the garden with a hot air balloon contraption he brought. The guests were from literally just about everywhere. Sherifa herself was half Egyptian while Fred was half Swedish and half Venezuelan. Guests came from Australia, the UK, China, the US and elsewhere. It was an exceptionally warm and intimate wedding with a really great crowd of close friend and family who knew how to party.

Thank you Sherifa and Fredrik for having me there and best of luck to you both.

Alexandria Egypt Wedding Photographer | Asma and Amer Wed at the Four Seasons in Alexandria | Timothy Kaldas Photography

kaldasia — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:02:11 +0000

This past summer I got to shoot a wedding in Alexandria Egypt for the first time. The wedding was a lot of fun and Asma and Amer were great to work with. Asma is from Tunis and Amer is from Alexandria. The two met in Canada where they both now live. The guests were from all over the place and gave the wedding a really great vibe. One of the things I love most about this job is all the cool different people I get to meet doing it from; Egypt and abroad. In spite of the fact that I’m based in Cairo I end up having clients from literally all over the world. At this point I have worked with brides and grooms from Sri Lanka, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Tunis, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Germany and Australia. Next summer it looks like I’ll be shooting weddings in France and Morocco.

In the case of Asma and Amer the venue was absolutely stunning. The Four Seasons in Alexandria is truly beautiful and the view of the Mediterranean from the room was amazing. Flower Power did a great job with the decoration at the venue. Shady from Mohamed Sagheer did brilliant work with Asma’s makeup as always and Mass Gharios worked his wonders on her hair. It all came together in the wedding you see below. As always please leave a comment. I love hearing your thoughts. Thanks.

Cairo Egypt Wedding Photographer | Sara and Adel Wed at the Marriott in Zamalek | Timothy Kaldas Photography

kaldasia — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:40:47 +0000

Shooting at the Marriott in Zamalek is always special and not just because it’s 5 minutes from my home The architecture inside is stunning. Built in a late Ottoman style; this former palace turned 5 star hotel has a lot to offer in terms of its character. Sara and Adel’s wedding there was a beautiful affair. Their friends and family were all very warm and welcoming and made the experience very enjoyable. Here are a few shots from throughout the day. Congrats Sara and Adel.

Cairo Egypt Wedding Photographer | Ahmed and Gemma Wed at the Marriott in Zamalek | Timothy Kaldas Photography

kaldasia — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:19:23 +0000

Ahmed and Gemma met in the UK and flew to Cairo for their wedding. This wedding was quite different in many ways from most weddings I photograph. There was no DJ with massive speakers and a packed dance floor, no large traditional Zaffa with tablas, and everything ran on time! Instead Ahmed and Gemma had a lovely string quartet play throughout the evening with a harpist during dinner. I want to once more highlight the schedule. Dinner was scheduled for 10:15 PM. At 10:13 I was in my seat and waiters were entering the hall. The wedding was scheduled to conclude at midnight. It admittedly ended just a tiny bit late, 12:03 For someone accustomed to weddings starting 1-2 hours late and running well into the next morning this was a dramatic shift in expectations. In the more important ways, however, this wedding was like every wedding I’ve had the privilege to photograph; it was a day full of emotions. Gemma’s mother was glowing with pride and Ahmed’s father could not stop photographing his handsome groom of a son. My good friend Mohamed Abdelhamid came to do Gemma’s makeup and introduce her to the Egyptian ‘tradition’ of eyelash extensions in spite of her swearing to me last fall she wouldn’t get them. All in all it was a lovely evening and Ahmed and Gemma were a pleasure to work with. Thanks for having me join you on your special night.

Cairo Egypt Wedding Photographer | Joe and Marina’s Wedding | Timothy E Kaldas Photography

kaldasia — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:38:01 +0000

Last month I shot the largest wedding of my career. 1000 guests filled the ballroom of Dusit Thani to celebrate the marriage of Joe and Marina. I’ve been working with Joe and Marina since their engagement last summer and it’s been a great experience. They’re two of the most chill and kind people I know and I was honored to be a part of their special day. Marina selected one of my favorite makeup artists Mohamed Abdelhamid and we all had a great time during prep. Marina’s mother and father were gracious hosts while we were working and the hours leading up to the wedding were a pleasure I think for everyone involved. The church, Al Malak Mikhail was beautiful and Karim Sobh and his team at Glimpse did a great job with the planning and decorations. Managing a wedding of 1000 people is no easy task but things came together wonderfully. Samba did an incredible job spinning and keeping the wedding party moving. I’d like to thank the two photographers who assisted me that evening. Boraie and Nagy. I’m very pleased with how the photos turned out. I hope you are as well.

Oh and while this may look like a crazy party that went late into the night, don’t be fooled. It ended very early… I, for one, got home at 7 in the morning