Off to a really weird day 2 part 2.

After catching some shut eye moments, we left our hotel re-energized. The only thing that stuck out that evening was our taxi ride.

So we boarded this taxi. Nothing unusual. The same language barrier, the same reckless driving and the same jam. All was well until this car with the 2 passengers up front, aggressively shoved themselves in the way of our taxi. Our driver had to give way, and the next thing we knew, that other drive wound down his window, and asked for a light. Yes, a fire, a light... to smoke. And our driver greeted in delight! We thought they were friends but no the weren’t! Both of them stopped dead in the middle of the three lane, tense and busy peak hour traffic, so that that driver could light his cigarette.

Only in Istanbul!


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More celebrity moments with the locals.

This was probably the most noteworthy thing about the Grand Bazaar; the beam of light shining through the misty glass windows. The rest of it felt like we were walking around in Sim Lim Square.

And of course, dinner to close out our Istanbul shoot. No one actually said it, but I felt we were all eagerly anticipating our Cappadocia shoot. It was as if we wanted Istanbul to end sooner.

Photo credits:
​https://www.instagram.com/juliekim_autelier
Makeup and hair with:
https://www.instagram.com/autelier_makeup
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Day 2 ~ end

Day 2 ~ 5:45am!

And the ladies are looking effortlessly gorgeous again.

This is a rather special spot; the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, formerly called the Bosphorus Bridge. I love mornings ‘cos they are so serene. The streets are quiet, and the changing lights just gives me room to be creative with my pictures. We don’t carry huge ass studio flashes, so we depend a lot on our speedlights to give us enough fill or backlit flares when the sun eventually rises.


HOWEVER... THE DOGS!

Just as we were about to leave, somehow one of the strays got a hold of Sylvia’s heels! Yes, it bit the shoe, and chewed on it like a chicken drumstick! There was nothing we could do, but let it be. Thank god it was an old pair of heels, and that the dog wasn’t after Sylvia’s gown.

This is what happens when you wake up at 2am.

It was probably 8am when we sat down for breakfast. Who can blame Julie. She’s been up and about for the past 6 hours, it probably felt like lunch to her.


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Istanbul’s not big on wedding spots.

This was our 3rd stop. It was probably 10am 😆 We were really looking forward to exploring the interiors and getting some amazing drone footage. But we got stopped by ticketing. ‘Photo, yes. Costume, no photo’, says the pair of unfriendly gate keepers. We were determined not to let that dampen our spirits, so off we went to our secret castle by the roads.

​👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

Well the backdrop looked similar enough, and there were even friendly passersby who sheepishly asked for a photo with our bride in white.

We probably spent an hour at this forsaken structure. Guess it always works out for us.

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​Photo credits:
​https://www.instagram.com/juliekim_autelier
Makeup and hair with:
https://www.instagram.com/autelier_makeup
​

To be continued.

😆There is actually a Han hotel in Istanbul?

Continued:

We ended our super early morning shoot on a positive note! Thankful to Julie who managed to lure 3 huge, stray, and overly friendly dogs off Sylvia’s gown, and that no one froze to death.

Uber’s not really big in Istanbul, and we heard from a cabby that it is illegal, and actually saw a police stopping a private car by the road sides. But take it with a pinch of salt. You shouldn’t trust all cabbies in Istanbul. More on that later.


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​You just wish the beam disappeared into the blue skies! Nevertheless, this is a really nice restaurant to shoot at, as it is smack in the middle of Hagia Sofia, and the Blue Mosque.

Brunch was ok here. We had to go though.

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After our Otag Tepe shoot (unfortunately not much behind the scenes), we stopped over at this home-cafe. Wish we had more pictures of this cafe which had pink sofas under a tree and beautiful dandelions all over their lawn.

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Somehow we ended up playing with seagulls again. Uskudar’s probably one of the best places to take a stroll and just watch the sun set over the horizon. It gets crowded, but it’s always a lovely vibe when you don’t have railings blocking you from plunging into the Bosphorus Strait.

Photo credit:
https://www.instagram.com/juliekim_autelier

Follow us on:
​instagram.com/allure.weddings

​Day 1 ~ end

Excited for our 2-week shoot.😊 Actually more nervous than excitement for Julie as it turned out.

https://www.instagram.com/juliekim_autelier
​https://www.instagram.com/autelier_makeup


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Well, Day 0 should always start off with dinner. And I must say, that Mecure Hotel, Istanbul, has one of the best Turkish butter. That’s a post on its own really.


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Bit of advice for dog lovers. Do NOT get friendly with the dogs because it will play catch with your gown! Yes that’s me yanking the stray by its collar. We had such a difficult time getting the dogs off Sylvia’s gown. Good thing Julie sacrificed her new jacket in place of our bride’s gown.

Day 1 started early at Hagia Sophia, so early that make up starts at 2:30am 🤣 Yes, that means we had to sleep at 8:30pm.

And what a beautiful gown.

Slowly the sun rose to warm our limbs.

The dog doesn’t quit!



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While the ladies look fresh and enthusiastic in this picture, deep down inside, we were all extremely frustrated and worried about the stray dogs. These dogs are most active and playful before sunrise at 5:45am, and somehow they all disappear at about 7am.


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We were really eager to be the first ones into the museum. We all knew how crowded it can be with bus loads of tourists.

Unfortunately, but fortunately, we managed to get a shot off right when the security ushered us off his turf... which happens to be the entire premise.

to be continued.

Photo credit :
https://www.instagram.com/juliekim_autelier