All you need is love… and Marnosuite

Once upon a time in East Berlin, a little girl called Maria Simon spent her early childhood learning to play instruments, performing in the theatre, knitting jumpers, and painting her own cinematic interpretations of life and landscape – it’s amazing what a child can do (even if somewhat begrudgingly) in the absence of a television. Little did she know those formative years would shape her future as a photographer on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza.

Today, as the founder of Ibiza wedding photography and editorial brand Marnosuite, Maria instinctively channels the creativity that was instilled in her by her parents while capturing the real-life romance of island nuptials on camera. Using her lens as a paintbrush, her intuition as a guide, and her couples’ unique love stories as inspiration, she crafts a vividly romantic world within each and every photograph she takes. From behind the scenes and the all-important milestones to fleeting moments of spontaneity and the power of raw emotion, Maria’s ability to document every aspect of a wedding is unrivalled.

Ibiza-based wedding photographer Maria Simon is the island’s queen of hearts – a natural at capturing the romance, emotion and magic of special events on camera to be cherished forever.

“Painting played a big role in developing my visual style,” Maria says. “I began to photograph right after finishing school, and it was a heart-made decision to become a photographer.” Initially, she was drawn to the high-gloss world of fashion, inspired by the glamour and nostalgia of old Hollywood movies. Maria spent 10 years shooting editorials and portraits around the world, counting Lady Gaga, Jade Jagger and Craig David among her clients. During this time, a close friend asked Maria to photograph her wedding, piquing her interest in a world that felt more in line with her authentic spirit and ethereal style.

It was around a decade later that weddings would circle back into Maria’s orbit. She’d swapped the grey of Berlin for the technicolour of Ibiza in 2005, having fallen in love with the island on a holiday in 1992, visiting regularly ever since. “I always knew I wanted to live in Ibiza,” she says. “The island has a certain magic that no one can really explain, and it’s the only place I’ve ever found that gives me a sense of peace and calm. Here, I really recognise how simple yet beautiful life can be.” When the opportunity to shoot her first big Ibiza wedding came in 2008, Maria was primed to create magic. “By that time, I had a vision and had developed my personal artistic approach to wedding photography.”

Marnosuite (the brand) was born as a way to differentiate Maria’s wedding photography from her editorial work, however the two worlds inevitably intersect. “I definitely see elements of my fashion work in my wedding photography,” Maria explains. “The biggest difference with weddings is that I create in the moment. For a fashion editorial, I have a storyboard and time between shooting each look. Weddings are so intuitive – I never know what is going to evolve, I can only observe and let things flow. Of course, some couples have a vision for their photos and I can work with a concept, or guide them, if they are up for it. I just love the unpredictable nature of a wedding, the love story behind it, all the feelings and of course, the love!”

Part of the skill of being a successful wedding photographer is knowing how and when to be in the right place, at the right time – something Maria has honed well over the last 16 years. “On the day, I am very calm, relaxed and mostly blending into the event, unless my couples are looking for specific guidance. If I’m working with a very nervous bride, I can help calm her down and give her a lot of space. When I work with bigger weddings – for example when couples get ready in different locations – I’ll have a second photographer with me. I work with a network of talented people who understand the Marnosuite vision, and whose styles and work ethic resonate with my own.”

Love is definitely in the air today and for any newly betrothed couples planning a wedding in Ibiza, finding the right photographer like Marnosuite is equally as important as getting the right dress, rings and venue.

Her gentle yet assured nature means Maria is adept at working with all types of personalities – be it brides, grooms, mother-of-the-bride, groomsmen or children. At the same time, her innate eye for style means she captures settings and scenery like works of art. “One of my favourite things is seeing all the love and effort behind the gorgeous creations by some incredibly talented planners, stylists, florists and lighting pros,” she says. “What inspires me the most are the couples themselves. This is why getting to know them before the wedding is so important. I love the personal connection we create. I want to be more like a friend with a camera, so they feel completely comfortable. There are couples I am still in touch with a decade after the weddings and I really value that.”

Describing her Marnosuite work as classy, elegant, emotive, cinematic, dreamy and feminine, Maria often references fashion books, movies and magazines from the 60s and 70s rather than industry trends for inspiration. “Trends come and go,” she says. “Long term, it’s more important to refine your signature style as a photographer and stay true to it. I’ve always played with textures and filters, while staying true to natural colours. I’m drawn to timeless, nostalgic and documentary style imagery – less staged and perfectly imperfect. Life is so fast-paced these days, which is driving the current trend for ‘content creators’ and the use of AI but I think weddings are a celebration of love. People should be in the moment, not forced to stage content for the sake of it.”

The proof is in the pictures, and Maria’s portfolio shines with authenticity – couples besotted with one another, families coming together, friends dancing beneath the stars, and truly stunning Ibiza settings and landscapes. Flashes of floating gowns; the twinkle of thousands of fairy lights; the golden glint of sunlight through the treetops and the sparkle of the crystalline Mediterranean Sea – fairytales that came to life to be cherished forever in a photo. “It’s such an honour to be part of someone’s dream,” she says. “I am a hopeless romantic and I love that I can express this through my images and blend it with a fashionable and cinematic style. I want people to rest their eyes on an image and really feel the essence and the emotion of the moment.”

Maria’s work with Marnosuite can be seen in esteemed publications such as Harper Bazaar, Vogue, Elle , Marie Claire, Brides and L’Officiel, to name a few, and in keeping with her ultra-personalised approach, she limits the number of weddings she shoots each year to keep each event special. “I’ve captured a lot of dream weddings,” she says when asked to describe her own fantasy wedding scenario. “From a visual perspective, I love rustic, cosy weddings with a lot of fairy lights. I love floating dresses and lots of movement. It’s so much fun when the energy is high, the party starts, and everybody is dancing. My ultimate dream would be a 70s-inspired wedding with all the guests attending in vintage clothes.” And afterwards, of course, they’ll live happily ever after…

Weddings in Ibiza – Deborah & Marc

Deborah had previously spent three years living and working on the island and later on, Ibiza became a regular holiday destination for the couple in and out of season. “Ibiza is special to both of us, and it’s so close as a destination to the UK and easily accessible to the majority of our guests,” explains Deborah. “As soon as we started looking at venues, we knew this was where we were going to get married. With our family and friends being spread throughout the country, and the world, we don’t get to spend as much time with them as we would like to, so the idea of spending a few days with our loved ones rather than just one day was important to us.” Deborah and Marc met through a mutual friend, who originally tried to introduce the two in Ibiza whilst Deborah was working on the island in the travel industry in 2007. Fate intervened however, and it was not until the following winter in the UK that their paths first crossed at an event and – just as their mutual good friend had suspected – the attraction was instant. Within a few short months, fate made up for its previous mishap when Deborah took on a new role in an area close to where Marc lived. “The rest, as they say, is history,” laughs Deborah. Ten years after they became a couple, wedding bells were in the air and after a romantic proposal on Hayman Island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, another island started to take centre stage as the wedding planning commenced.

Finding the perfect photographer is paramount to any newly engaged couple and Deborah and Marc looked at many options for their day before meeting Maria Simon, founder of Ibiza wedding photography company Marnosuite. “It was important to us that our images didn’t feel ‘staged’ and that they captured the beauty, love, detail and warmth of the day,” says Deborah. “We loved how Maria’s portfolio captured the ethereal beauty of the light and atmosphere of Ibiza and the individual detail of each couple’s celebrations. She has a lovely soul and really took the time to get to know Marc and I and what we were looking to achieve – as well as having a mutual appreciation of great shoes!” Footwear aside, Maria also had the ability to make the couple feel at ease in front of her camera – another factor that had been important to the couple, as neither bride nor groom felt naturally comfortable posing for photos. “When we met Maria during one of our visits to Ibiza we knew we had made the right choice,” says Deborah. “She instantly made us feel that we wouldn’t need to worry. In reality, on the day itself, we didn’t even know she was there – a true mark of a fantastic photographer.” The resulting images evoke a dreamy, romantic quality that seems to capture the pure emotion and happiness of the couple in addition to the perfectly styled beauty of the venue, Can Gall.

Unlike many other couples planning a wedding in Ibiza, Deborah and Marc wanted to look beyond the typical beach wedding and find a location that was completely exclusive, where the ceremony and celebrations could both be held. A weekend spent looking at venues early in the year saw them discover the beautiful Agroturismo in the island’s north, however it was a-l-m-o-s-t not meant to be. “At the time Can Gall wasn’t on the shortlist and as we drove up the dirt track road we thought we were lost and actually nearly turned back!” remembers Deborah of the experience. “As soon as we got out of the car at the venue and met Santi the owner we knew this was it. The venue, the accommodation and the grounds are idyllic; it was going to be our own little piece of heaven over four days where we could have our closest friends and family around us.” With the expert assistance of Santi from Can Gall, Deborah and Marc organised and managed the wedding planning details themselves. “The suggestions for suppliers that Santi made were excellent,” says Deborah, whose existing friends and contacts on the island helped make the process even easier. “He took so much time with us and made us feel that this would be like our own home while we were here.” Wedding invitations and the order of ceremony document were designed by a friend in Australia, who used water colours to hand paint the design that was inspired by the flowers and plants at Can Gall – giving guests a preview of the countryside charm that was to come at the main event.

The venue’s stunning natural beauty meant little styling was required to create a dream wedding venue, and the couple opted to keep their decoration simple and rustic. “Our florist Kristin and El Ramo de Flores perfectly produced what we hoped to achieve with a stunning wicker arch draped in white fabric for the ceremony space and we kept table decorations simple with large pillar candles surrounded by greenery,” says Deborah. “We chose to have a round table as the head table so everyone felt included and had a large wicker heart hanging decorated with greenery above it. A curtain of twinkling fairy lights around the pergola for the evening celebrations was the perfect touch as the sun set on our day.” “We wanted a ceremony that felt personal and true to us and we spent a lot of time finding the right celebrant,” says Deborah, of the couple’s decision to enlist Anna Kathleen from Ibiza Ceremony to host their service. “We met with Anna during one of our pre-wedding trips and spent a lot of time on the content and our vows, which we actually wrote at Benirras beach a few months before our wedding.” A special reading, written and read by Deborah’s Aunt Alexis who had travelled over from Canada for the event was included, and both bride and groom asked their mums to play a role the blessing of the rings, while Deborah’s brother and Marc’s sister signed the wedding certificate.

As the couple were wed, their guests joined voices to sing ‘Love is in the Air’. “Music was very important to incorporate during the ceremony and the tone was set perfectly by Ibiza String Musicians and the beautiful voice of Joelle Vierling,” says Deborah. Later in the evening, music was provided by Claire Wakeman and her band Sunshine Kicks. “We then danced into the night with Juan Corbi as DJ and Jesse who accompanied him on saxophone,” says Deborah. “They were just fantastic and incorporated all of our requests.” As guests were getting busy dancing, a slow-motion video booth was capturing all of the dance floor action. “The edit of the video is such a great memory for us to look back on.” As self-confessed foodies and lovers of good service, Deborah and Marc dreamed of creating the ultimate wedding feast for their guests. “Alex, Sergio and Flavia at The Chef Ibiza exceeded our expectations,” says Deborah. “They spent so much time with us getting our menu and drink selection right – one of our highlights from the full planning process was our tasting experience with them the October before our wedding where we selected everything from the canapes to the wine.” Highlights of the snacks on arrival included canapes of ceviche, cones of steak tartar, gyozas, Vietnamese rolls, watermelon gazpacho and hand-carved Iberico Jamon. “They were accompanied by the most incredible Passionfruit Mojitos we have ever tasted!” remembers Deborah.

When the ceremony was complete, guests sat down to the evening meal, which included a tapas selection to start of Spanish omelette, padron peppers, beef carpaccio mushrooms in white wine, garlic prawns and crostini of marinated cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil and more. “It was the most lovely relaxed wedding dinner, with each course spaced out with one of the speeches,” says Deborah. “It was such a feast and a meal that we can only dream about having again.” Main dishes included sea bass baked in salt and Galician Tomahawk steak and were followed by mojito sorbet and an indulgent chocolate dessert. Then of course, there was the gorgeous wedding cake created by well-known island baker Sharon Edwards. After the big day itself, Deborah and Marc invited all their guests back to Can Gall for a relaxing barbecue and pool day, ensuring the good vibes continued to flow. Once all the fond farewells had been said, the newlyweds retreated to the five-star surrounds of Hacienda Na Xamena in the hills of San Miguel for a mini-honeymoon of sorts, before heading off the South Africa and Mauritius later in the year. “It was the most incredible trip and the perfect end to our wedding year,” says Deborah. “We are planning to visit Ibiza again this summer to celebrate our anniversary and no doubt will return to our special place every year.”

Weddings in Ibiza – Alex & Vicki

Beautiful couple Alex and Vicki chose the stunning all-white surrounds of Ibiza beach wedding venue Elixir for their big day in 2013, with cakes and catering by Eat Ibiza (plus a cool photo booth!) and hair and make-up by the pros at Smack Ibiza.

Ibiza weddings – Britt & Jens