Ios Lovers
Alexis Van Schalkwyk & James Day
Photography by Lewis Martin
A love that developed over the summer season. Two souls entwined; their love sweet like honey. James Day and Alexis Van Schalkwyk knew of each other in Cape Town however, their souls came together on a little Greek island in the Cyclades. Ios is truly a place to be drunk in love. When we decided to organise an elopement shoot on the beach, I was set on capturing Jimmy and Lexi’s sweet new love. Their sun kissed skin, salty hair and their infectious smiles were perfect for the ‘GOLDEN HOUR’ intimate beach elopement shoot, beautifully captured by Australian photographer, Lewis Martin.
The Isle’s inspiration for the ‘GOLDEN HOUR’ shoot was a relaxed intimate Ios setting. With the sound of soft waves and a slight breeze in the air, the tone was set for Jimmy and Lexi. All nerves were washed away, and you could see the sheer joy they shared, just being together. The Isle designed a cascading bouquet and styled a ceremony table with loose fabric and a floral centrepiece. As the sun began to set and the sky changed colour, Martin captured the couples silhouette as they intimately embraced.
What is your secret to a successful relationship?
We’ve learned that communication and trust are key to our relationship. Being able to communicate our thoughts or feelings effectively has really helped us to understand each other best or to deal with things as soon as they come up.
What do you love most about each other?
Jim says he loves my kindness and compassion the most, and I feel the same about him too. I’ve always loved his big heart and his kindness. We also love each other’s sense of humour the most. No one makes me laugh like he does. We love that we have the same sense of humour and are always laughing with each other.
Is there a place that holds a special memory for you and your love story?
Ios is a special place for us - it’s where we first met and became best friends back in 2018, and where everything started for us later on in 2019. From its sunsets to its beaches and bike rides around the island - Ios really was the most beautiful and special place for us to have started our relationship.
Tell us about the Golden Hour shoot with The Isle…
We were super nervous and hesitant to do the shoot at first because we’re both camera shy and like to keep our relationship quite private. But we both will admit that surprisingly we ended up loving it! We had so much fun experiencing it together. Jimmy honestly kept me laughing the entire time. We both agree we would 100% do that again!
“when you meet that person. a person. one of your soulmates. let the connection. relationship. be what it is. it may be five mins. five hours. five days. five months. five years. a lifetime. five lifetimes. let it manifest itself the way it is meant to. it has an organic destiny. this way if it stays or if it leaves, you will be softer. from having been loved this authentically. souls come into. return. open. and sweep through your life for a myriad of reasons. let them be who. and what they are meant.”
― Nayyirah Waheed
Creative Direction / The Isle
Styling & Flowers / The Isle
Photography / Lewis Martin
Stationery / Valencia
Jewellery / Theros Jewellery