In Beatriz and Damian’s wedding, love and friendship triumphed! I still remember when Beatriz called me to ask me to shoot their wedding and said: “It will be our big day, but we also want you to photograph our friends!”. I did my best to satisfy her request! The preparations and ceremony took place at The Village and it was just a cozy and family atmosphere! It was challenging but also enjoyable for me, and I got a lot of joyful vibes from the bride and groom and their guests too!
Ewan is Scottish and Patricia is Northern Irish and they are both warm and friendly people. They were married in Prestonfield House in late June 2019. Taking the photos on their wedding day was an honor, which came with a good amount of stress (well, that’s me!). This was my 5th wedding as photographer (and the 3rd one made abroad) and I was the only shooter. Also, I hadn’t been to this venue before so it was a “whole new game” for me, but things turned out pretty well! Weather wise, summer is tricky in Scotland, but these guys picked up the perfect day: it was sunny and warm all day long and in the evening we had a pleasant breeze. I remember Patricia saying more times during the course of the day: ‘It’s the most beautiful day we could have hoped for. We don’t want it to end!’.
It was moving for me to witness their love, which is deep, concrete, simple and based on effective communication, mutual understanding and a very good friendship. Their families and friends rocked it out too!! Even though it sounds cliché, it was a beautiful day, made by awesome people and by real moments. It felt like I was spending time with amazing people rather than working on the day. And yes, I felt so privileged to have had the opportunity to capture Patricia & Ewan’s big day! I really hope I could do your memories and expectations justice with this.
Patricia & Ewan, I hope you are having the best life in Northern Ireland!
Alessandra & Domenico tied the knot on 19/10/2013. I was the solo photographer to shoot their wedding, it was one of my first ones and I was obviously nervous. The bride and groom had seen some of my photos taken during a ceremony earlier on that year, liked them, so they decided to hire me. The weather of that October’s morning was nor promising: it was foggy, coldish and the brightness in the brides home and inside the church was not flattering. However, Alessandra and Domenico made it real easy for me to work for me as they had every characteristic of a perfect couple: the were trusting, energetic, relaxed and very much in love! They were truly uncomplicated. I admired Alessandra’s wedding dress. Also, their families and guests revealed to be amazing and the venue they had chosen was stunning, an old villa on the top of a hill, just outside Parma. Enjoy these memories!
Alessandra and Lorenzo tied the knot in June 2013. I was not the official photographer and this allowed me to combine the useful with the enjoyable, stress-free! I have known Alessandra since she was a toddler, as our parents were friends and we took several holidays together. On their big day all worked well: it was sunny but not too hot, Alessandra was simply breathtaking in her gown (future brides, she chose it at the Atelier Emé in Mantua!), the flowers and the decorations plus, there was an extra surprise at the church entrance (with an unexpected bride)! The choir in the church, the venue with its fancy restaurant.…It was indeed a day of love and friendship. Alessandra & Lorenzo, re-enjoy your photo memories!
A wedding bay between Parma & Livorno, 3/09/2011.
We jumped on a coach (filled with colors!) on Parma and headed to Livorno. The bride and the groom (my cousin Lara and her husband Sandro) hired a small coach for their guests! I have taken pictures to 5 weddings and I couldn’t miss this one, which actually was my first one as photographer!
Even though she doesn’t live from her art, Lara is a deeply talented artist (poetry!); she has a generous heart and has always been the beauty of our family! Sandro is from Tuscany so, by saying this, I have said it all about him!! He is funny, clever, open, friendly, active, ironic! And he loves Lara to pieces. Their wedding was a joyful gathering, intimate and simple, their guests being mostly friends, with just a few family members (granny included)! It was the only ceremony I have been to, where the guests asked the bride & groom…whether they could dress up, just for fun!! Once they changed their suits, they got really colourful indeed, each of them chose a mono-colour! As Lara told me years later: ” We wanted that day to be a party for everybody, we wanted each of us to feel important”.
Enjoy this beautiful memory!
Little tiger…tiny but roaring!
Now let’s add some color to the day! Jader: travestimento mode is ON!
Would that be a direct message?!
An happy couple
and the husband in color!
Germana, Lara’s mom!
Silvia before…
and after!
How did I manage to make this picture so cool?!
Unforgettable details
Sebastiano!
Two of the flower girls were the daughters of Sandro, the third one was his niece. They were STUNNING! So well behaved!
One of the shots that I cherish more: she is just perfect!
A very smiling wedding officiant
Nailed it!
Seconds after the ceremony
Let’s skip to colors again!
Love is in the air!
Portraits at the seafront
Kids randomly crossed along the seaside…and the posed! This one was selected by PhotoVogue, can you believe it?
The newlyweds and the stunning flower girls
Martina!
Lara, you are beautiful!
Sara!
I can see THEIR LOVE here
I love this photo pretty M U C H !
A delighted groom, convertible into flower man 🙂
Cute wedding favor
Happy Marisa
How could we possibly get that on the dancing floor?!
Happily blurry!
To finish, the fancy blue shoes of the flower girls!
I don’t know, maybe it’s the way Ines is leaning on Silvia, as if she was there to protect her, or maybe it’s the fact that Silvia is closing her eyes but she is smiling at the same time, seizing this loving moment, completely trusting her grandmother…For these reasons this is my favorite shot of that day, taken at Elisa and Federico’s wedding reception. As spectators, we enjoy admiring beautiful pictures, but we also need to connect to people, and photography allows that! I am proud of this shot, that technically is far away from being perfect, but when I look at it, a good feeling warms me up. And this is also what photography is about.
Elisa & Federico are my second cousins. They tied the knot in 2011 and I was invited to their wedding, together with my grandmother (who was obviously over the moon to get the chance to spend a day with her family!). Granny was one of the sisters of Federico’s grandfather, Alfredo, who unfortunately passed away the year before. His absence was palpably felt. But let’s skip our family stories to get straight to the point…
July the 2nd was a remarkable day: a loving & lovely ceremony was held at church; the grandfather walked Elisa down the aisle with the help of Mattia. while beautiful Virginia (their youngest) was cuddled by groom’s grandparents. Elisa was dressed like a model in her stunning gown! It was a summery, warm evening at the venue La Vignazza that was a tasty choice. Rossana & Guido, Federico’s parents (who are a sociable, warm and generous couple) were absolutely delighted. My cousins kids (they were quite a bunch!) were quite easygoing and enjoyable. During the dinner the music’s selection was perfection and oh yes, I took some beautiful shots of Ines (the groom’s granny) with her grandchildren.
Somebody is not getting into the mood of the occasion…
Granny with a TV advert smile!
Silvia Maria & Licia, first cousins of the groom
Amazing Mara!
The youngest cousins…
and the beautiful bride proudly escorted!
Virginia checking on the ceremony’s progress…
A relaxed but also touched Francesca, sister of the groom
Super Rossana, the mum of Federico!
The VW Dormobile!
Guido, the groom’s dad, known for his entertaining skills!
I LOVE these 2 pictures SO MUCH
but this is my FAVORITE! Granny Ines & granddaughter Silvia Maria
and to finish, the gown’s train!
Even now (after many years) I think that one of the best shots taken during Diletta’s wedding day (if not the best one!) is the snapshot of her little cousin, who was one of the flower girls.
What makes me believe that it’s a winning one? The fact that I took it at the right moment. The little one is spontaneous, she is not posing. I don’t recall asking her to smile or to say something. She just looks straight into the camera. Almost impossible to wonder what she is thinking about. She has sort of an enigmatic, deep glaze. There’s a central, vertical line that provides a sense of rhythm and continuity. Also, the black & white editing gives this scene more power. A penny for your thoughts!
The fact of having known a friend for your whole life, makes it easier to take a few shots while she’s getting ready for her big day…This is quite uncommon, being among the guests and, at the same time, having the privilege of taking photos but it is so cool! Diletta and Davide got married on a sunny Sunday, 26/06/2011, which passed into our friends history book as a beautiful day, under the flags of friendship & love!
Below, a great Vale Coco make-up artist at work!
Hey, Fede has got the power!
Followed then by Andrea!
A serious couple-portrait…
Uhm, Laura as a potential competitor? 🙂
S H O E S !
Diletta, you are GORGEOUS! You have an infectious laugh!
A very proud momma Annamaria!
A bride and her veil!
A final check and..Yes, all seems ok!
Is it now TIME to go?! Shall we? 🙂
The moment when you release that kind of feeling: “YES, all went well!”
These pictures were taken at a friend’s wedding. It was June 2011. Cheers to the “good old days”, where to be happy I just needed a Canon Eos 1100D and I enjoyed even more the fact of not being the official photographer 🙂 The real one was an other dear friend of mine, Michele Galloni.
I am still in love with Elena’s (this is the name of my friend, the bride) stunning wedding gown! When I saw her, I remember thinking: “She is perfect!”. And she was, really. Also the bouquet was lovely (and the car was magnificent! 🙂
Elena, I hope you don’t mind me sharing these intimate photos!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 