Following the traditional Italian wedding ceremony there was a short 30 minute drive to the Piccolo Paradiso in Lantronico, Potenza, for the afternoon and evening reception. Piccolo Paradiso is a really unique venue and this wedding reception was like none I had ever photographed.

Italians are known for their love of food and this was clearly apparent here. There were 7 courses in total that lasted around 7 hours or so starting with canapés outside in the sun and ending with deserts announced in the most spectacular fashion, complete with dramatic music and dry ice. The couple were encouraged to perform dances at several points of the afternoon and evening and even the guests were ushered into the centre of the room to join in the fun. Add to that a 100 person Conga, a Blues Brothers tribute, and some of the most amazing light shows I have ever seen at a wedding and the organisers at Piccolo Paradiso really went all out to make sure the couple and their guests had a good time.

One of the most emotional moments of a wedding reception is the speeches. It’s usually a time for the groom to express his love for his wife and a time for the best man to ridicule the groom. Being both best man and Andreas’ brother, Kristian was certainly not short on ammunition for his speech. Even more impressive was that Kristian had secretly been having Italian lessons and delivered the whole of his speech in Italian. And judging by the translation it went down really well (assuming that Kristian didn’t get the translation wrong entirely, of course). But on a serious note, they were incredible and were finished off with tears and hugs.

I stayed with the couple until the very end of the evening to photograph their last dance and although I was absolutely shattered after my fifteen hour day, I wouldn’t have missed a single moment. Here are some of my favourite pictures from their Italian wedding reception at Piccolo Paradiso. I hope you have enjoyed this three part Italian wedding. I look forward to posting more destination weddings next year.

If you are planning a destination wedding in Italy or indeed anywhere in Europe please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Following on from the Italian Serenata, we’ve now skipped forward to the day of the wedding itself and the traditional Italian wedding ceremony. I think heads were maybe a little sore this morning and I’m sure neither Maria or Andreas had gotten much sleep, partying into the night and then up at the crack of dawn to prepare for their big day.

I joined Maria at 7am at her mothers home in San Paolo Albanese to photograph her hair and makeup preparations. Maria’s mother was an absolute star. She didn’t stop once the whole morning, making sure everything was absolutely perfect for her daughter’s special day. Once Maria was in her dress I made my way to the outskirts of the village where Andreas was waiting, before joining him and his guests on a march up through the village to collect Maria from her home. From there Andreas led the way through the village to the charming church where they were to be married.

The traditional Italian wedding ceremony was among the most beautiful I have ever witnessed and I was certainly never short of opportunity. I had joined the couple at the church the day before to run through the order of the ceremony, with Maria highlighting all the traditions to me so I would be aware of what was coming next. The exchange of rings, which are not only placed on the finger, but crossed over between the bride and grooms hands by both the Priest and all the witnesses. The wearing of the crowns. The march around the church. The blessings. The dance in the village streets. And then back to the house for another dance around the living room and drinks and nibbles in the cobbled streets. It was simply incredible and I just cannot do it justice with words. So I won’t try. Instead, take a look at some of my favourite pictures from this traditional Italian wedding ceremony. Check back tomorrow at midday (GMT) to see part three.

If you are planning a destination wedding in Italy or indeed anywhere in Europe please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Why not check out the the final chapter of this Italian wedding.

*I have decided to blog this Italian wedding in three parts. Partly because it felt like there were three distinct chapters in this story (the Italian serenata, the traditional ceremony and the jubilant reception) but also because there are so many pictures that I would like to share I couldn’t possibly fit them all into one blog post.*

Back in the Summer I was flown out to Italy and welcomed into the small Italian village of San Paolo Albanese near Basilicata in Southern Italy. I met Maria and Andreas through Andreas’ brother Kristian, who is actually a wedding photographer too. I have photographed several weddings for family members of other wedding photographers (and even the wedding of a very fine wedding photographer himself) and it’s always a great honour to do so. I know there were many occasions where Kristian was more than a little bit envious of me in my role and was itching to get his cameras out. But as Best Man he had a job to do, which left me in charge of documenting Maria and Andreas’ special day.

Or should I say days. Because the evening before the wedding Andreas had planned a serenata, an Italian tradition whereby the groom walks through the village followed closely by the villagers and presents himself outside the bride’s home. He then sings a song to serenade her and when the bride makes her way to greet him the villagers rejoice with a street party to celebrate the upcoming marriage. Being Italian, this is all part of the wedding experience for Maria. But as an Englishman now living in Italy, this took Andreas waaaaay out of his comfort zone.

Andreas, you certainly didn’t disappoint. I wouldn’t suggest you give up your day job my friend, but you do stand a good chance of making it to boot camp if you ever audition for X-Factor. Maria was overjoyed and the whole village celebrated. One of the villagers even arranged for a slideshow showing pictures of the couple throughout their time together to be projected onto the wall of one of the adjacent buildings. This was a lovely touch and really meant something to Maria and Andreas. The Italian serenata started around 11pm in the local village bar and then on through the very dark cobbled streets of San Paolo Albanese. It was beautiful. It was perfect. And I was there with my cameras to photograph it.

Here’s what Andreas had to say:

“Just went through them, Maria was in tears!! They’re simply fantastic Steven, truly.”

Below are a few of my favourites. You may notice the lack of colour pictures in this collection. It’s no secret I am drawn to black and white photography but I do always deliver a good mix of colour pictures to couples, especially when colour plays an important part in the day. However, on this particular evening it seemed entirely appropriate to deliver this serenata in black and white. There were all manner of different light sources to contend with and whilst the human eye is very good at balancing these out, it’s not always so successful in pictures. Stripping the images of colour really helps the viewer focus on the content and the emotion, without distraction. The serenata set was also much smaller than a wedding day, around 50 pictures in total, so the use of monotone also helped bring the pictures together into a cohesive collection. Check back tomorrow at midday (GMT) to see part two of this Italian wedding, where you’ll see plenty of pictures in colour.

Why not check out part two of this Italian wedding.

What can I say about Michelle and Jason’s day. Firstly, it wasn’t a wedding per se, as Michelle and Jason have been married for 18 years now. To celebrate this they chose to have a vow renewal in sunny Spain. I have known Michelle and Jason a long time, actually working with Michelle for many years at an advertising agency in London. So it was an honour when they asked me to fly out to Spain with them to photograph their vow renewal. The couple were married pretty young, some 18 years ago now, and have two boys who are an absolute credit to them. Having been through some challenging times recently this was the perfect way to brighten the year up for the whole family. They have a holiday home in Spain which they spend most of the Summer at so this seemed the perfect location to bring all their closest family and friends together to help them celebrate their vow renewal.

One of the biggest challenges when photographing destination weddings is the climate. In this instance, the heat. It was seriously hot. A heat we just don’t get here in the UK. It made it tough not only for me, but for the couple and their guests too. I think Jason himself got through at least three different shirts on the day.

Their special day was the perfect mix of everything, including some of the most emotional speeches I have ever photographed. Add to that the beautiful scenery, a flamenco dancer, the World’s biggest Paella*, unbroken sunshine and a gathering of some of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, their day was always going to be a winner.

So on to the pictures. Here is a small selection of their vow renewal photography. Regular followers of this blog may notice a slight departure from my usual style here. Not the way I photograph of course, but the mere fact that most of these images are actually in colour! That’s the way I saw the day and so these images tell that particular story. If you are looking for a destination wedding photographer please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I am available across Europe and happy to travel to document your day.

*unconfirmed