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.