When you get flown into Tivoli, Italy for a Wedding, you try your absolute best to combine a lovely St Petersburg Russian couple and the historic Italian surroundings and turn it into the best wedding photography.
It was my second time in the ancient town of Tivoli in Lazio laying 30km North East of Rome. It boasts amongst many other historic and natural treasures, the UNESCO World Heritage gardens Villa d’Este . The previous time I did a wedding there was another awesome Russian couple who chose this spectacular town to celebrate their love. I dig this place!
There are always fun stories when traveling. I did get lost trying to find the Villa where I would be staying with the couple and their 9 friends. With 3 bags stuffed full of equipment, I made my way to the waypoint indicated on my iPhone. It lead me instead to a closed gate at the foot of the Sabine Hills. Thanks Apple! Being stuck and in pain because of the distance covered with so much weight on foot, I rang the bell to find help. Here I met Italian Stuntman Simone Bonelli‘s family who was keen to drive me to the Villa on top of the hill. I survived the drive!
Having made it to Villa Chui and to be able do the pre ceremony shoot here, was a real experience! The Villa tells a story of a previous era where hunting dominated one man’s passion. It felt kind of weird to be surrounded by so many fellow African dwellers proudly displayed on the walls. I am sure it won’t be everyone’s taste having so many trophies in their home, but it surely made for great photo opportunities. Talk about something different!
The wedding ceremony happened in the beautiful Tivoli Municipale after which we moved through the ancient streets to the Villa d’Este gardens for photos in the mid day sun. It was great to be back and shoot here – it is really something spectacular. A new addition was Villa Andriana a few kms away where we focused on group shots between the mind blowing Hadrian’s Villa ruins. A special pic of where our Villa was situated was shot from here and is shown in the selection below.
We finished the day at a special restaurant in Tivoli where a wine tasting, lavished Italian cuisine and traditional dances filled our night. What a privilege!
Thank you Stas and Irina – you and your friends really made me feel very special indeed. See you soon again I hope! God bless you!
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