90 Minutes with Antonella & Andrea on the side of a mountain somewhere in Italy – {Part One}

So a couple of months ago I journeyed across to Monaco to photograph Antonella and Andrea’s wedding. A couple of weeks before the wedding Antonella asked me if I would be interested in shooting their first, 90-minute ceremony just over the border in Italy, the day before the big wedding in Monaco. “No worries love, I’ll pop across the boarder with you lovebirds for 90 mins,” I replied. I was under the impression it would be a civil service type ceremony in a government store front, or something like it… I had no idea that Antonella’s father had scouted out an amazing 13th century church on the side of a beautiful mountain, that was in a tiny working class, Italian village.  #bestsupriseeva

There were 10 guests, lots of tears, and an energy I hadn’t experienced before. I didn’t understand a word anyone was saying and I didn’t need too…

During the ceremony a spokeswoman from the village popped into the church and insisted on approaching the pulpit to publicly thank Antonella and Andrea for choosing their humble little church to hold their wedding celebration. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more ridiculous, after the ceremony some of the locals decided to meet the wedding out the front and offer them champagne and sing for them!!! This truly was a pinch-myself moment. Below are the images from my 90 minutes on the side of that Italian mountain with these two and 10 of their closest.

Also, big shout out to Aga Maru for coming all the way from Ireland to act as second gun for these two days of adventure

30 mins later, back over the border… 

In the next instalment of “Antonella and Andrea get married everywhere that is awesome in the world,” we venture back across the boarder for day 2, The Monaco celebration. Below are a few highlights of whats in store.