Tuscany Wedding - Chris and Belle's Intimate Italian Ceremony at Villa Bernardini

Although I’m often known as a Devon wedding photographer, I do frequently travel further afield and love to travel so when the very lovely Belle and Chris got in touch with me to see if I’d be willing to travel to Tuscany in Italy to photograph their destination wedding at Villa Bernardini, near Lucca, it was a big fat yes from me. Chris and Belle were guests at the wedding of Hannah and Kieron, which I photographed up in Kent a couple of years ago, they’d seen my photographs from the day and felt that my documentary style matched perfectly for their relaxed wedding day plans. It’s also doubly nice getting to see previous couples who I’ve photographed at weddings.

Flights booked, accommodation sorted, travel plans in place and I was extremely lucky to be sandwiched either side of flight cancellations due to problems with French air traffic control systems and an Italian air-staff strike, unfortunately it meant some wedding goers had to take a rather longer route to get to Tuscany but by the time everyone was gathered at a farmhause in the Tuscan hills, for pizza and wine, as a the sun set, travel stresses were soon left behind and thoughts to the fabulous day ahead came to the fore. Belle and Chris had invited all their guests to the pizza night so that everyone could get to know each other, all day their hellos and set the scene for a super-relaxed wedding day the next day. Leaving them all chatting away, slice of (Bellisimo) pizza in hand it was off back to my Air b’n’b to get some sleep.

As the sun rose across the terracotta-tiled roofs on the day of the wedding, the Italian weather promised to be kind and it was gorgeously warm. Belle, Chris and their families got ready up in the mountains behind Lucca before travelling down to Villa Bernardini for the Italian ceremony, hosted by an Italian Sean Connery look-a-like no less! The bridesmaids managed to walk gracefully up the aisle without giving away the fact that one had a gecko run up their dress to hitch a ride to the best seats in the house. Chris suddenly looked a bit overwhelmed once he’d looked back and seen how beautiful Belle looked in her wedding dress. After a super sunny Italian ceremony (with translation to help those of us new to the language), it was time for guests to relax amongst orange and lemon trees in the gorgeous villa grounds before feasting on a five... or was it six, course meal (my belly lost count of the delicious dishes coming my way). Highlights of the day included: admiring the beautiful Italian countryside from the farmhouse; one of the guests leaping into the pool onto a giant cat-face lilo, every pool should have one; spotting Belle doing the dishes in all her very glamorous hair and make-up “just to do something normal” to relax her nerves; somehow beating the taxi drivers down the mountain with my Italian-esque driving skills (they were unlucky and took a different route that got stuck behind a bike race); Belle and her Dad’s hilarious and skilled gurning, and then being greeted by Chris when I arrived at the Villa with an equally impressive funny face - a match made in heaven for sure; Chris and Belle’s sunny relaxed demeanours, that was also reflected by their lovely friends and family, I was really made to feel as part of their day which was so lovely; catching up with Hannah and Kieron who’s wedding I’d shot a couple of years ago, and sneakily getting some pics of them still looking super loved-up - always pleases the romantic in me; the cake which was constructed on site, outside in the dark by the chefs - impressive stuff; the dancing late into the night. Chris, Belle - Congratulazioni! I hope you have many more adventures to come, both in Italy, at home and across the world. A happy marriage requires the ability to laugh at and with each other, and you’ve both certainly got that nailed! Thanks for having me along to capture your destination wedding!