Boats are sexy

Boats are one form a transport you could consider for your wedding day.
On a boiling day in summer, a boat ride is about the only form of transport tolerable. It gives amazing light on the faces and gorgeous scenery. It’s entertaining and relaxing at the same time. Then you can go to places, which are normally hard to get to. SO much better than a bus ride. If you want great couple shots even a tiny fisherman boat can be fabulous. Though unless you are comfortable with allowing for loads of couple shots and TIME (the demon that chases us), I don’t recommend doing couple alone shots on a boat on the actual day. It takes time and guests don’t like the couple to be away for too long. Unless of course you are eloping.

Fun Italian weddings

For quite a few years now I have preferred not to do Italian weddings. Just because they were sometimes a little too formal and dry. Everyone seemed annoyed to be attending, even the bride and groom. But lately I have found there to be a new hybrid of Italian brides on the loose. She is over the ringlets and eating. And she has an absolute ball on her wedding day. She encourages dancing with beautiful Brazilian dancers and by having a good time herself. More and more they are choosing informal venues, even venues which you get to by boat.

How are Italian weddings different?

Italian weddings are serious affairs and many people wear black. They do not have speeches and there is not always dancing. They give small gifts to their guest to say thank you. The main activity during Italian weddings is eating. There can be up to ten courses with lemon sorbet between the fish and meat. Need I say more? There are exceptions to this rule. And this summer I finally went to a few Italian weddings which were a huge amount of fun.

It’s rude for any one other than the bride to wear white.

I really thought this one was common knowledge but I keep going to weddings where the sister of the bride is wearing a short mini dress. No one notices the bride. And when you are wearing a meringue and someone wears a sexy dress and stands next to you will look silly. Very silly. So be slightly conservative when you chose bridesmaids dresses. You must not make them ugly but they should not be super sexy. Unless you are not marrying in a church and you wear a super sexy bridal dress.

Colour coding your guests

If you have ever worked as an extra in the film industry you will know how the work with colour in crowds. For example dressing the whole crow in varied shades of blue. The image naturally seems more harmonious. Sometimes I will go to weddings where the bride has chosen shades of pink and then every time I try to shoot the crowd two or three people will be wearing, rusty orange, yoke yellow or brown. So then, you can’t see the bride. When you look at the image you just see the people who are the contrast. By asking your guest to wear shade of a colour which compliments your choice of colours you will really improve your images.

Time waits for no bride.

We always run out of time. No matter how small the wedding and if a bride runs twenty minutes late we spend the rest of the day trying to catch up. Time is the most important, unrelenting, consistent and annoying element of any wedding day. Good pictures take time, even reportage works best during daylight as do groups. Historical venues have time limits and restrictions. Food is a religion in Italy and it’s a sin to keep pasta waiting. Churches and town halls are often fully booked (i.e more than one ceremony per day) during the summer and so your ceremony will be rushed along if you are late. Sad as it is, unless you are eloping your wedding day will be run on a tight schedule. And I recommend you are a little early if you want to have a good time.

Don’t travel on your wedding day

So I know I have harped on about this before but I just cannot emphasis it enough. Try not to spend a lot of time travelling on your wedding day. Now this might sound obvious but some brides want it all. SO they get dressed in Positano… then they take an hour and a half windy road drive in the summer heat and chaos. They get married in the Duomo in Amalfi and then they have their reception in Ravello. Which between traffic, robots and the walking will cost at least 40 minutes of time. And I mean at least. So you if you are lucky you will loose 2 hours and 10 minutes of party and shootings and daylight. A WASTE GIRLS!!!!!!!! It’s the one thing you can’t order extra of – TIME.