If you’ve seen any of our blog posts over the past couple of years, you might have noticed that we’ve been shooting many a rainy day wedding as of late (we assure all you future brides and grooms that this is purely a coincidence – dark clouds do not follow us wherever we go). The wedding we attended south of Milan, Italy, at the Castello di Tassara was no exception; in fact, it was some of the wildest weather we’ve ever had the misfortune of photographing. The weather obviously plays a huge role in setting the atmosphere every day and night, but it’s especially evident when your wedding hangs in the balance, subject to sinister-looking skies, and the whims of the wind.
Despite the unexpected experience of taking shelter from hail in mid-July, Carisma & Mark’s elegant Italian wedding was the event that many a bride wishes for from the moment they start daydreaming of their dream-day; undulating vineyards, rustic stone villa, sumptuous textiles, lavender gardens, cold fizzy drinks, sunhats and linens for all.
Italy wasn’t just chosen for its obvious reasons; It was considered a halfway point between Carisma’s family from the US Virgin Islands, and Mark’s family from Russia (well, halfway would have actually been somewhere over Greenland, but we won’t tease out that technicality). What was ultimately the most important thing was, of course, Carisma & Mark’s loving devotion to each other and their wedding ceremony that unfolded before their joyous friends and families. This wedding was especially memorable for us as we had met Carisma (a wonderful wedding videographer from Chicago) & Mark when we were in the Windy City, only last year.
A surprising and heartwarming byproduct of the turbulent weather was that everybody just accepted it, helped out, and kept smiling. It was a thing of inspiration to watch Carisma & Mark come together, accept the challenge, and adapt to the change. With the first test of marriage successfully negotiated, we have no doubt that this duo can weather any storm.
* The thing you need to know about the photos below is that we too, got completely, 100% soaked. Our cameras are indeed water-resistant, but we had a few moments where we were wondering whether they could take such a beating and still function (they did).
PHOTOGRAPHY Joel & Justyna VENUE Castello di Tassara GOWN Marchesa
