Wedding with a downpour
A wedding like that of Lucia and Fabio you probably only experience once. A lot went wrong beforehand and brought changes to their plans, and then there even was this corona virus. But the bride and groom did not let anything disturb their happiness and celebrated an incomparable wedding.
When the groom was getting ready, I was a photographer and best man at the same time, as the best man took his time to show up there. So I helped with the tie and to calm the grooms nerves while I captured everything with my camera. Via SMS I was in contact with the first photographer who had a similar bundle of nerves with the bride on her hands.
In the registry office, the nervousness of the groom could no longer be denied. Still he smiled incessantly and joked around. And then it was time, the bride stepped into the room and made her way to him. After saying yes, both of them finally calmed down and the party mood set in.
A short and self organised aperitif was held in the courtyard of the registry office, after which – typically Italian – there should be a car parade to celebrate. Only the bridal couple would come back again for the couple’s shoot.
The weather steadily deteriorated in the meantime. Before the parade, a quick first dance was held on the street – the music came from the speakers of the cars that formed the car parade. While the parade started and the cars left – honking of course – we photographers stayed behind and re-examined the locations for the couple’s shoot. But the sky was getting darker and darker. When the bride and groom were back, the first thick raindrops began to fall. We decided together to take a rain check and already proceed to the dinner location and to look around there for beautiful backgrounds.
On the way there, the clouds tore up completely and it poured down. The sky was pitch black and it only slowed down a little as we arrived at the location. So there was a second aperitif on site. When the rain finally stopped, we looked around outside. We were in the middle of the industrial area – it was difficult to find beautiful places for an elegant couple to shoot. We took the group photos in front of the take-away gate of the restaurant, which was of course closed at this time. On its roof there was the writing “fish specialties”, that made many of the guests laugh.
It was time to head in under the tent, to sit down around the tables and start dinner. Untypically early for an Italian wedding – but those who start early can celebrate longer. And the bride and groom could celebrate. The happiness of the newlyweds was contagious. Those who weren’t instantly infected were dragged onto the dance floor between the tables by the bride and groom and just had to join in. The bride in particular could hardly sit still. In between the courses and the dancing, there were vocal performances by the singing waiter, which delighted the guests. And the bride danced like there’s no tomorrow. She had trained her stamina for weeks so that she didn’t have to rely on her crutches on her wedding day, as she usually had to beforehand. We photographers were also drawn onto the dance floor from time to time and were an unusual active part of the celebration.
A warm bride and groom like the two if them, that welcomes you so openly and embraces you is really a wonderful gift. There is a saying in Italian: Sposa bagnata – sposa fortunata. A rained-on bride is a happy bride. In this case it was absolutely true and I wish them both all the luck in the world.