Black and White Wedding in Umbria Pt 1

For a change of perspective with this blog I have decided to just feature some of the black and white images from this wedding in Umbria.

The wedding was at the town hall in the stunning Umbrian hilltop town of Montefalco

and the bride and her half of the wedding party prepared themselves in the luxurious Palazzo Bontadosi Hotel overlooking the piazza and the town hall.

This wedding party was made up of a bride and her family from New Zealand and a groom and his from England. It was a great combination for a fun and relaxed wedding in Italy!

One of the main reasons I love the black and white images from this wedding are the combination of the fashion and the location, together they look timeless and the black and white images add to that feeling for me.

The guests gathered in the main piazza whilst the bride stayed out of sight until they were all in the town hall.

And now it was time for her to make her entrance!

The town hall dates back to the thirteenth century and is the perfect setting for a timeless wedding.

The ceremony itself was meaningful and personal, the brides brother actually performed the translation for the service.

And then after the exchange of rings it was time to lead the guests back into the main piazza for aperitif and to savour the location.

This was a large wedding especially considering how far all these guests had traveled to be there so after the ceremony was a great time for the families to meet and get to know each other.

Then while the guests mingled and enjoyed a glass of wine we took the opportunity to get a few shots of just the bride and groom together.

The story of this wedding continues in part two of this blog.

Black and White Wedding in Umbria Pt 2

We managed to get these lovely informal shots in just a few minutes as we used the little streets and alleyways of Montefalco to maximum effect.

The centre of Montefalco is at the summit of the hill and all these streets offer fantastic photo opportunities whether you are photographing a wedding or just taking in the view.

But then if you're really lucky someone will conveniently leave an old Fiat 500 as a prop just to really make the picture unique! 

After a few minutes with the bride and groom it was time to get those group shots.

And in the relaxed style of this Umbrian wedding the group shots gave us some fantastic relaxed shots.

Still leaving a little time in between for the bride and groom to have for themselves.

Once we were finished with the aperitifs in Montefalco it was time to make our way to the reception party.

The reception was set up in between the olive groves and grape vines of a local winery.

Which always makes for some great props and back drops.

It's the perfect place for a party as Montefalco is famous for its Sangrantino wine.

It really was a pleasure to photograph this wedding, the relaxed atmosphere created by the bride and groom made for some of my favorite wedding photographs this summer.

It was clear from the guests reaction too that they had a great time in this unique part of Italy. Umbria is a great location for a wedding, not dissimilar to my own home region of Abruzzo, very traditional and welcoming.

The party carried on well into the night as the guests ate and drank under a canopy of grape vines, what more could you want!

As a footnote I'd like to make one exception to this black and white wedding photography blog, one photograph in colour! I couldn't resist including this one as only colour can really do justice to this beautiful scenery! 

JHales Fototografia is an English Wedding Photographer in Italy. 

A Personal Wedding in Rome.

A wedding is the most personal moment and even though you may be getting married thousands of miles from home, like this couple, they showed that you really can have the day exactly how you imagined. This couple from the US planned everything themselves and put together an unforgettable wedding in Rome.

The venue for the wedding ceremony was the rooftop terrace garden 'La terazza del Cesari' at the Albergo Cesari and both the bride and groom made their preparations in the rooms below. 

I photographed the groom and his entourage first as they made their final adjustments to their suits and then it was a across to the bride's room where we got some great shots of her final preparations. 

Whilst this was happening the wedding guests were making their way upstairs to their positions on the terrace.

With a few minutes to spare before the ceremony was to begin we took a moment to get some shots of the bride in her room.

The window made the perfect frame for the shots and the light fell nicely to really accentuate the bride. 

And the decor of the room really lent itself to this classical black and white feel of the images.

The weather had been pretty changeable all day but their luck just about held out and with a break in the rain everyone was in position for the ceremony, awaiting the arrival of the bride.

When I'm photographing the bride and her father beginning their walk down the aisle I often wonder what last words of wisdom are said!

With the arrival of the bride we were ready to begin.

I love outdoor weddings and among the rooftops of Rome was a great place to hold a wedding ceremony.

With the vows complete and the exchanging of the rings the wedding was complete.

The ceremony was taken by the grooms sister and the flower arch under which they all stood was actually brought out with them from the States! Nothing like the personal touch on your wedding day.

The weather just held out as the couple made their way inside for aperitivi. 

I always enjoy this next part of the day when everyone's mingling after the ceremony. Although it can be a tricky to keep the bride and groom in shot when you do catch them it makes for some lovely dynamic shots.

And even with several guests between myself and the couple there's always the chance to pick out a few details from the day.

After all that planning it all happens so fast, I love this picture below as it catches the bride just taking a  momentary pause.

And in the end blue skies prevailed so we took the chance to go back out onto the terrace and really capture the beautiful backdrop.

And from the other side of the terrace too the weather was coming good.

For me Rome is all about the architecture and I love the textures in the building below with the shutters and the weathered stonework it's a picture that is so typical Rome.

While the guests too a breather, myself and the bride and groom made a quick outing into the streets of Rome to get some shots around some of the iconic locations. First stop was the Trevi fountain where the couple received a great ovation and lots of attention. And as usual everyone was very kind in making room for us for a few minutes.

From the Trevi fountain we made our way across to the Pantheon, one of my favorite buildings and one of the great icons of Rome.

And of course the great thing about Rome is that there is a photo opportunity around every corner.

Even just a door way makes for a great backdrop in Rome!

Our last stop was Piazza Navona.

And a lovely shot at Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers.

Always time for one more shot on the way back to the hotel of course!

Afterwards the whole wedding party took a stroll through the streets of Rome to Da Pancrazio for a banquet of a meal. 

The couple chose this restaurant for two reasons, the history, the restaurant is on the site of the Theatre of Pompey, the location of the assassination of Julius Caeser.

And of course the fantastic food. Ahead was an evening of many courses of traditional Roman food.

Great credit to this couple for putting together such a fantastic day, organising their own wedding location, ceremony and evening from some distance away. It really had the personal touch and it also encompassed all that is fantastic about getting married in Rome.

Looking for a Wedding photographer in Rome then follow the link through to my website or contact me on this blog.

www.jhalesfotografia.com 

Brides hair and make up was by Janita Helova