Mari & Cliff's Tuscan Wedding

What more could a photographer dream of, than a fairytale wedding in Tuscany? When Mari asked me if I would like to go with them to Tuscany to photograph their wedding, I didn't really have to think about it for very long ;-)
It was even nicer to photograph a couple I have been photographing for the last few years since their first born was a baby.  I was even at their second baby's birth, so it was a bit emotional to be at their wedding at this magnificent place, in these beautiful surroundings with a handful of their best friends and family to join them in celebrating.  I was also very impressed at how many came all the way from New Zealand and Australia!
We stayed at a vineyard called Borgo Santinovo, outside the small town of Colle di Val d'Elsa. It was a beautiful temperature our whole stay.  Warm enough to go swimming, but not too hot or sticky.  The day of the wedding it rained in the morning.  It poured actually, but we followed the weather reports and it promised fine weather during the ceremony. On the way to the church which was about 45 minutes away it poured even more, and it seemed less hopeful, but just 5 minutes from the church it cleared up and it looked like it hadn't rained at all! The sun was shining and the atmosphere was great.
I would usually arrive before the bride does, but since I went with the bride I had no time to prepare myself for what I was about to see.  I basically had one minute after walking into The Abbey of San Galgano, and my jaw dropping open in awe, until the doors were opened and the bridesmaids began their walk down the long long aisle. Mari had already got me teary earlier that morning when she mentioned we had been through a lot together.  When she walked down the aisle and I saw her face, I was a mess of tears.  Interesting trying to look through a viewfinder all teary.  Thank goodness for auto focus!
After the ceremony we took some photos inside the church in all the nooks and crannies we had missed.  It really was spectacular. 
The clouds rolled in once more as we were finishing off some photos and we drove to our next location. But it was pouring with rain.  That kind of rain that is so hard that you have to pull over to the side of the road and wait until it passes.  We were looking for sunflower fields but that too seemed hopeless for a moment.  Then the rain dried up again and we found ourselves in an enormous field of sunflowers.  They bowed their heads low as it was nearly harvest time, but they were still beautiful. The lightning struck and the thunder rumbled close by while the sun shone on the opposite side of the field of yellow.
Then more photos back at Borgo Santinovo before  dinner which was a relaxed evening with many speeches and delicious food and wine.  Then party time!
Congratulations to Mari and Cliff.  Thank you for taking me to Italy with you!  I will remember it forever.  I am also hoping for more wonderful adventures like this in the coming years.
Enjoy!





























































 
 







































































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