Italian Wedding Photographer – Villa Mangiacane

Elegance. That is the first word we think of when we remember this Italian wedding. It was a sumptuous and stunning destination wedding in Italy at the majestic and noble 15thCentury Villa Mangiacane, a cypress-shaded villa just seven miles outside of Florence.  Truly a venue for lovers of art, lovers of beauty, lovers of elegance and, of course, lovers of love, the Villa was originally built for the Machiavelli Family and there are credible whispers that Michaelangelo himself had a say in the design. We pinch ourselves working in a place like this, feeling the history and the privilege of working as Italian wedding photographers.

For this wedding in Italy, there are only glimpses, only moments, only short words to try and capture the elegance and the beauty of love.  For me, as an Italian photographer, born to the culture of romance, this destination wedding at Villa Mangiacane in the green hills of the Siena countryside speaks a visual language that is powerful in its simplicity and its sophistication. This couple is one of the most calm and patient  we’ve ever worked with. Rather than worry about the cloudy day (we suspect they had hoped for sun, of course), they embraced the romance of the changing light. And celebrated their love, and exchanged their vows, in the full palette of nature’s ever-changing sky hues.

After the wedding, we looked at the words we had jotted down. And we realized that this stream of consciousness list was the story of this magnificent wedding in Italy. See if you can find the references in the photos. It is poetic, yes. Let yourself float in to this wedding story as if on one of those ethereal, limitless clouds that floated and danced above. Feel the love. The story tells itself in these words from our vintage notebooks where we recorded our impressions.

We recommend reading this slowly, perhaps with a glass of wine. A moscato, perhaps. As the sun sets in the skies above, and with a romantic Sinatra or Mina ballad playing in the background.

Tuscan skies
Siena, a medieval village
Shades of azure
Shades of green
Shades of earth
Clouds – never ominous, never shy
Changing light, hiding sun
A feeling of calm
Moments of reflection, contemplation
Knowing the decision was the right one

Renaissance villa
15th Century
The ghost of Michaelangelo
Undulating hills
Deep, rich jewel tones
Clarets and russets
Creams and ivories
A variety of blues and violets
Sumptuousness

The weightlessness of lace
Delicacy
Femininity
The love of a woman
Goddess
Masculinity
The love of a man
Hero

Golden rings
Leather-bound books
Tales told throughout time
Literature
Embossed lettering
Literary adventures
Swashbucklers and troubadours
Poetry (love and otherwise)

Understated opulence
Timeless simplicity
Grace
Intriguing history
Global adventures
Tales of sound and fury

Tapestries
Frescoes
Renaissance art
Gold leaf
Saints
Angels
Hunting scenes
Exquisite details

The sensation of floating
Tuxedos
Delicate buttons
Masculinity

Ribbons and ribbons and ribbons
Bounty
Florals
Sensuousness
Full bloom
Profusion
Perfection
Elegance
Certainty – ah, yes, the certainty of knowing
Bliss

Music
Play on, musicians
Heartstrings
Violins
Children
Girls in pale dresses

Waiting…
Holding your breath
Anticipating
The bride appears
Certainty again
Lightness
Womanhood
Drops of pearls
Applique
Knowing the decision was the right one
Certainty

Greenery, earth’s bounty
Rose petals
Bridal train
Her magnificent eyes
His mesmerizing smile
Gazing
Deep pools
The lightness of her touch
The gentle strength of his hands

Vows
Joy
Amazement
Friends, loved ones
Held in a circle of love
Wishes, dreams

Romance
Safe harbor
Cinematic quality
The stuff of dreams
What dreams are made of
Exceptional beauty
Nature in all her glory
Succulent fruit
Grapes
Seeds
Pomegranates

Magnificence
Perfection
Vistas
Horizons
Dance
Swaying
Resting your head
Her perfume
His scent

One heartbeat.
Two heartbeats.

A kiss.