A simple wedding, but full of emotion!
When I think of Aria and Tobi's Rustic Wedding in Italy, I can think of so many things to tell, both about the event itself and about the two of them as people. From our very first meeting, by video call because they live in Berlin, all three of us felt that special form of empathy that makes you aware that, one way or another, we were going to have to meet and that I was going to be the one to tell the story of their wedding with his photographs.
They are two extraordinary people: well-groomed, cultured, lovers of all forms of art, funny, humorous, reliable, and they complement and stimulate each other through the differences in their characters. Such a couple can only stimulate me as well because, always trying to tell the story of the people "behind" the wedding event, I have so much to translate into my photographs.
In addition, Tobi is German, while Aria is Italian, so even before the event I expected that there would be a diverse set of guests: their peculiarities and interactions would also be an added stimulus to my work!
The setting of the event is also a very special place: L'Antico Tratturo, a farmhouse in Abruzzo where I had already happened to work a few years ago and of which I had been struck by the profound harmony with the surrounding territory and natural environment.
In short, as the big day approached and in knowing the details of how the wedding would be celebrated, my expectations grew and were not betrayed in the least!
As you will see from the photo story, I have been with them since the morning, when they took advantage of an intimate moment at tranquility to write their vows and the words they would dedicate to their loved ones.
They then got ready in the rooms of the Antico Tratturo, in a relaxed and emotionally charged atmosphere.
It doesn't happen very often here in Italy, but they enthusiastically accepted my proposal to meet for the first time in wedding attire before the ceremony, in total intimacy. It is what English speakers call the First Look and which is somewhat abused here in favor of the tradition of meeting directly at the ceremony venue. In my opinion, if there is the right context as in this case, that is, under the branches of a hundred-year-old oak tree, meeting without sharing the moment with other people can be very exciting, as well as full of meaning.
I cannot say that I was a mere observer: at that point I was the only one who had the honor of witnessing their meeting. The only one who, since that first video call, has become a friend with a camera and who narrated everything that was happening in front of his eyes through the filter of his own emotions.
We then drove together, in their BMW with German license plates, driven by Aria, to the small town of Guardiagrele for the civil ceremony. Light rain changed the plans a bit, but it did not stop them from exchanging vows and wedding rings made of simple twine! Of course, immediately afterwards they could not miss a tour of the village with related toasts! Back at L'Antico Tratturo, they held a symbolic ceremony, also very touching, with the ring warming ritual (this time with real wedding rings!), speeches to the guests, and the building of a small wooden structure designed by Tobi as a symbol of the first thing built together by husband and wife.
From this moment the celebration of this Rustic Wedding in Italy finally begins, accompanied by folk music played by the Lupi della Majella, an extraordinary folk group that managed to involve even those who had never heard those songs.
The one with Aria and Tobi was a truly emotional journey for me, collected in the following photos. They are a bit more than usual precisely because their wedding was full of events, each of which has its own dignity and reason to be remembered and told. Before the photographs, however, I leave you with the slideshow I prepared for them, which contains them all in a convenient video, with musical accompaniment also chosen for them.
