What a lovely day it was with Marta Camilla and Andrea getting married at Frassanelle, near Padua. It was supposed to be May, but for reasons we all know too well, it had to be postponed. And now here it is, the big day, with family and friends joining in to celebrate. The Frassanelle is a 120 hectares park that belongs to the Papafava mansion, a historic Villa Veneta built-in 1860. The farmhouse, just below the villa, is dedicated to wedding receptions and has that typical rustic, Italian countryside warmth and plenty of character. This is where both the wedding ceremony and reception happened. This is also where Marta had to choose between two wedding dresses. She ended up wearing both, but more on this later. In the meantime, let’s get ready, with a splash of prosecco.
Meanwhile, Andrea is down at the park, greeting the guests and making sure everything runs smoothly. The ceremony will be taking place on the spectacular staircase leading to the Villa. Also, sparkly refreshments were always awaiting at hand. After all, this is Veneto, aka prosecco territory.
Everything is ready, but where is the bride? The trees create a majestic background for the wedding ceremony and offer a fun opportunity for one last-minute hide and seek. To add magic to this fairytale scenario, a trio of flutes and violin diffused their melodies throughout the forest.
The front porch of the farmhouse was set up with round tables. In front of it, an incredible spread under umbrellas for the typical Italian style aperitivi. Food is an experience, not just a necessity, and you can see how people enjoy it using different areas of the garden.
While the guests had their aperitivi, we snuck away for a couple of minutes to play in the bamboo forest. Just a few shots before dinner.
While the guests were enjoying their aperitivi we snuck away for a couple of minutes to go play in the bamboo forest. Just few shots before dinner.
Aperitivi is just the beginning of the fun, and people are now heading to the main tables on the front porch to have a properly seated dinner. But there is still time for a quick sabrage. Nobody happened to have an actual sword, but this is a country of very imaginative people, so a table knife sufficed for the task. The lady in the pink dress has some mad skills, that has to be said.
Sunset is upon us. It’s time for more portraits in the park. The grounds around Villa Papafava are stunning, so the only issue is time. But we had just enough for few romantic moments in the park. The chemistry between these two made all the difference. I just had to follow them around, clicking away. I love this part of weddings. Creating images for a young couple in love is my favorite moment fo the day. It’s that feeling of turning the natural shyness everybody experiences when in front of the camera into moments of authentic and spontaneous fun that gets me out of bed in the morning.
The celebrations are not over yet. It is now time for cutting the cake, the ritual bouquet toss, some fun and games with family and friends, and, finally, a good dance party. One question is still up for debate. Who does a better job at lifting up and twirling the bride? Dad or husband? I think it’s a toss-up and, for sure, one of the sweetest moments of the day. I counted several people with tears in their eyes.
Thank you to all the helped making Marta Camilla and Andrea’s day so special.
Wedding Location | @frassanelle
Photography | @simonelli_studio
Catering | @chalet_banqueting
Floral | @donnedifiori
Dress | @pronovias
DJ | @bsound