I always love capturing Destination wedding photography in Italy as Italy is without doubt one of the most beautiful countries in the world to get married in.  With its green landscapes, beautiful coastlines and historically rich cities it is truly unlike anywhere else.  Payton and Joshua chose to have their Italy wedding at Villa San Crispolto in the Province of Perugia.  Surrounded by picture-perfect rolling countryside with stunning views across Lake Trasimeno, Villa San Crispolto is a stunning venue for a truly romantic Italian villa wedding.  

When I capture destination wedding photography, I always travel out a little early with the guests so that I can make my preparations as soon as I arrive.  Being around my couples and their guests before the day really helps everybody to relax around me which in turn creates even more authentic images. 

The villa held all of the guests and was booked on an all-inclusive one week booking through Payton and Joshua’s wedding planner Marco Bernasconi at Romantic Italian Weddings.  This allowed everybody to really relax, explore the area and enjoy one another’s company.  It really set the tone for a blissful chilled out vibe for the wedding.    

I was really impressed with how considerate Payton and Joshua were to their guests.  Every detail had been thought of especially when it came to food.  On the morning of the wedding, Payton and Joshua arranged for all the guests to attend a large, family-style breakfast.  

Then just half an hour before the ceremony guests were all offered drinks.  

As guests happily mingled, I caught up with Payton who was making her final preparations.  She looked amazing in her Maggie Sottero dress that she bought at Something New Boutique that had intricate lace detailing with a high neck and a sweetheart neckline and a beautiful fit and flare shape giving Payton a stunning silhouette in all of my images.  Her hair and make up was perfect thanks to hairstylist and make-up artist Monia Pompei.

Bridesmaids wore floor length chianti-coloured gowns from David’s Bridal.  Payton’s brides man wore a rose-coloured tuxedo from The Black Tux.  

Josh wore a white Calvin Klein tuxedo with a black shawl collar and black accents.  His grooms wore matching tuxedo jacket over traditional black tie.  The wedding parties looked so glamorous, liked they’d just stepped out of the pages of a hi-end bridal magazine shoot. 

The ceremony was held in the garden under an arbour with all of Payton and Joshua’s guests stood around them in a circle. There was a string trio playing at the ceremony making it feel even more magical.  

The beautiful gardens at Villa San Crispolto need little adornment, so Payton and Joshua chose local florist Fiorista Cristina to create beautiful arrangements of dusty pink, mauve, crimsons and off-white flowers that really complemented the garden.  

After the ceremony, everybody enjoyed a feast of appetizers, gelato and prosecco by the pool.  As everybody happily milled about, I took Payton and Joshua on a mini photoshoot to get some really romantic portrait images.  

The wedding breakfast was a traditional Italian five course meal.  During the reception, everybody was entertained an authentic Italian quartet called Sing Sing Sing, who consisted of three string players and a singer.

Now, I must mention the cake.  Payton and Joshua went for a traditional Italian wedding cake called Millefoglie made by Villa San Crispolto’s in-house cater Giancarlo.  Puff pastry with layers of soft custard topped with fresh fruit, it was simply delicious and a real talking point at the wedding.  

True to form, Payton and Joshua had thought of everything for evening entertainment.  There was a funky photobooth (who doesn’t love a photobooth) and from 8pm DJ Davide Peverini (who’d been given a playlist by the guests) then made sure the party kept going until 1.30am! 

Destination wedding photography in Italy is always a dream booking, especially when you get to capture weddings as beautiful as Payton and Joshua’s.  Congratulations to both of you and thanks for having me there to tell the story of your day.  I hope my images will allow you to relive your day again and again for many years to come.  

I’ll leave the last words to Payton and Joshua.  Here’s what they had to say about working with me. 

“Mark was able to capture our photos with the keenest detail. The adjustments he had to made were perfect and we could not be happier with the end results. The images captured more than just things; they captured every moment in our day from big to small. We love our photos because they take us back to all those moments.

When we were choosing photographers through our wedding planner, we had it narrowed down to 2-3 photographers. Mark with Valentina Weddings was our top choice as well as our first photographer we met with. Our first impressions of Mark were exactly how we wanted it to go – he was warm, energetic, and knew how to make us feel comfortable. 

These are traits that you absolutely need from a photographer on your wedding day. It’s going to be hectic on your wedding day, and having someone like Mark to keep everyone calm and on track, made for a perfect experience. 

One of his selling points of why we should choose him is that he is a native English speaker, whereas other photographers in our list were native Italian speakers. He was able to bond with ALL of our guest, captured the perfect moments, and delivered the most amazing photos anyone could ask for. He really fitted in as a wedding guest and a friend making it easy for him to capture beautiful, candid moments.” Payton and Joshua.