Wedding Photographer Barcelona, Costa Brava and Ibiza

Some of my favorite weddings are small destination weddings with international couples and Sarah & Alex’s intimate Cinque Terre elopement was just that!!! I have the upmost pleasure of letting Sarah, my beautiful bride herself telling you about their big day today:

My husband Alex and I were married in June of 2013 in the most romantic setting–the Cinque Terre off the northwestern coast of Italy in the region of Liguria. We both have a passion for traveling and always new we would want an intimate destination wedding in an authentic location. During an internet search of Italian wedding destinations, I came across this beautiful and fairy tale-like place that I knew would be perfect for our big day. The Cinque Terre is composed of five villages dotted with pastel colored homes nestled among terrace-vineyard hills looking down over the emerald waters of the Mediterranean. The villages are cut off to cars and are connected only by trails, trains, and boats. The pristine, almost surreal, beauty of the area is best observed from the hiking trails along the coast that connect all five villages. These views will assure you that it rightfully earned a listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

We made the picturesque seaside town of Monterosso the home base for ourselves and our party of 15 guests. We stayed at Il Giardino Incantato Bed and Breakfast where inn keepers Fausto and Mariapia displayed the most gracious hospitality we have ever encountered in all of our travels. The beautiful enchanted garden cared for by Mariapia was the perfect setting for our garden party before the wedding. My husband and I traveled by boat to Vernazza with our amazing photographer Gabby and got lots of great shots to show off the romantic and unique Italian qualities of the region. We held our ceremony and reception at The Belforte Restaurant in Vernazza on the private seaside terrace which perched over the emerald waters of the Mediterranean. Alessandro, the head chef/owner, prepared a magnificent Ligurian style seven course meal with the freshest seafood we’ve ever tasted. Each course was paired perfectly with local wine. After sunset, we released Thai paper lanterns into the sky for good luck with an audience of the town’s children looking on in awe of the sight. We departed by train back to our bed and breakfast with pure happiness in our hearts and memories to last an entire lifetime. It was the perfect day.

Sarah & Alex, thank you so much for taking me to Italy with you, inviting me to taste some delicious wines with you and letting me capture your could-not-have-been-more perfect day! Looking through your images again fills my heart with sunshine and laughter!