At long last (if you consider a month a long time to wait – I did!) I have decided to post the pictures from the Spain wedding. I had to think about it long and hard, mainly because I’m so far behind on blogging, and because I still have so many other wonderful weddings to edit… but in the end the wonderful experience and adventure of SPAIN won.
The story begins in June. I decided to visit my mom in Madrid, so after checking my calendar and finding a free weekend in September, and finding dirt cheap tickets to boot, I booked the flights for myself and my boyfriend/assistant extraordinaire Ben. I was very excited to add another country to my list (26 so far! Weee!), and Ben had never been across the puddle. We had two months to prepare for the journey, but of course with me being a photographer I immediately started googling Madrid wedding photographers. Unfortunately my Spanish is barely passable, and most of the websites I found were in gibberish, or the photographers never replied, or they weren’t actually located in Madrid. I got frustrated and gave up the fruitless search after a while. After all, I had a wedding-less weekend, so why not enjoy it by being a tourist?
Then one Thursday I was sitting in class… Aand this is where the story gets good. The “class” was actually a live study held by the one and only [B]ecker, amazing CA wedding photographer and principal of the B-school, of which I am a proud member. B-school stands for “business school for photographers” by the way. The class that day funnily enough focused on referrals and networking. I had just booked my tickets and mentioned via chat that I was looking forward to travelling to Spain, and what a pain it had been so far finding photographers outside my area to have coffee with and share ideas with. Another member reading the chat replied that he was from Spain, and we promised each other we would connect after class. Sure enough, Marco contacted me via Facebook that same evening, and we discussed my upcoming trip, the dates and locations, etc. He soon told me that his studio had two weddings on Saturday September 12th, and that I would be more than welcome to join him or his wife at either one of them. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!
After working out all the nitty gritty details, Ben and I ended up in Seville one lovely Saturday in September, and helped Marco shoot this amazing wedding which I’m about to share with you! Beware, a bazillion images are about to flood your screen. I just couldn’t pick any fewer favorites, every image reminds me what a fantastic day it was, and what an absolutely incredible experience we had. We were so honored to be treated as equal members of the team, and extremely lucky to have a bride and groom who wanted a traditional Spanish wedding celebration. Ok, ready? Here come the pictures!
We started with the ceremony at the church. The groom was walked down the aisle by his mother, who was dressed in traditional garb, including a crown with veil. They waited for the bride together and held hands.
The lovely Elena was escorted out of the Mercedes by a helpful guest (apparently there’s no such thing as a bridal party there) I immediately fell in love with her traditional Andalucian gown and hair style.
What amazed me most was that during the ceremony, both parents sat at the altar together with the bride and groom, and that the photographers and videographers were allowed to stand right next to the priest. I ended up standing in the prime spot where I could catch every little smile Elena was beaming at Jose Maria.
During the vows, the videographer stood soooo close to the couple that I was able to use his video light as my light source! Not only was this accepted, but encouraged – I got prodded to get closer.
Vows
Jose’s mom looking on and shedding a small tear as the couple exchange rings.
Like I said, they all sat together, with their backs to the audience for most of the ceremony.
The church was breathtaking.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds released a dove. The poor thing was so blinded by the light that it crashed a few times before flying away. Here you can see it flying in the wrong direction, heading straight for the wall. Hey, at least I caught the right moment!
The wedding was a bit nontraditional in that we had a few hours between ceremony and reception. We headed to Plaza de Espana first. For all you Star Wars nerds, this was where a scene in Star Wars II was filmed (Ben of course is a Star Wars nerd. Of course.)
Favorite picture of the day #1
We kept traveling around and stopping in places significant to the newlyweds for a few pictures here and there.
Here we are in front of the Catedral.
Professional secret – Ben acted as “wind” in this stunning veil performance. Favorite of the day #2!
We were extremely honored when we were granted access to a 5-star hotel’s roof top access. Hello Catedral roofscape!
Another professional secret – here, Ben is behind the scenes with a video light, playing “sun” for Marco and I.
Hello gorgeous! Elena was up for anything I asked, including posing like a supermodel in the elevator…
… and twirling in the streets of Seville!
Ready to go to reception.
The Hacienda.
New experience of the night – a professional sherry pourer. Yes, this lady was standing next to a cask of sherry, pulling the long stick and cup of sherry, and quickly and professionally pouring it into glass after glass, per guests’ requests.
Here’s a look at the simple yet elegant table set up inside the hacienda. Yes, there were at least four glasses per guest (not counting what they brought in from outside), and at least twice as many utensils!
The couple cut their cake right at their table.
Mmmmmm… everyone knows I photograph weddings because I know there will be dessert! Haha!
The couple’s first dance was a waltz, and after a few minutes of dancing, their family and friends joined in, and the party got started (it was around 1am by that point)
The wedding in Seville was an amazing and unforgettable experience. And it wasn’t even a singular experience! After we left this wedding, Marco took us to another side of town where his wife and team #2 were shooting wedding #2 of the day – at 2am. Oh, and I should also mention that we saw at least eight other wedding couples getting pictures taken at the Catedral square – but none of them looked so cool, so elegant, so… SPANISH as ours did. So all in all, a fantastic adventure that kept on going until 5 am. Take that, American weddings!
If I may, I would once again like to mention the B-school and just say what a wonderful networking tool it has been for me, because not only did I connect to other photographers in my town, state, and country, but all the way around the world. If you are a professional photographer, please do yourself a favor and join. It has a great forum, classroom, and mentors to help you lift your business off the ground and make you the best you can be. I also want to thank Marco Marcovich for extending his hand in friendship and camaraderie, for being a gracious host together with his wife, and for allowing Ben and me to experience the magic of a Spanish wedding. And of course my mom for living in Spain – but that’s another story and a different set of pictures, which I will leave for another day
Here’s a shot of Ben acting as a light stand while Marco makes magic happen. I’m still waiting for Marco to process his images from the wedding, as well as the video, but I know he’s been swamped with work. I’ll share links as soon as I’m able!
I’m hungry for more destination weddings!
Thanks everyone for reading, and leave a comment below to let me know you were here in person and in Spain vicariously
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