To a wedding photographer, it can happen sometimes, after many years of experience, that the work is affected by the routine and habit due to the repetitive situations of a ceremony that inevitably must conform to conventional models and codified standards but which often affect the originality and uniqueness of the party. But, ritual aside, if you have the opportunity to photograph a couple like Giulia and Riccardo, then things can change. It happens that their enthusiasm, their empathy and the complicity that is felt every moment in them, are so contagious that they reach the goal, that of my car of course. It is evident from their looks and the intensity of their expressions that they deeply believe in what they are doing, and that their whole being is focused on this will, without unnecessary distractions or worries.
They are the ones who animate the photos and ensure their spontaneity with the beauty of their composed gestures, their simplicity and the grace they seem enveloped in. The photo of the veil supported on their head almost becomes the emblem and, in its ancient origin, rich in symbols, evokes the intimate prayer and collection of a blessing. The choice of the church, Santo Stefano Rotondo, is in perfect harmony with the essentiality of this wedding, perfectly matching the sobriety and simplicity of the couple. Santo Stefano Rotondo on the Celio hill, is an early Christian church from the 5th century AD. which due to the singularity of its plan, divided into three concentric naves and the shape of a Greek cross, recalls that of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This peculiar feature and the suggestiveness of the place where it is located, almost hidden by the walls of the Neronian Aqueduct, with an access to the outside guaranteed by a magnificent portico with three grandiose 12th century naves, make it unique and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Roman churches.
The Istituto Nazionale Studi Romani was chosen by the couple for the celebrations and also this enchanted space in the heart of the Aventine perfectly harmonized with the elegant and sober taste of the ceremony. For some time made available as a wedding location and perhaps, strangely, not yet well known, the Istituto Nazionale Studi Romani represents, both in its purpose and in its location, the ideal center of the city, whose evocative view can be embraced in all its grandeur from the beautiful roof garden of the complex. Former Convent of SS. Bonifacio and Alessio, one of the most important monastic centers of the early Middle Ages, the complex offers more than a space to worthily welcome a wedding party. The garden, in fact, a magnificent 16th-century cloister embellished with ancient columns, a large courtyard full of numerous archaeological finds and of course magnificently decorated interiors.
Special thanks to this beautiful couple for choosing me as their wedding photographer in Rome.
VENUE: Istituto Studi Romani | CEREMONY: Santo Stefano Rotondo | CATERING: California | MAKE UP & HAIR : Assunta Grossi
