It was the best of both worlds for a couple who wouldn’t settle for the status quo. Jessica and Anthony made it clear that they wanted something more contemporary, something different and dare I say, something more stylish. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with traditions but don’t expect to see the cathedral or the hotel banquet hall here.

They kept the night devoid of activities that act as filler, no weird games, no slideshow, no garter and bouquet toss, nothing. The formula was shockingly simple. I giggled as soon as I opened Anthony’s attachment, supposedly the timetable for the evening. Essentially it is a half-page document with some hand scribbles that can be summarized as:

Dance.

Dance.

Dance.

…

Dance.

I suppose it didn’t matter what time it was, we were destined to do one thing and one thing only anyway.

In many ways this wedding features the quintessential elements of a classic Italian wedding: starting off with a stunning bride, a handsome groom, the sheer elegance of just about everything, the amount of food being served and even the rolling hills of the vineyard acting as backdrop. Some guests commented on whether we space warped to Tuscany. Not quite, but close enough until our newlyweds invite all of us to Italy one day.

Jessica has always been a mysterious figure to me. Not talkative and certainly very shy, she described herself as someone who dislikes attention from others. How is it possible to not stare at our bride when wearing such a breathtaking dress, I have no idea. Did anyone bother measuring the length of her limousine? That thing screams “look at me!!!” as it rivals the Titanic.

Early on I noticed something about Anthony, someone who was extremely proactive when it comes to wedding planning. We candidly joked many months ago that he would earn the groom-of-the-year award for taking care of everything, from the venue, the catering, to the cinematographer and of course, yours truly. This is not to take anything away from Jessica, as I am certain she faced enormous pressure as well. It started as a joke but my impression definitely changed as their big day approached so if such an award, or certificate, truly exists out there, I would endorse Anthony without any hesitation.

Well done Anthony, you have kept your promise all the way for helping out and you deserve as much credit for how these photographs turn out in the end.