Back in September, I spent 5 gorgeous days in a little town called San Marco, on the Amalfi coast in Italy.
The Secret Retreat is a week long wedding photography workshop, organised by the lovely Lucy Woodrow, Claire Penn & Andrea Ellison.
There were 25 gals altogether who had flown in, and being my first time in Italy, I was super excited to eat, drink and soak in every last detail!
Our first full day, we went to local beach front where we photographed a very relaxed wedding styled shoot with Magda & Pietro, who absolutely ROCKED IT! These guys were so in love, very passionate, and even though there was a bit of a communication barrier, they really understood direction when we acted it out.
We spent the next 2 days getting to know each other, swap stories, ask questions, drink wine, eat amazing Italian food and photographing the sights and sounds of the gorgeous surroundings! Spending time in the local village, shooting a dolce vita styled engagement shoot with Steph & Stefan. I experimented with free lensing also, which is a big love of mine! It takes a lot of practice but most of the time, the ones that don’t seem perfect are the ones that I love the most.
On our last day, we photographed Steph & Stefan for the styled wedding shoot. It was set right next to a rustic Italian house with a vineyard close by. When I wasn’t photographing the couple, I wandered around taking in the sights and snapping away to my hearts content!
That night, we had my favourite meal of the trip! It was on the beach, under twinkling fairy lights and they had organised fireworks for us! It was a beautiful send-off and a great ending to one of my favourite trips of my life! The connections you will make on this trip will last you a lifetime – trust me. We were all given a little gift at the end of the trip, and every time I see it, I’m reminded of the mental kick up the bum that I felt on the last day and I get motivated again!
At the very bottom is a short film that I also made while filming Steph & Stefan! ?
A HUGE thank you and a million hugs to the following:
- The Secret Retreat
- Julie & Emillie at My Secret Italy
- Mandy at SaddleWorth Shindigs
- Lucy Woodrow Photography
- Claire Penn Photography
- Andrea Ellison Photography
If you’re getting married in Italy, get in touch!
