(geez I hope my Italian is right)...  "bo?!?"

Okay ... where to begin..  I really can't put into words what a life experience this wedding was. First (before the mushy stuff) the back-story... how the heck did I end up shooting an Italian Wedding in Ibiza Spain...

Well, the bride, Nadia, and I met over 12 years ago while I was studying art in Firenze.  We instantly became friends (especially since I loved her nose ring and HAD to have one... so we were forever bonded when at the age of 20 she took me to a 75 yr old pharmacist to have my nose pierced.. she even drew the dot on my nose where the future hole would go)... so... fast forward 10 years... I'm back in Firenze ... and we re-connect over a coffee... then last year when I was back in Italy she tells me... "I'm not engaged.... YET... but when I am ... be ready to be there"... so less then a year later... there I was...

...40 Italians over taking a small Spanish Island.. with an Italian Couple... a Spanish Priest and an American photographer...  "madonna".  It was AMAZING... the longer I was with my new Italian friends the more I realized how universal weddings are...  language really doesn't matter. What is going on between two people who love each other... and their family and friends that are their to celebrate them... is the same... whether its Italian, Spanish, or English.  Granted...  listening to these wedding speeches in Italian was MUCH MORE entertaining  than any other wedding I've ever been too.. and I don't even know what they were saying... all I know is hands were flying... laughter was echoing... and it was like watching a tv show unfold... I was just waiting for the food fight to begin (but the cake was really way to good to be wasted on a fight... so instead "mange mange")

I honestly felt so honored to have been a part of this small intimate weekend.    The minute I saw Nadia and how beautiful she was in her dress moments before walking down the aisle...I couldn't help but tear up...  it was definitely a weekend of touching moments and TONS of laughter... geez those Italians know how to laugh smile and have fun (no wonder I love them so much)!!

The four very fast days I had in Ibiza will forever stay with me...thinking about how our lives take shape... how friendships can  last longer than one would ever think across oceans, language, and cultures ... and how the world really is a small community when we focus on our similarities...

THANK YOU ... Nadia and Filippo for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your amazing weekend. Even from this "American girls" perspective its clear to see the joy between the two of you... how much fun you have together... and the clear love!!  To see how all your family and friends are caring, funny, and incredibly loving is a clear sign of the two of you!!! I am so excited to have a new group of "amici de Florentina"... am I making up Italian again? (u get the idea)...

Baci
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