Destination Wedding in Sicily: Bego & Manu

Sicily is a land that gets you. For the beauty of its landscape, the friendliness of its people, the perfume of its streets. Begoña and Manuel have given me the opportunity to visit Sicily for their wedding. It has been a great privilege to discover the small town of Giarre next to Catania and Messina, just kilomentros of Mount Etna.

I got to Sicily a few days before the wedding. Begoña is a friend I’ve known for many years. We have worked together as photographers years ago, and I would never have imagined that one day I would photograph her wedding. She’s a wonderfull girl, always happy, with a smile on her face and bringing good humor. A few years ago she met Manu and they fell in love. They are a perfect match. Manu was born in Sicily and has traveled and lived all around the world, from Milan to Germany passing from Spain where he met Begoña in Valencia. The two live together and have a little child named Luca.

When he said they were planning to get married I thought how wonderful it would photograph the wedding. I dreamed about it. And sometimes dreams come true. When Begoña told me they were trying to get permission to marry under an ancient tree I was even more excited. They obtained permission from the municipality of Sant ‘Ivo to celebrate the wedding under the “hundred horse chestnut”, one of the oldest trees in the world (studies have confirmed that between 2000 and 3000 years).

The tree name was originated from a legend in which a queen of Aragon and his company of a hundred men were surprised by a strong storm during a trip to Mount Etna. It is said that the entire company took shelter under the tree.

(From Wikipedia)

The Wedding Day begins with a typical Sicilian tradition: mothers of the bride and the groom prepare the bed of the couple with beautiful hand-embroidered linen. Then I visit the groom’s house. When I arrive he is not there yet. Manu is ending one of the last remaining tasks and arrives a few minutes later. His parents are together preparing for the big day. I take some quick portraits of the groom and his family in their nice house and I leave.

At Begoña’s home there are his mother and his friend Carlos, ready to help her put on her beautiful wedding dress. The little Luca is responsible for carrying the rings, he is also prepared. The dog is ready too but he will not attend the wedding. When suddenly we hear a noise coming from outside: a Volkswagen van arrives to pick up the bride. Begoña is like a princess in a fary tale, ready to reach the wedding venue.

Manu is waiting under the tree when the bride arrives and all guests move under the huge tree. It’s a dream coming true. The mayor formally celebrates the marriage while Bego and Manu are stunned with so much emotion. They get married among their loved ones, in a daydream made of kisses and hugs, poems, smiles and tears.

After the wedding we have a few minutes to do a quick portrait photos. Thanks to my friend Angelo Spina of the association “fotoperpassione”, he takes us to a wonderful place, a small group of abandoned houses in the middle of nature with a beautiful view of Mount Etna. That’s where we made the photoshooting with Bego and Manu just after their wedding.

After the couple portraits we join their guests in a nearby “Agriturismo”. There are guests from all over Italy, England and Spain. The feast begins with an appetizer with Sicilian dishes … just amazing! As many traditional dishes as you can imagine, all special and delicious. And what can I say of the Sicilian sweets, ice creams and cakes ….?

The couple enjoy the banquet and at the end they  move to the garden to cut the cake. There awaits a surprise for them: a live fire show amazes all of the guests. Finally dance begins with a selection of Italian and Spanish hits.

I really enjoyed photographing this wedding. I felt comfortable at all the time with the help of Bego and Manu, their families and friends. I did my best to capture the most special moments of the day.

Here is a selection of photos of the day.
I hope you enjoy them as much as me.