Intimate civil marriage ceremony in Ostia with their children

One day, talking with a close friends, I found out that the next week Stefania and Marco were planning on getting married at Ostia Lido district.

Glad of the good news I asked my friend, out of curiosity if the couple had a photographer for this important moment of their life. He make a quick call to Stefania’s mobile phone and found out that they hadn’t even thought about a photographer so I offered to do it!

I had no booking for their wedding day so I was glad to be part of their family celebration.

I arrived in Regina Pacis Square n. 8 in Ostia Lido about 20 minutes before the ceremony started. The wedding was set for 5:30 pm. Vika Marchetti was there with me assistant for lights. I made a swift survey to understand where the best photo shooting points would, checking spaces and lighting.

The Ostia’s District Hall dedicated to wedding celebration is an intimate room for around 20/25 peoples. There are nine Thonet bent wood style chairs (they can be rented in Momento Magico’s store just) for guests, a bench in the background and a few other chairs here and there. The bride and groom’s chairs are in Louis XV style with longitudinal fabric strips in beige, dark green and gold.

The predominant color of the room is the dark blue of the walls which contrast nicely with a decorative cornice in clear blue all around it. There are also two large windows to the right of the bride and groom but unfortunately did not give much light because they are partially covered by a heavy light blue fabric curtains.

Guests began to arrive so I started to capture some reportage photos. The bride and groom like to have photos that capture emotional moments with relatives and friends, candid shots of hugs and smiles are always taken and greatly appreciated.

Just a few minutes before the set time, the bride and the groom with their two children entered the room. After quick greetings with relatives the presiding authority entered the room. She began to read the necessary documents, then the father of the groom handed the rings to the bride and groom and afterwards there were signatures on official documents to certify the official family state of matrimony.

A sweet moment was when the daughter of the newlyweds wanted to sit on the presiding authorities’ chair. The lady was very kind to the child and she felt like a princess on her throne.

At the exit there was the ritual throwing of rice with gusto in fact the floor was carpeted with what looked like a little rice blanket.

I photographed relatives, children that were playing with soap bubbles, and many charming smiles of the bride with her guests. My photographic service ended here because the newlyweds hadn’t request full service. A pity as I would have been delighted to have captured some more children’s smiles or some elated relative.