Sandra & Matthias — Sandra Ardizzone Photography - intimate weddings in Europe and beyond

This wedding is proof that a rainy wedding day can be just as magical as a sunny one!

When Sandra and Matthias picked their wedding date, I’m sure they weren’t expecting the downpour that happened. The forecast was grim the whole week beforehand and when it hadn’t changed a few days before the wedding, Sandra and Matthias threw their plan B of an inside wedding out of the window and made room for plan C. They somehow managed to find a tent to rent and decided to have their ceremony outside after all - just in a tent instead of under the open air. That’s what I call determination!

Sandra is a huge planner but still managed to be this spontaneous and I loved it. She had all the details prepared for their getting ready but trusted me with picking a last-minute location for their first-look. I arrived early and walked around the venue until I stumbled upon a truly run-down building that was perfect for photos. Run-down and wedding don’t go together you say? That’s not true.

When I look for a place to shoot portraits, I don’t look for pretty backgrounds. Instead, I look for good lighting.

And that’s exactly what I found at that old farmhouse. I went back to the bride and told her not to worry when she saw the location ;) And it worked: The photos turned out phenomenally and if you didn’t know where they were taken you’d never guess that it wasn’t too pretty of a place.

After their couple’s shoot where both were incredibly relaxed we went back to the restaurant where guests were slowly trickling in for another of Simone Goris amazing wedding ceremonies. Simone and I are something of a secret dream-team and whenever we’re at a wedding together there’s sure to be tons of fun. As usual, the ceremony was filled with laughter, with Gin and with some secretly (and not so secretly) spilled tears.

And the emotional rollercoaster continued throughout the rest of the wedding day: There was a surprise bench that Matthias’ colleagues gifted the couple, I climbed a roof to get the best group photo available and everyone was crying laughing at an extremely creative video some friends had prepared for the bride and groom.

After 14 hours at this wedding (and the 12 hours the previous day) I thought I’d be absolutely beat. Instead, I stayed another hour just chatting with some guests, having fun, before leaving for home with the biggest grin on my face.