villa christina wedding - ALTMIX Photography

Mar 22

margaret & daniel are married!

By Kate Altmix | Weddings | 9 Comments

there is something special about margaret & daniel that i cannot quite describe. i’ve been sitting here, sipping my coffee, trying to pinpoint exactly what makes them, them, and i just can’t find the right words. they are so respectful of one another- but respectful in a deeply romantic and loving way. margaret is quite reserved but so clearly full of happiness, contentment and love while daniel is a little more outgoing and seems to bring out the more playful side of their relationship. together, they are a wonderful couple and i’m sure their life together will be full of beauty and sweetness. it was such a joy to be part of their wedding day!

when matt & i arrived at villa christina to start shooting we walked into quite a relaxed atmosphere. daniel was surrounded by a small group of friends and family, making introductions, laughing and generally enjoying one another. the perfect way to start his wedding day:

…while the ladies were finishing up their makeup and double checking the decor in the reception space. margaret arrived just in time for a final dusting of powder and then it was off to meet daniel for a few portraits on the grounds. i love these next few shots of margaret; she is so naturally graceful and elegant! i wish when i put on makeup i looked like part of a beautiful dance.

after a few portraits it was time to relax before the ceremony. it was a time full of anticipation:

this next image might just be my favorite from their whole wedding celebration:

just after toasts, daniel surprised margaret by playing her favorite song. her reactions say everything:

while everyone really enjoyed the music, daniel & margaret’s reception was mostly a sweet time of catching up with friends and family and thanking them for sharing such a special day with them. however, margaret’s dad did get her mom (and quite a few others!) out on the dance floor eventually! i love this next set of margaret’s adorable mother as her husband is convincing her to dance:

margaret & daniel, thank you guys for allowing us to capture your beautiful wedding day! hope you’re relaxing and enjoying italy to the fullest. you guys are such a special couple; we wish you the very best!

Jan 19

stasia & andrew are married!

By Kate Altmix | Weddings | 14 Comments

last weekend matt and i had the pleasure of hanging out with an amazing couple- stasia & andrew! it was our first wedding of 2009 and we showed up more than ready to get back into creating images! when i arrived at stasia’s house to start shooting, the day was already in full swing- no groggy morning coffee drinkers here! LOTS of energy was flowing as the ladies poured over fashion mags looking for hairstyle ideas- exclaiming as they found ones they loved for themselves and pointing out perfect style ideas for other bridesmaids. everyone seemed constantly on the edge of being overtaken by excitement and sudden outbursts of song, laughter, and dance were abundant. what an amazing environment for stasia as she entered one of the most exciting days of her life! i found myself laughing along with the girls as they recounted their favorite stories of stasia and andrew and shared contagious smiles that were so intense they became slight grimaces, haha! there was no slowing down the momentum of this day and it continued on like this until the reception ended! but now that i’ve talked forever about the amazing ladies let’s get started with a picture of the gentlemen of the day:

and a few of the lovely ladies trying to walk while talking and laughing and huddling close for warmth!

so as i mentioned in my last post, stasia was wonderful enough to make some time for a few casual bridal portraits. i love the timeless beauty in these shots- stasia’s expressions and natural poses were just so elegant:

just as we were finishing up these images, matt was starting to shoot the beginning of the ceremony! our friend from college, barrett, plays beautifully and i love how this images seems to capture his love for music:

just before it was time to line up, all of the ladies gathered around and prayed over stasia and the new life she was about to start. it was a very sweet and emotional time- everyone was grateful for their waterproof mascara!

and they did it! i love the excitement in this shot, stasia is such an animated person!

after the ceremony the tears were not quite over. here, stasia comforts her mother as her joyful tears catch stasia off guard, what a sweet moment:

stasia and andrew had built in time for couple portraits after the ceremony before the reception but the rain clouds had caused night to fall about 30 minutes before we expected sunset! so instead of exploring outdoors we took a few shots in the sanctuary and then, with the help of a few lovely bridesmaids, we grabbed a few nighttime portraits before they jumped in their car to head to the reception. i love the creativity unforeseen circumstances can bring. these actually ended up being some of my favorite portraits we’ve made in a while!

when we showed up to the reception, cocktail hour was in full swing and we could already tell that this was going to be a serious party! their amazing (and beautiful and talented and organized) wedding planner, snuck us into the reception to set up our lights and the guests poured in shortly thereafter. the cheers as andrew and stasia were announced were deafening and after that everyone crowded the dance floor for the rest of the evening. like i said earlier, there was NEVER a dull moment the whole day!

andrew & stasia, being part of your wedding day was such a blessing. your love and energy and excitement for life and for one another makes you such a perfect couple. no doubt you two will never be burdened with taking life too seriously and you’ll dwell on the best that life has to offer. best wishes to you both and thank you so much for including us!