When other photographers write you, asking you to shoot their wedding, its easy to get a little nervous worrying that you’ll live up to their standards. When said photographers then ask you to travel 16 hours and join them in Southern Spain for a once in a lifetime experience, its easy to blackout on your keyboard from too many emotions flooding your nervous system as you read the entirety of the email.
I honestly didn’t know what to think… who are these amazing people, what are they like, what does Spain look like, how much local wine can I drink there before it’s considered obscene?? Well let me tell you this, Natalia and John are grand prize winners in the “we found our perfect match in life” contest that we all play. And yes, copious amounts of red wine was consumed by all parties… oh, and dear lord the food!! Wedding traditions in Spain differ a bit from what we are used to here Stateside: they start late in the day, the family-style feast is the real star of the show and if you quit the party before 2:30AM you are doing it wrong.
They did it right… so so right.
We began the festivities by meeting for a welcome dinner in the Andalusia capital city of Cordoba… a white washed UNESCO World Heritage site that is so perfectly stuck in the 1600’s that you cannot turn a corner without finding a new hidden cafe, silk shop or ancient cultural site. Cordoba as a location to host a wedding is unbelievable. But Natalia and John didn’t stop there, after some getting ready within the city we moved to our true location about an hour outside of Cordoba… to be honest I have no idea what the regional area is named, but the venue is the incredible compound called the Balneario Aguas de Villaharta. Acres of open hills and natural hot springs. It was neat, and by neat I of course mean OMFG.
This was truly one of those wedding experiences when a family completely lets their guard down and allows me some of the most genuine, heartfelt and favorite photos I’ve ever taken. Every aspect of this celebration was so calm and intentional, so perfectly sublime that it was impossible to feel any other way. Natalia & John, thank you a million times for allowing me to witness the love.
If you’re wondering who transformed this venue into the wonderland that you’ll see here, please please please check out my new friend Opi who is the creative genius behind Open the Door Events. Thinking of eloping? Pick Spain, call her immediately.
Such a stunning wedding Chris, absolutely fantastic work. Such a pleasure to have worked with you and hopefully our paths with cross again. I can’t stop looking at the pictures x