Some weddings I film as a professional. This one, I filmed as family.
Giuseppe is my cousin we’ve known each other since he was born, and I’m only a couple of years older than him. Life has taken us in different directions since: he splits his time between Rome and Berlin now, and the way things go, we’ve drifted a little further apart over the years than either of us probably wanted. But some bonds don’t need constant contact to stay real, and being there behind the camera for his wedding reminded me of exactly that.
He married Grace, an actress who’s worked on screen and appeared in commercials at Tenuta Pantano Borghese, just outside Rome. The venue itself is something else: a historic estate dating back to 1613, still an active farm today, with the kind of unpolished, sun-worn beauty that no amount of styling can fake. It’s the sort of place that lets a wedding feel unconventional without trying too hard to be.
Being both guest and videographer at the same wedding is a strange position to be in. You’re there for the people you love, but you’re also working watching for the moment instead of just living it. I won’t pretend that’s an easy balance. But when it’s family, it’s also the thing that makes the job worth doing. I wasn’t just documenting a wedding. I was documenting my cousin’s wedding a day I got to be part of twice, once through the lens and once as someone who’s known him his whole life.
That’s the part of this job people don’t always see: it’s not just about lighting and framing. Sometimes it’s about being trusted with the most important day of someone you grew up with and doing right by that.
Vendor Credits
- Venue — Tenuta Pantano Borghese
- Photography — Marcella Cistola
- Videography — Alex Sofo Wedding Films
- Wedding Planner — Martina Bizzarri – Creative Wedding
- Makeup — Rossano De Cesaris
- Bridal Atelier — Antonella Rossi Atelier