A wedding day isn’t the only day worth filming.

A few days before Ned and Jazzy’s wedding at Villa del Balbianello, the three of us headed to Bellagio for the evening just me, Jazzy and Ned, no guests, no schedule to keep. We caught them right at sunset, dancing slowly with the lake behind them, the kind of quiet, unguarded moments a kiss, a hand on a cheek, foreheads together that a couple rarely gets in front of a camera on the wedding day itself, when there’s a hundred other things pulling their attention. It also does something practical: by the time their actual wedding day arrives, they’re already used to me being there with a camera, which tends to make everyone that much more relaxed in front of it.

This is something I’d genuinely encourage more couples to consider, especially the many international couples who fly into Italy just for their wedding. Most of them already build in a few extra days before or after the ceremony and for good reason: Italy tends to leave a real impression on people seeing it for the first time. Australians, in particular, seem to lose their minds over Lake Como specifically; I’ve yet to meet one who wasn’t completely won over by it. Those extra days are the perfect window for exactly this kind of session a relaxed, low-pressure shoot in a location you’d want to remember anyway, that gives you a second film alongside your wedding one.

If you’re planning a destination wedding in Italy and already have a few extra days built into the trip, this is worth thinking about early it’s easiest to plan when it’s part of the original itinerary rather than an afterthought.