Your relationship with your elopement photographer and designer is deeply personal.
You are trusting this person to not only design your dream elopement wedding but also capture precious hours of your life.
There can be no do-overs.
She has to get it right.
Who am I and why should you trust me?
For those of you who don’t me, I specialize in destination elopements for over 10 years.
My latest book is “The Elopement Experience” published in 2019 (Pre-covid times) – continues to be the top 100 best sellers in the Wedding category on Amazon.
My approach is far from the usual come in, point and shoot.
I get to know my clients before their elopement wedding.
I want to find out who they are and what their vision is so that I can complement their dreams and bring them to life.
I am both an elopement photographer and designer for intimate weddings.
What does that mean to be an elopement photographer and designer?
That means that my job is to manifest your vision and to help you define what your vision is.
And then make it a reality.
I work with my clients to design an elopement wedding that uniquely reflects who they are as a couple, from the ideal location to choosing a color palette, discovering a theme, all the way down to the details of flowers, clothing, food, hair, and makeup.
I work with a wide range of professionals and will put together the ideal team for you.
One that is right for you.
I began as a student of fine arts. With a BFA from the Corcoran School of Arts in Washington DC and Graduate Studies from the Florence Academy & Temple University in Rome, Italy.
I studied painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, composition, color theory, design, and I came out of my schooling as a professional fine art portrait painter.
For many years I worked as a successful portrait artist painting commissions including the American Ambassador’s family to Italy.
Because I was often painting portraits of families and young children, who could never sit still, I began to take preparatory photographs for their paintings
Those images became so popular and people asked to buy them along with their paintings, and long story short, I moved into the realm of portrait photography and elopements.
(That’s a whole other video of how that happened).
I believe my background in fine arts gives me a unique perspective when it comes to elopements.
Each elopement wedding is a work of art.
My approach is different, and I like to believe is unique.
With my artistic eye, I can see each the end product or in this case, the elopement day, as a whole.
Like a finished painting.
Each segment of the day is a layer.
And I build one layer on top of another.
From the getting ready, ceremony, newly-wed excursions, dinner, florals, and so for.
Regarding my photography, I use analog photography, for I adore the painterly effect.
Having dual citizenship being half Italian & half American, I spent the greater part of my life in Italy, where I became an expert in the most beautiful locations and backdrops from Lake Como to Capri and Rome.
Throughout the years, I’ve expanded and now shot magnificent elopement weddings in the Greek Islands, Switzerland, Mexico, and Hawaii.
Since relocating back to Southern California, I’ve scouted and discovered the most gorgeous wedding locations from the beaches to the mountains to the deserts.
Too often, in the course of my work, I found that an elopement, which was chosen for its simplicity, became over-complicated and muddled by a horde of vendors and designers.
I saw the couple’s vision disappear in a blur and their dream of an intimate wedding ruined.
I came across planners who had a stopwatch controlling time giving little importance to the essence of elopement wedding which is about the couple having a magical & timeless day.
In order to get the authentic images I’m known for, I need to be up close and personal with the couple.
Sometimes, too many cooks spoiled the broth. 
How did I get into Designing Elopements?
My experience designing luxury events for high-end clients began from being The President of the American Women’s Association in Rome” where we organized Galas & cultural events throughout Italy.
It is a nonprofit organization and through these events, funds are raised to help orphanages and other worthy causes.
I used the priceless knowledge I learned from organizing these luxury events for the American Women’s Association and began to put together simple collections for intimate weddings.
I bring the classical, timeless look that sets my photographs apart to designing every element of a wedding.
By working one on one with my clients, I am able to take the hassle out of planning the perfect elopement and designing a magical day tailored to them.
How to work with me?
It all begins with a single conversation.
We’ll define your ideas, and I’ll make them happen.
If you’d like to learn more about working with me, send me an email. I’ll send you a questionnaire, and we’ll book a complimentary twenty-minute consultation.
If you prefer to DIY or design your elopement yourself, I great resources, guides and online courses to help you along the way.