Isn’t the dream of any famous wedding photographer to participate in a Turkish celebrity wedding, at least once in life? Uh? No? Somebody said no?
Well… what the heck, it was mine! (don’t be shy to come out about it! You’ll feel much better).
Melissa Sozen and Alican Yucesoyare a wonderful and funny couple from Istanbul, they’re beautiful cinema stars, therefore it was so natural for them to choose Rome as a place to crown their love dream as this city it is wonderful and funny even in rush hours, cross my heart.
Between the guests where directors and other actors as well, I was in raptures; that was a job for me, no doubt, and I got it.
The ceremony itself was held at the Turkish consulate in Rome, the couple and the guests stayed in the Regio Hotel, the guests themselves showed their hardworking side pushing their own just broken down bus, very effective.
And then head to the wondrous Odescalchi Castle at Santa Marinella for the reception, funny enough a few meters away from the Saracen watchtower.
The Odescalchi Castle in Santa Marinella towers on the town fisherman’s harbour, it was originally built, as usual in Italy, on the remnants of the ancient Punicum, an Etruscan town, and around the ancient central tower. It’s a classy place, surrounded by a lush garden, the perfect spot to take some pictures to these lovely couple, anyway they wanted just few shots because, being everyday under the spotlights, they preferred more a kind of a diary of the events of the day.
The castle itself it’s somehow familiar because that architecture isn’t so far from what you can find in the European Istanbul.
At the castle they had a more intense and emotional symbolic ceremony, they were right to do it because the scenery was stunning.
The place, the food, ye auld French accordion music, the evening nuances, the light and the beautiful people, and a sprinkle of “turkishness”… all of this is always a true Turkish delight for a seasoned wedding photojournalist like me.