10th April 2014

From weddings in Italy: It was a dark and stormy February night in northern Italy when I received an email from Jo Lewis of Light and Lace Photography to tell me that within a couple of months she would be in Venice on vacation and that she would love to organize a styled shoot during this time and would I be interested in collaborating. I immediately replied with enthusiasm; this was a chance not to be missed, even more so considering that Jo is an extremely talented and passionate photographer who I have followed for some time and that I’ve been dreaming of such a shoot for ages but never found the right moment for it. I jumped on the idea with gusto and quickly gave bones to the project.

Although Venice is packed with a myriad of fantastic venues, I instantly knew that the Ca’ Sagredo, an 18th century palace and 5 star luxury hotel, was the ultimate place for the shoot, both for its majestic interiors and for the ideal location, on the Canal Grande very close to the Rialto bridge. The colour palette was quickly decided; the grand frescoes by Tiepolo that enrich the hotel, not to mention its opulent furniture, could only be gently accompanied, so we chose ivory, blush, accents of deep green and a hint of gold.

We were blessed with two fabulous gowns from the Zahavit Tshuba’s new collection and perfectly matching René Caovilla’s sandals, which our lovely Venetian student and model Flora Dalle Vacche wore with grace and attitude. She and her actual fiancé Carlo Pitter were the best possible candidates for our shoot, for they instilled their mutual love to it. Everything else, from the hand painted stationery to the glamorous and delicate dessert table to the elegant floral decorations and the glass artworks, topped off by a romantic gondola ride from the hotels very own gondola station were the perfect touches that helped make this timeless Venetian dream of Jo and I come to life.