It was 2013, and I went to Mexico to the workshop of Jose Villa, I was in love with his work since I started shooting weddings. I just bought a Contax 645 and had no idea how to load 120 mm film. It was my first intercontinental flight without my children, and I was probably the most inexperienced photographer who came to this workshop (usually attendees are people with lots of experience in the wedding industry who come to listen to the most sought after Fine Art Wedding Photographer and kind of “polish” the skills).

It was a magical time. I remember getting up very early in the morning because of the time difference and walking along the beautiful surroundings of the hacienda. Horses, peacocks and the dew on the grass. Then the day full of learning and shooting under Jose Villa’s guidance began. I need to say that being Jose Villa means working with the best people available on the wedding market. He introduced us to the amazing team of wedding planners, designers and stylists (and, actually, I used these words not to make the text longer, but because they really do exist and do perform different functions!), who put together glorious settings for each element of a wedding - engagement, bridal boudoir, details, couple portraits … there was even a donkey carrying the wedding gifts. Absolutely beautiful. Despite of the colourful and very unique details that you might think could be trendy just for a season, the atmosphere feels very timeless, and I am sure that even in 10 years from now these ideas will be the same stunning and not in the least outdated…

Jose Villa Workshop in Mexico 2013 https://josevillaworkshops.com

Styling Mindy Rice (Floral & Event Designer), Lisa Vorce (Event Design & Production), Fashion styling Summer at Grey Likes Weddings, Hair & Makeup styling https://www.teamhairandmakeup.com, Paper designs BB Paper Ink Paper & Ink