01
From Hotel Splendido to Villa Durazzo
The day began at Hotel Splendido in Portofino. Irina prepared in a suite open to the coastal light while Andrej dressed nearby, with the gardens and Ligurian Sea visible beyond the windows.
These first photographs are deliberately unhurried. They hold the anticipation before the ceremony through gestures, reflections, the wedding dress in the doorway and the changing light across the rooms.
The civil ceremony took place in Villa San Giacomo, the smaller villa within the Villa Durazzo complex in Santa Margherita Ligure. Its communicating Salone Camelia and Sala Gardenia rooms are softly frescoed and look towards the Italian Garden.
With only their closest people present and musicians playing in the room, Andrej and Irina exchanged vows in a setting that felt formal without losing its intimacy.
02
Gardens, harbour streets and hilltop portraits
After the ceremony, the story moved into Villa Durazzo’s Italian Garden. Geometric flowerbeds, old camellias, palms, statues and the long sea-facing balustrade create a sequence of very different backgrounds within a short walk.
Rather than treating the garden as a list of locations, I followed the couple through it, allowing the architecture, shade and afternoon sun to shape the portraits naturally.
From the villa, Andrej and Irina continued into Santa Margherita Ligure. The red walls, narrow lanes, waterfront cafés and working harbour gave the photographs a looser rhythm after the ceremony.
A stop for gelato became part of the story rather than a staged interlude. The strongest frames from this section come from movement, laughter and the contrast between formal wedding clothes and an ordinary summer afternoon on the Riviera.
The final sequence continued through an ornate Ligurian church and then higher above the coast. Dark interiors, tall doorways and patterned stone terraces offered a very different atmosphere from the bright harbour.
The day ended with Santa Margherita Ligure and the Tigullio Gulf opening below the couple. It was a quiet conclusion to an intimate wedding built around place, movement and time together.
Planning a celebration along this coast? Explore Santa Margherita Ligure wedding photography and the Portofino area venue guide. Confirm current ceremony arrangements and fees with the venue when you enquire.
