xoxo – Abby

Kelly in her stunning Melissa Sweet wedding gown…

Loved the traditional details the Carnegie Institute had to offer.

Loved Kelly’s selection of bridesmaids dresses.

First dance on the gorgeous marble floor…

…and one hell of a blessing.

And the ever-so-stylish Jan (Mother of the Groom) and her fabulous fashion….so happy and so proud.

xoxo

xoxo – Abby

Fast forward a couple years later on a quiet Summer evening in Orlando, Sanford and I are sitting on the couch watching a movie and low and behold I get a Facebook message from my dear friend Andrea asking if I’m available to help shoot a wedding with her in Switzerland.  Marcus was unavailable and she turned to good ole Facebook to reach out to who other than…ME?!?  And not just any wedding, but none other than the CEO of the famous Sprungli Swiss chocolate maker. I literally hit jackpot…all the Swiss chocolate a girl could want! Quite honored and excited, I happily accepted the job (who’s kidding who…mini vacation) and three weeks later, I grabbed my trusty passport and hopped on a plane to Zurich. And henceforth, this is why I say…you never know what is waiting for you around the corner. Not only do I get to see and photograph with my friend Andrea again, but I also get to explore the beautiful country of Switzerland.  Being there literally took my breath away. I remember opening my hotel balcony overlooking Lake Zurich and shedding a few tears in awe of the beauty before me. Here’s the view I’m talking about:

Amazing, right?

I have to say that it was such a great experience having the opportunity to work with my amazingly talented friend Andrea Langer.  We had a blast, worked hard, and made many unforgettable memories.  On this note, I want to say to my fellow photographers, no matter what stage you are at in your career, you can always learn something new from someone else. That’s what makes us all unique and individual as artists.  I believe that learning from your fellow photographers can be nothing but helpful in this ever evolving art form. Second shooting is quite different from being the main photographer. 1. I get to stand by and document more candid shots and details since I’m not the one in charge, something that was so niiiiiice to experience. Not as much pressure and spotlight on me.  2. I put on my “I’m here for whatever you need Andrea” cap and anticipated what she needed from me at all times. From a bottle of water to photographing random details, I was on it.  It’s good to be on the other side sometimes, it keeps you on your toes.

The weather was absolutely amazing and the sky was bluer then I’ve ever seen. Photographing weddings in different countries is so fascinating because you are exposed to different cultures and rituals which is something that I love learning about. I sat back and observed everything from the rehearsal dinner to the wedding and then brunch the next morning. The couple was so lovely too, which made it all the more enjoyable.  Alexandra and Tom are not only easy on the eyes, but even though I couldn’t understand one single word of German, I could sense they were genuine.  Their getting ready and reception took place at the 5-star St. Badrutt’s Palace, one of the most historic hotels in the world, where politicians, royalty, and other prominent people stay. We met Alexandra in the President’s Suite which pretty much blew my mind. It was equivalent to a penthouse NYC apartment on 5th Avenue.  Alexandra wore a stunning Elie Saab gown and Jimmy Choo shoes. Andrea and I had so much fun photographing the dress and details.  The suite had sooo many options.  Tomas got ready at a house just a few blocks away. The view from there was absolutely exquisite. The ceremony was held at Old San Giau Church in the town of Celerina, just outside of St. Moritz. The church was out of this world, about 400 years old and sitting atop a lush green hill with the Alps standing in the background.  Although hard work, everything that day was a treat to photograph.  Here are my images from Alexandra and Tomas’s wedding. A special thanks to Andrea Langer of Andrea + Marcus for inviting me to such a beautiful country and amazing wedding. I will always remember it!

xoxo – Abby

Location: St. Moritz, Switzerland

Ceremony:  Old San Giau Church 

Reception: St. Badrutt’s Palace

Planner: Prime Moments

Photographers: Andrea + Marcus and Abby Liga

Dress: Elie Saab

Shoes:  Jimmy Choo

   Check out a quick video of Andrea and I arriving in St. Moritz…And we couldn’t do it without Jay-Z / Kanye West playing in the background.  (Please excuse my finger over the lens…I’m not a good iPad photographer.)

And the story begins with a view of St. Moritz…

yea I know…pretty awesome.

St. Badrutt’s Palace…

The getaway car…Alexandra and Tomas’s vintage Aston Martin. It wouldn’t be a true Swiss wedding without a James Bond car right?

Details of the interior of St. Badrutt’s Palace. Loved the old oil paintings and wood work…

The lobby…

Entering Alexandra’s suite…the light was amazing!

Don’t even try to guess how much this is per night.

Ahh the details…I was a kid in a candy store!

LOVED her bouquet…so simple, understated, and pretty…

Alexandra and Tom embracing each other on the balcony…not the tradition to not see each other beforehand.  They are so excited!

Her Elie Saab dress…

Again the light!

Details of her gown…beautiful light and texture.

A quick glance at me…love her smile!

…and the back of her dress!

Two sweet moments…I was shooting through the hallway when this one happened.

Andrea and I hopped over to where Tomas was getting ready…Now, the house that you see here, is not the house we were in, but next door.  I couldn’t help but show you though. Seriously? I feel like I was channeling my old Art History days.

No, this is not a fish eye lens…

Meet Tomas…

…and his dog.

Loved the architecture and the unfinished wood of this home…and again, the light!

A quick portrait of Tomas before heading to the church…

The church was…stunning. I was blown away.

Could you get anymore Swiss than this? All you need is the Riccola men and we’re set!

The ceiling…

…and the Aston Martin made it safely!

You thought there was only one car right?…Of course not, we couldn’t not have the vintage Rolls Royce.

The bride…

One of my favorite images from that day. Alexandra and her Father making their way towards the church. I love this shot because I normally don’t get the opportunity to hang back with the bride and her Father, one of the sweetest moments to be documented in a wedding.

A quick lens change…

The ceremony…

The kiss…

Listening to an opera singer sing “Ave Maria” A Capella…and I’m shedding a few tears behind the camera at this moment.

Love…

Just married!

Had to put a few of these in black and white…so powerful!

One of my favorites…

Another one of my favorites…love the woman walking in the red dress.

Now this was something a little out of the ordinary from how we do it in the states…In Switzerland, they have two cocktail parties…my kinda wedding! Each guest congratulated the happy couple and were greeted with pretzels, beer and wine.

Everyone knew how to dress and loved the classic Euro-style. After the cocktail party, all the guests change into their evening formal wear.  Yes, it gets more formal…

The driver patiently waiting…

I can’t help myself at this point…

Back at St. Badrutt’s Palace and time for cocktail hour #2!

My favorite…details of the reception. Love the colors and the candlelight…

Love their blue wedding logo illuminated on the white drapery. They had the logo everywhere and on everything the entire weekend.

Speeches…I couldn’t understand them, but I pretended and laughed along with them…

So sweet…

Prost!  (German for Cheers!)

The best way to explain the “feel” of the room…

The cake in all its glory…Provided by none other than Sprungli of course…

They Waltzed…

…and partied the whole evening away. Next up, their “All White” Sunday brunch…

…and it continues. The brunch was held at the Lej Da Staz restaurant just outside of St. Moritz. The chefs prepared a massive buffet complete with roast pig, cheeses, naturist, strudel, and of course wedding cake.

Here are a few images of the setting, absolutely beautiful.

Details of the restaurant, love the rustic accents.

…and all the champagne and strudel you can drink and eat!

Guests arrived on horse and coach…

…with more fabulous designer style. I don’t recall seeing that many Hermes Birkin bags in one place.

The arrival of Alexandra and Tomas in their traditional Swiss lederhosens…

The newlyweds…

The boys…

The rain came down but the party didn’t stop.  Love the pink cocktails and the men drinking them!

Love this…only in Europe.

My last shot of the trip, a view of the Alps just before the rain came.  Andrea and I said farewell to the newlyweds and headed back to Zurich.

A year ago I decided to embark on a journey to one of the most beautiful places in the world, to attend Elizabeth Messina’s “A Lovely Workshop” in…none other than France.  It was one of the quickest and easiest decisions to make, and here’s how it happened:

Last February in the middle of the night I woke up around 2am with the strongest feeling in my gut saying, “You should go to this workshop…you need to do it.” And before I go any further, I would like to explain a couple of things.

As a seasoned photographer, I fully believe in constantly evolving my craft.  I think every artist should do it regardless of their accomplishments.  Any kind of art especially photography is fluid and is constantly ever-changing and growing.  This is one of the things I LOVE about photography.  It is safe to say that I have been eating, sleeping, breathing, and well yes, drinking this form of art ever since I can remember.  I can’t tell you how vastly it has grown, changed, been my therapy for so many times in my life.  I am certain that throughout my journey in life, the coming and going of relationships, joyous and trying times, photography will always remain a constant element of expression.  I remember reading a quote from one of my most influential photographers Annie Leibovitz mentioning that photography is her relationship, it is her marriage.  I feel exactly the same way.

And like many times in our lives as artists, we go through periods of feeling burned out, lacking creatively, and feeling at an altogether stand-still.  During these times, the best and most important thing to do is feel it out, keep your eyes and heart open, for the next sign or opportunity is just around the corner.  I know, so cliche right?…Well that’s exactly what happened to me.  All artists admire and are influenced from other artists. For me, it began with the work of Annie Leibovitz and Joyce Tennyson, then onto Ellen Von Unwerth and Richard Avedon.  More currently, having been in the wedding industry, I have found Elizabeth Messina’s work to be very influential among others.  Her approach is feminine, intimately graceful, and engages the pure and humanistic emotions of her subjects. I can safely state that when initially venturing into weddings about 7 years ago, the art of wedding photography was not as appreciated and valued as an art form as it stands today.  Thankfully, with the influential work of talented and pioneering photographers like Elizabeth Messina, Joe Buissink and Denis Reggie to name a few, have helped society recognize the craft of Wedding Photography as a respected form of fine art.

Back to my story.  I began looking up flights to France and by the time I fell back asleep in the wee hours of the morning, I had already decided that I had to make this journey happen.  Before I knew it, time had fast forwarded to mid-May.  The day before my big trip, I was attending my best friend’s wedding as a bridesmaid, nonetheless, about three hours outside of my hometown Orlando and more importantly, where my flight was taking off early the next day.  My bags were packed and passport in-hand. I gave my freshly married B.F.F. a hug and kiss, headed to the airport, hopped on my flight, (exit row-window, my usual), ordered a glass of wine, and dreamt all the way to Paris.

Now at the Paris airport, I met up with a couple other amazing photographers Jennifer Fariello and Leah McDonald who also arrived that morning, and we began our trek to the exquisitely beautiful Chateau St. Julien l-Ars. To paint the picture…the atmosphere was peaceful, birds chirping, breezy and cool, with tall trees who’s leaves peered out just over the towering 17th century chateau. Towards the back of the property, there was a massive lawn with tall trees canopying over, perfectly shading the cool grass below. And placed in the center of the lawn, a tiny French statue humbly sitting amongst all it’s greatness.  I was shown to my room located at the top and was presented with a lovely little tag with the words “Sweet Dreams” written at the top with my name in Calligraphy in the middle.  My bed rested below two large French windows secured only by a small latch, (got to love France), and opened up to a gorgeous view of the grounds.  I immediately grabbed my camera, met up with the rest of the photographers, and began shooting my heart out. This is exactly what I needed.

I will always remember the 6 glorious days I lived in this magical French chateau, feeding my soul with photography, and being surrounded by such inspirational people.  I kept saying it didn’t feel like a workshop, but rather a retreat.  Not only was it amazing to be learning from Elizabeth, but the friendships that were formed strengthen myself as a photographer and a person.  I formed relationships with a group of awesomely talented photographers, blog / magazine editors, stylists, makeup artists, headpiece designers, models, florists, and round-the-clock working chefs. It’s funny, for that week, titles, positions, and accolades did not matter. We just had fun and shared the love of photography. Having had the opportunity to attend “A Lovely Workshop” was well…quite lovely. Yes, I took home some new techniques and nuggets of knowledge, but more importantly, I left confident and the feeling of electricity was back.

Now one year later, to the date, I am finally posting 50 of my favorite images from “A Lovely Workshop”. I am normally much more time-sensitive with posting my latest and greatest, however, with this experience in particular, I needed some time for personal reflection.

xo – Abby

I can remember her and I having slumber parties when we were little, making prank phone calls, and giggling about boys. Fast-forward to high school where we were on the dance-team together, going to football games, and keg parties….then college, photographing her Wedding, and now her Family… It is such a beautiful thing and gift to have the opportunity to document these amazing moments. It makes me feel like a proud sis and I am in awe of how precious life is… There is one thing about Jodi that I will never forget and will always be indebted to her: When I was 15, my parents divorced which was really hard to handle as a teen girl and as the youngest in my family. I was stuck there to witness a lot of it and can remember feeling helpless many times. Jodi, being a child of divorced parents and also a very strong girl at such a young age, was my shoulder to cry on and my rock at the same time. Looking back it’s crazy to see how mature she was at 15. And now…looking at her life, I will say she is very blessed and deserves every bit of happiness to come. So, thank you Jodi for being there for me when I needed it, as I am here for you. Funny the women we have grown to be…. xoxo – Abby