Two foodies re-visit the restaurant that brought them together!  You won’t want to miss this love story…

Nicole shared, “Choosing you as our wedding photographer was probably the easiest choice we made while wedding planning. Your photos capture love in exciting and interesting new ways. In our wedding photos we are hoping that you will be able to capture our love in a fun and unique way that ‘wows’ us and everyone who sees them!”
Thanks so much for your vote of confidence, Nicole! That means a lot to me!
Nicole mentioned wanting interesting, unique photos– it really gave me the freedom to play with different techniques that I find creative and interesting.  In the photo above I manually set my camera to allow the dining room to look intensely dark and only allowed in a touch of golden sunlight, silhouetting the couple and illuminating their wine glasses.
For the image below, I played with Nicole and Steve’s reflections in the window while again intensifying that golden light.  I like the surreal feeling it creates, to me, this photograph almost looks the way love feels– intense, soft, warm…

I love the character and decor of Luca’s, it is naturally charming– such a perfect place to fall in love ;).

Nicole shared, “Steve and I met working in Lucas years ago, I was still in high school at the time.  We had a real flirty relationship going on for almost a year before we decided to start actually dating, haha!”
She continued,  “It was a lot of fun to go back to Luca’s, just like old times, but with an amazing photographer following us around! We credit our relationship to our time spent working together at Luca’s. Andrea and the rest of the employees at Luca’s will forever hold a huge place in our hearts.”
Here is some of that fun, flirty, romantic relationship and the charming decor of Luca’s…

Nicole shared, “The owner of Luca’s is from the island of Ischia, which neighbors Capri, and has decorated the entire restaurant with hand crafted artwork imported from local artisans in Ischia.”
She continued, “We had heard so many stories about the beautiful island and experienced the food first hand that we eventually had to see it for ourselves and enjoyed a vacation there.  It was unreal, I’d highly recommend it!”
She went on, ” The most memorable part of the trip was visiting Andrea’s cousin Rita’s little waterside restaurant called Bagno Ciro where we enjoyed the most delicious linguine with mussels and clams and bruschetta!! ”
They sat inside waiting to order, seated below a hand-painted tile and rustic wood mural depicting the seafood market and landscape of Ischia.
Nicole shared, “Luca’s happens to have the most *amazing* food!!!”  Nicole and Steve literally insisted on treating me to an incredible meal at Luca’s– thanks again, guys!!!
It is a place I will definitely return to, it’s actually a perfect place for Kris and I to stop on our way to photograph weddings the Palace at Somerset Park as it is only 15 minutes away.  I know Nicole & Steve have one coming up ;).
Nicole explained, “Fico is a particularly delicious dish.  It is made of fresh figs, mascarpone, pine nuts, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic reduction, mixed greens, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.”  Seriously my mouth is watering as I describe it!
I placed Nicole’s beautiful pear shaped diamond ring on the plate of Fico before the 3 of us devoured this decadent, melt-in-your-mouth appetizer.

Stephen poured each of them a glass of red wine.  I captured the wine as it bubbled and splashed on its way into the glass, keeping it in sharp focus.
Stephen shared, “We met at a young age and have been together for so long.  It is something different about us and our relationship.  I feel like we were able to watch each other grow up into the people that we are today.  Nicole has become an amazing woman.”

Something about his sentiments and context make me think of wine, getting better with time.  ;).

Nicole shared, “At the end of the day all we want is to make each other happy and enjoy an excellent meal and bottle of wine while we are doing it.”
Nicole and Steve, thanks for sharing your story!  I absolutely love capturing meaningful, sentimental places like this for my couples.
I believe many years down the road you will be able to look back at these photos and show your family “the place where it all started”!
I’m looking forward to seeing you two again for your 2018 wedding in The Palace at Somerset Park.