Everything about shooting this elopement felt so right to Tu Nguyen. Not only was the bride a good friend of his for ten years but the vision the couple had for their nuptials “screams out loud” the philosophy he and his partner Thuy have adopted on the sessions they love to shoot: “Getting rid of all clutter and extras, it boils down to the most simple things—love and adventure,” Nguyen says.

The whole experience of photographing their love on Italy’s beautiful island of Capri transported him, like a days-long Proustian moment. “It brought back vivid memories of how we pictured Europe when we were little children, reading European classic novels,” the Germany-based photographer explains, setting the scene for us. “In the beautiful hilltop town of Anacapri, the landscape includes olive trees, lemon trees and many beautiful varieties of flowers. This is the best thing about an elopement: getting lost in the narrow cobbled streets without having a schedule and just wandering, taking photos of Thu and Erick around neighborhoods, sometimes off the beaten paths.”

As elopements often go, this one wasn’t constricted to a hard and fast schedule. The itinerary was open, which let Nguyen be more spontaneous than he’d ordinarily allow himself. He remarks that the couple’s shy personalities also fit nicely with his style of shooting. “Being the mirror of your couples is the best way to get the most out of them,” he notes, adding with a laugh, “a very flattering one, of course.”

On the day the couple was to exchange vows, they all took a chair lift to the summit of Monte Solaro, the highest peak on the island—that was where the ceremony was to take place, Nguyen explains. “I have to admit I have a bit of a fear of heights—I know this sounds so weird coming from a guy who’s bragging about shooting adventurous weddings for a living. Thuy is much more fearless than me in this matter. Of course, my fear of heights is not that severe to be afraid of the chair lift, but the bride was a bit terrified and really tense before getting her foot on the chair lift.”

And, as Nguyen puts it, “This was when Murphy’s Law decided to chime in: If anything can go wrong, it will.”

Gulp.

“The chair didn’t have a security latch, just a bar that you have to pull down and keep it still, manually. Somehow, that bar got stuck in her handbag’s strap and dragged her with the moving chair, but she wasn’t seated on the chair yet. Luckily, the security guy pushed the emergency brake and the whole chair lift stopped just in time! Needless to say, Erick and I had quite a panic attack! After that, there were some moments where they were pretty high up from the ground, but she said the whole ride wasn’t as scary as she had anticipated.”

Phew!

Once they were at the top of Monte Solaro, Nguyen had to figure out how to shoot a secluded-looking ceremony around the swarms of tourists—one could expect a crowd at Capri’s highest peak on a beautiful sunny day. “Everyone was trying to take a selfie with the gorgeous view behind the fence,” the photographer recalls—”not something we were fond of. But after a bit of looking around, we found a secret path hidden at a small corner leading right to the edge of the cliff with stunning views over the whole island of Capri and Faraglioni.”

And because the bride had just narrowly escaped a very different outcome, the psychological aftermath charged the emotional batteries during the ceremony, Nguyen observes. “Anything can happen anytime,” he cautions, “and we should never take anything for granted. Seize your days with your loved ones.”

GEAR OF THE DAY

Cameras: Sony a7S II and Sony a6500

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