This London couple had a tough time finding the right photographer to capture their wedding in Sri Lanka—they wanted a documentary style with some notes of artistry—until they happened upon Paola Colleoni, a wedding photographer based in Milan, Italy. On one of her frequent trips to London, Colleoni sat down with the couple, who told her about their love story over coffee.

“Their wedding was quite unique, I must say,” says Colleoni. Both the bride and the groom were born in Sri Lanka before living abroad between Australia, Italy, the U.S. and the UK. They wanted to combine the varying aspects of their multicultural upbringing by devoting part one of their wedding to the traditionally colorful Sri Lankan ceremony, and part two to the more westernized customs like speeches and first dances. “So it was a wedding that embraced two very different cultures,” the photographer asserts, “respecting and elevating both.”

All photos © PAOLA COLLEONI

While some might assume that Sri Lanka would offer a nice sunny day, Colleoni and the wedding crew didn’t have any sun—in fact the morning was a bit rainy. “The weather and the light—or the lack of it—could be quite challenging, so planning the photo moments wisely was key,” the photographer says. “Angela and Yasas didn’t want a proper first look, nor envisioned to see each other only at the Poruwa, which is the altar where the bride and groom stand during the ceremony, so we agreed to have the portrait session and the family formals before the ceremony. This way we had plenty of time to get every important photo for the couple and avoid the stressing part of rushing for the photos later on. They enjoyed spending some time alone before the ceremony, and we took a walk on the beach nearby the hotel they were staying. I scouted my locations the day before so everything went smoothly.”

One of the things Colleoni advises other destination wedding photographers to do is talk logistics with couples. “They don’t know how our job works,” she says, so, “sometimes they don’t think about asking us for help because they don’t know we can provide them some guidance, especially with the timeline.”

In the case of this wedding, that level of communication really helped. “This was my first Sinhala wedding, and to be honest, when Angela explained to me how the whole ceremony would unfold, I was a little bit concerned,” Colleoni admits. “The celebrant would speak a language I couldn’t understand, all the guests would stand all over the place, and there would be lots of rituals and important persons actively involved in the ceremony, so I was worried I would have some problems capturing all the important things and people.”

But she did her homework and conducted a fair amount of research into how all of this would play out, and because the bride gave her a heads up, she tapped a second shooter (her husband, Luca) to make sure she didn’t miss anything. “He captured some great moments and gave me an alternative and unique view from above of the amazing processional with the traditional performers.” The party was indeed “wild,” as Colleoni says, and the sparkling lights that covered the reception tent got her excited about the dance shots.

GEAR FOR THE DAY

Cameras: Canon 5D Mark III
Lenses: Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon 85mm f/2.8, Canon Tilt-Shift 45mm f/2.8

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