Krasiczyn Castle Wedding – Iza & Gabriel

A wedding at Krasiczyn Castle

Every wedding takes us somewhere new. We come home with fresh inspiration, memories and memory cards full of emotion. Iza and Gabriel’s wedding at Krasiczyn Castle was no exception.

Iza and Gabriel were a dream to photograph. Wonderful people, completely in love, open to others and curious about the world. We had so much in common that we connected straight away.

Wedding planning: Kinga Nowakowska / Raz w Życiu
Flowers and décor: Floral Concept Store by Eva Klimek
Lighting: Strefa Światła – Bartek Lewandowski & Michał Lewandowski
Music: Dave Bo & MagnetiG
Venue: Krasiczyn Castle, Poland
Dresses: Hayley Paige & nelly.com

A whole weekend together

Nearly 200 friends and family members travelled from around the world to spend the weekend with Iza and Gabriel at Krasiczyn Castle. It began with an outdoor barbecue on Friday evening, giving everyone a chance to get to know one another before the wedding. For documentary wedding photographers, that is a wonderful way to begin.

On Saturday we started unusually early. Iza was getting ready from eight in the morning for an eleven o’clock ceremony in the castle chapel. That timing was deliberate: they wanted a leisurely cocktail reception with their friends afterwards, followed by time for portraits with us.

Then came a breather and a change into evening outfits. They had thought it through beautifully; our job was to turn their plans into photographs and make the best wedding story we could. Their schedule gave us more than three hours for portraits on the wedding day, with no rush at all. Nobody was hurrying them, or us. Perfect.

Soon after the wedding, Iza and Gabriel set off on a four-month trip around the world. How wonderful is that? We have heard some of their breathtaking travel stories already. Perhaps one day they will share them with you too. For now, enjoy their wedding photographs.

Trust, time and a shared sense of adventure

Iza, Gabriel – thank you. For your trust, your time, your openness, spontaneity and wonderful energy. For the fun, and for travelling from Sweden just to meet us before the wedding. Love you guys! Your involvement made these photographs possible. Without that understanding and collaboration, we could not have made this wedding story together. And what a hot day it was! You held your nerve and kept the reception outdoors, even when a downpour was forecast. Brave ‘Babcie’ – the affectionate nickname that runs through your messages to us.

Here is what our rock-and-roll bride wrote just after seeing the photographs. Her words below are translated from Polish:

‘First of all, T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U! You really are the best! The photographs take our breath away. You have given us the most beautiful wedding present imaginable, because every image is so alive and full of emotion that we can practically travel back in time. Thank you for being so wonderful to work with. As I said straight after the wedding, without you and Kinga I honestly don’t think we would have made it through the day.

We hope we can do it again sometime – an anniversary party in five years! Our first impressions haven’t changed: it was brilliant. You are sooooo easy to work with. Your ability to blend into the background is incredible, and it meant that both we and our guests felt relaxed and natural. The portrait session was lovely too. You even managed to bring out a model in my camera-shy “Babcia” – that takes real skill!

If I could change anything, I would probably explain to our guests that the photographs were being taken, so they should enjoy themselves instead of running around with their phones all the time. I think “Babcia” and I would agree that we would repeat almost everything. It was fantastic!’

‘Our advice to other couples: surround yourselves with POSITIVE, calm people. The Debbie Downers can stay at home; everyone will be better off. I have just looked through the photographs for the hundredth time. I wake up at night just to look at them. They are the most FUCKING AMAZING EVER! We have decided to get divorced just so we can get married again. We could order wedding photographs like these every year :P

NO WORDS. We are beyond happy. I am sitting here crying!!!
Babcie’

Aww, thank you, Babcie! You are wonderful. With you, anywhere, anytime. Sending you both a huge hug. xoxo

A little later, once they had caught their breath, Iza and Gabriel shared more about the wedding:

‘Make sure you have good suppliers. It is your day, so relax and enjoy it. Leave the work to people you trust. We especially recommend Kinga Nowakowska at Raz w Życiu: not only for her professionalism and delivery, but also for being our greatest emotional support when things got difficult. Whenever something unexpected happened, our wonderful coordinator never let us worry about it.

Our inspiration was Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. We also recommend Eva Klimek of Floral Concept Store and Strefa Światła.

And, of course, WhiteSmoke Studio: professionalism at its best, an incredible ease of working together, and beautiful photographs that capture the atmosphere of this most important day. They made the best wedding story we have ever seen. Friends for years after the wedding.

The most important thing is to remember why this celebration is happening. Love comes first, without question. Remember your partner, spend little unforgettable moments together, hold hands, kiss and hug. Good organisation matters, as does having someone who reaches out a helping hand whenever you need one. So does a good mood – not only yours, but your guests’, because they create the atmosphere. Positive thinking and a smile from ear to ear can work wonders.

The music was a perfect choice: a DJ, electric violin by MagnetiG and saxophone by Dave Bo. And the lighting. In my opinion, nothing creates an atmosphere quite like those two things.’

Babcie, otherwise known as Iza and Gabriel

Of course, we had to ask them one more question:

Why WhiteSmoke Studio?

‘My cousin recommended WhiteSmoke Studio. He works in the industry himself as a wedding photographer. His first question was: do you want good photographers, or the best? We wanted the best, so he gave us Dorota and Michał’s details. After looking at their work online, we knew we HAD to have them.

We got in touch, exchanged a few emails and arranged our first meeting to discuss the wedding photography. We didn’t really know what to expect. We met two energetic, lovely photographers. Their warmth, easy way with people and sense of humour won us over. Although the wedding was still a year away, we already couldn’t wait to see them again and work together.’

We also asked how they felt about their wedding-day portrait session:

In front of the camera

‘Neither Gabriel nor I had ever had a professional portrait session, and we were both a little nervous. Within moments, though, we realised it wasn’t so daunting. Dorota and Michał were just as brilliant giving us guidance as they were behind the cameras. What mattered most to me was that we could be ourselves the whole time. We never felt awkward or silly, and their constant help and comments gave us confidence.

The other thing that surprised me was how naturally everything unfolded. There wasn’t a single moment all day when we felt we were “working” on what would become the most beautiful keepsake of our lives. It all just happened, somewhere between another joke from Michał and a wedding anecdote from Dorota.

After a whole day with the “Smoki”, we were exhausted – climbing trees in a wedding dress weighing more than twenty kilograms does take its toll – but we also felt relaxed, happy and beautiful.’

And how did they remember the moment behind a photograph that went on to receive recognition in so many competitions?

That moment in the courtyard

‘We will never forget the first time we walked into the decorated courtyard. It took our breath away. The flowers and décor, the stage that looked worthy of a great music festival, and the unforgettable lighting: everything was perfect.

With tears in our eyes and huge smiles, we walked to our table as our guests clapped along. Just after the toast, Michał and Dorota asked us to step into the middle of the dance floor. They said something about the lovely light and how we looked like stars at the Golden Globes.’

‘The photograph happened between poses, in a tiny pause. Judging by my expression, either the Smoki or Gabriel had made another joke. That is what is so moving: one photograph captures not only the beauty of our decorations, clothes and lighting, but a whole range of feelings – joy, love, emotion and fun.

Every time I look at our wedding album, my heart beats faster, as if I were travelling back in time. That is what we are grateful to you for, Michał and Dorota: the most beautiful present imaginable, shared experiences we can return to endlessly, feeling just as happy every time. Our wedding photographs are wonderful!’

We also want to acknowledge Kinga, with whom we have often worked in and around Kraków. It would not have come together so beautifully without her. Here is what she wrote about working with Iza and Gabriel:

Kinga Nowakowska, Raz w Życiu wedding planners

‘Iza and Gabriel are a special couple. From the beginning, they had a vision for their dream wedding, while remaining very open to suggestions and advice from us, Eva Klimek and Michał Lewandowski. Step by step, that extraordinary celebration took shape.

On the day, they gave themselves completely to the atmosphere, looking at one another with love and enjoying every moment. We can see all those feelings in every photograph.

Alongside keeping the wedding running smoothly, we checked the weather forecast every other second. But even rain could not have spoiled this wedding – and, fortunately, it only arrived in the early hours of the morning.’

‘We are proud and happy to have been part of this exceptional, unforgettable celebration. A special thank-you to Dorota and Michał, who recommended Raz w Życiu to the couple.’