Love In The Time Of Covid

How this wedding photographer captures the silver lining in every shot.

- Leanda Rathmell

Destination venues; costume changes; five tiers of marzipan. These are just a few of the elements of wedding planning that were becoming par for the course in the pre-pandemic era. With three-digit invitation lists and florist fees alone, couples were submitting themselves to costs so extreme and schedules so unforgiving that guests were no longer surprised to end a celebration without having exchanged a single word or embrace with the newlyweds on their day.

Then along came the “C” curveball – and this flourishing industry, like many, was brought to its knees. Weddings were cancelled, postponed and dramatically downsized. Still, while it’s been a harrowing year for venues and vendors worldwide, it’s also brought about some long-overdue reflection. We take a look through the lens of wedding photographer BEATRICE CONTRINI and reflect on a year of change, adaptation and positivity.

Tell us about yourself; are you really from Romeo and Juliet’s neck of the woods?

Yes, I grew up in the Alps, just north of Verona in Italy! When I was 20, I moved to the Netherlands to study, which is where I met my husband. We soon moved to Germany where we spent 11 wonderful years.

How did your love story with Asia unfold?

After 12 years of dating, we travelled to Bali where Simon popped the question in front of the stunning Tanah Lot temple. A month later, we were married back in Germany in a small civil service with a few close family members and friends. We had planned to have our ceremony the following summer, but life got in the way. Our firstborn came not long after, and little did we know that a return to Asia was on the cards. We moved to Hong Kong in 2014 for a work opportunity that later brought us to Singapore.

Have you always been a wedding photographer?