Wedding Date on Sep 2, 2023

Max and Amanda met in the second grade. As they like to tell it, Max was immediately smitten. Amanda didn’t even know who he was. One day in second grade English class, they were working on a question and answer form. On that paper, they gave them the prompt “Who are you going to marry?”. Max wrote Amanda’s name. The two of them grew up together, but they wouldn’t finally start dating until their senior year of high school. They chose Italy not only because they got engaged there, but because Amanda visited often throughout her childhood. It became one of their favorite places - one that they wanted to share with their circle of friends. They chose to have an intimate celebration in an estate nestled in the Tuscan countryside. In the opening of their teaser, we see a bird silhouette by a curtain. There’s an air of mystery, of not quite seeing the whole picture yet. We cut to a shot of A + M running - in the throes of young love, chasing after each other as we do when youth is on our side and love is in our hearts. The bird represents their relationship: mid flight and looking for a place to call home. From there it’s all about mood and anticipation. We have scenes in black and white that bloom into color as A looks out to where she’ll have her first touch with M. There’s a vintage charm to Italy; a love of love through the ages. One that still persists in the narrow streets, vineyards, and galleries. In all forms of Italian storytelling - art, film, poetry, music - there is an admiration for conviviality and romance. In the shot choice and sound design we really wanted these elements to shine through. In the film’s closing, we're left with a long drone shot ascending above A+M’s reception, watching them dance without concern atop a stone table, leaving them to their fun as we, the audience, depart. The final shot is of a sleepy villa cat gently closing its eyes. During our weekend there, we watched that cat chase recklessly after birds. In our mind, he’s dreaming about the bird from the opening shot, ever chasing after something it longs for; the thrill of longing for something and then finally catching it. In second grade, M said he would marry A one day. The cat represents their long history, finally taking a breath after its eventful journey and happy in knowing the chase was worth it.