Gaia & ShehA Three Day Wedding on the Portofino Coast

A destination wedding near Portofino, with time to be together

A destination wedding is also a gathering: friends arriving, families spending time together, conversations continuing long after dinner. Gaia and Sheh gave those moments room across three days on the Italian Riviera. Their wedding at Castello Canevaro was the centre of a longer celebration, rather than the only opportunity to see everyone.

The geography matters to the story. The wedding venue is in Zoagli, on the Gulf of Tigullio, near Portofino. The picnic took place in Nervi, in Genoa. Together, these places gave the weekend different moods: a welcoming dinner, a relaxed day outdoors and a black tie wedding beside the sea.

For couples researching a wedding near Portofino, their celebration offers a real example of how several days can feel connected without repeating the same setting or atmosphere.

The first chapter

A welcome dinner at Le Due Querce

The weekend began with a welcome dinner at Le Due Querce, in Sant’Ambrogio di Zoagli. Before the wedding day arrived, Gaia and Sheh had an evening to welcome the people joining them on the Riviera. The restaurant’s panoramic terrace and Ligurian setting offered a different beginning from the more formal celebration to follow.

From a filmmaking perspective, these early gatherings are valuable because the relationships begin to reveal themselves. A greeting, a shared joke or a conversation at the table can add context to the faces seen again during the ceremony and speeches. Covering a welcome event allows the finished film to hold more of the experience around the wedding day.

The second chapter

A picnic and games in the historic parks of Nervi

A picnic at the Parchi di Nervi brought a lighter rhythm to the celebrations. Gaia and Sheh included games and time outdoors, giving their guests another way to spend the weekend together before the wedding.

Nervi’s historic parks are in Genoa, alongside the coastal promenade. Their gardens make a distinct setting from the castle and the welcome dinner. In the film, that change of pace makes room for the playful side of a celebration as well as its more emotional moments.

Across a destination wedding weekend, that contrast can matter as much as the formal events. Time spent playing, talking and relaxing gives guests room to get to know one another before they gather again for the wedding day.

The wedding day

Castello Canevaro: a seaside wedding venue in Zoagli

Castello Canevaro stands above the sea in Zoagli. Its gardens look towards the Portofino promontory and the Gulf of Tigullio, while terraces and historic interiors offer different backdrops within the same property. For Gaia and Sheh’s wedding, the castle brought the coastal landscape and the gathering of 110 guests into one setting.

The photographs and film move between those scales: an aerial view of the castle, the arrangement of the outdoor dinner tables, and close moments between the couple. White flowers, woven lamps and a black tie dress code gave the wedding day a clear visual language, with green dresses for the bridesmaids.

The ceremony and the dinner also carried the sound of the day. First looks created intimate moments before the celebration; Ailynn, Gaia’s dog and ring bearer, added a personal and playful presence. Seven speeches during dinner gave family and friends space to tell their part of the story.

Wedding planning with Carola Biasetti

The celebration was planned by Carola Biasetti, whose work includes destination weddings on the Italian Riviera. Across a weekend with several locations, a planner is an important point of connection between the couple, the venues and the creative team.

For the film, the planning conversation helps establish where the significant moments will happen and what needs to be heard. In Gaia and Sheh’s case, that meant paying attention to the first looks, the ceremony, the seven dinner speeches and the transition into live music and dancing. A clear shared timeline helps me observe those moments with the preparation they deserve.

Three bridal looks across the celebration

Gaia wore three different outfits across the three days. The images bring together a red dress, a red embroidered look with jewellery, and the white lace wedding gown seen during the ceremony and portraits. Her bridal atelier is credited as Monique Lhuillier.

These changes belong to the progression of the weekend. They also give the film a visual rhythm, from colour and movement to the detail of lace against the sea. The story remains centred on Gaia and Sheh, even as the setting and clothes change around them.

A wedding film shaped by voices, music and small details

Gaia and Sheh’s response to the finished films spoke about the things that mattered to them: familiar soundtracks, the choice of voiceovers, the transitions between moments and the details they noticed when watching again. They laughed and cried, then returned to the films to discover more.

That is the kind of attention I want a wedding film to reward. A speech can change the meaning of an image. A musical transition can give a small gesture its own place in the story. Ailynn’s appearance during the ceremony, and again at the end of the film, became moments the couple specifically mentioned afterwards.

The sneak peek, full film and trailer above offer three ways into the celebration. The full film has more space for the voices and relationships, while the shorter edits bring a different rhythm. All three are shaped around the same people and the experience they shared. You can read more about my approach to documentary and editorial wedding filmmaking.

Planning a wedding near Portofino?

Gaia and Sheh’s celebration shows one way to combine a seaside wedding with time for guests to settle into the destination. If you are considering a similar weekend, start with the experience you want to share, then discuss the locations, travel between events and filming coverage with your planner and creative team.