Learning Italian (Again): What It Has to Do With Being an Italy Elopement Photographer
As an Italy elopement photographer, I get asked a lot of questions about the destinations I shoot, but rarely about the language. So here's an answer to a question nobody's asking yet: yes, I'm learning Italian, again, and it has more to do with my work than you'd think.
When I lived in Rome, I was almost fluent. I could order food, hold a real conversation, get around the city without switching to English out of panic. That was over a decade ago now, and languages, it turns out, don't just stay with you if you don't use them. So here I am, relearning a language I used to actually speak.
It's a strange kind of process. Some of it comes back instantly, certain phrases, the rhythm of how Italians actually talk, little words I didn't even realize I still had stored somewhere. Other parts feel like starting completely from scratch. It's less like learning something new and more like remembering something I misplaced.
Right now I'm coming at it from a few different angles at once: apps for daily practice, actual college classes to build the structure back up, and a lot of immersion. Italian music, shows, anything that gets my ear used to the language again outside of a lesson plan. No single method has done it alone, but together, it's slowly starting to click back into place.
Honestly, it's been a smoother process than I expected. I think having lived there before gives me a head start most beginners don't get, even years later. My accent came back almost immediately, and a lot of grammar rules that used to trip me up now make a strange kind of sense, like my brain already knew the rule, it just needed reminding.
Why bother relearning a language I could technically get by without? Two reasons, really. The personal one is simple: Italian was never just a skill I picked up, it was tied to a whole chapter of my life I loved living. Getting it back feels like reconnecting with that version of myself. But there's a practical reason too, and it's the bigger one. As an Italy elopement photographer, being able to actually speak the language means I can communicate directly with local vendors, help translate for my couples, and make the entire planning experience smoother for anyone eloping there with me. It's not just a personal project. It's part of how I want to show up for every couple who trusts me with their Italy elopement.
I'm not fluent yet, not the way I used to be. But I'm getting there, one lesson, one song, one rewatched episode at a time. If you're planning an Italy elopement and worried at all about the language barrier, know that closing that gap is exactly what I'm working toward as your photographer.
