This Friday afternoon is all about Italian romance.

Wendy and Geremi married in June in Wendy’s grandparents garden, it was the most beautiful of outdoor settings. They then held their reception in a pretty restaurant which they decorated beautifully.

Wendy looks elegant in Pronovias, with her hair swept into a chic side bun, while Geremi went for a quirky look complete with bow tie. Oh so dreamy.

Thanks so much to the wonderful Cristina Rossi for sharing her photographs with us this afternoon.

 

 

The Proposal… The proposal happened on New Years Eve 2011. Under the guise of hanging a ball created by him .. He took me in the square in Fiano sprinkling of snow, under the big Christmas tree all lit up! As we watched the house of our dreams that we had already seen before .. (after 3 months that has become our current nest) .. he pulled out a white rose saying “this is for you” At first I did not notice the ‘ring’ was amongst the petals. . When I saw it he proposed!

The Vision for the Day… Our garden was already the perfect place for a ceremony like ours… we have only highlighted a few details like the old country water cistern, the wooden ladder in the old barn, the well, the door of the old barn .. we wanted to expose the old wooden wagon that was used once but we had run out of time to restore it. When we went to see for the first time La Vià it seemed to enter another era, to go back in time .. and it was just that with all the details in it that stood out was already fascinating .. so!

We have added to our place holder, the tableau, and printed menus. The markers were made of logs of trees cut by us on which we have entered the name of each guest. For the tableau, since Cavour is the country of the apples we decided to do it directly with these appogiate on a table with straw bottom and tags skewered tables above. As the name of the tables and centrepieces we chose the fruit to stay on topic.

The Planning Process… For some time marriage was in our thoughts .. especially the idea of celebrating it in my grandparent’s garden… my dream since childhood! One day we decided that 2013 would be the year of our marriage. . We chose the month of June, thinking it would be ideal for an outside ceremony, weather wise. We started looking at different locations for the reception and and we found “La Via’” a beautiful location that reflected our taste for a rustic feel… The only date available in June was the 23rd, which coincidently was also our preference .. and so we booked it! After communicating the date to family and friends, we started to arrange the family garden, looking for vendors and for our attire…

Budget… Except for our attire as it was a gift by our families. . our budget was about € 9,000 .. but by us taking care of so many things we could then reduce it to about 8000 euro.

The Venue… When we went to see the reception venue for the first time, Il ristorante ‘La Vià’ in Cavour, made us feel like we entered another era, to go back in time, and just as it was with all its details it stood out, so mesmerizing just as it was!

The Dress + Accessories… Provonias Urdaniz, 2013 Barcelona collection modified to my specifications.

Finding the Dress… My dress has always been in my head, I did a lot of research on the internet in the style that appealed to me finding a line that made them very similar. Initially I wanted to draw it and look for a seamstress to recreate it for me but unusually I fell in love in the first bridal shop of the first dress I tried. The line I found on the internet, and with the right changes and tweaks it mirrored my model that I had always wanted.

Groom’s Attire… Geremi, unlike me, took a lot more time .. but once he found his ideal model he fell in love with it. A Corneliani suit bought from www.algozzini.it

The Readings + Music… Alex DJ from matrimonio.it

Beautiful Bridesmaids… My little cousins were my flowergirls and my little brother Christian our page boy/ring bearer.

The Flowers… Our local florist Elisa Fiori.

The Cake… The cake that we have chosen is the classic Italian on several tiers . Even in the cake we tried to recreate a rustic country theme, with inserts of ivy and fresh white rose petals. On top of the cake stood a statuette of the newly weds in a frame. We opted for a classic cake, not only to please everyone, but especially because we like custard, chocolate and sponge cake.

Your Photographer… Cristina is not only a great professional, but also a dear friend of the family, for me as the bride has been an honour to have been photographed by her on my wedding day, she once had held me in her arms when I was just a few days old.

The photos that she took of us are all very special, never dull, from the play of light to the choice of locations, she always manages to make marvellous even the most unlikely background. And with her fun personality, she manages to get rid of any veil of embarrassment that you may have in such special moments…

The Honeymoon… For the honeymoon we decided to make our American dream by visiting the Big Apple, San Francisco, we crossed the desert by car to Las Vegas and finally a bit of relaxation in Miami beach. Very tiring trip, travelling a lot, but in the last few days we relaxed. Personally I would avoid too many days in Las Vegas. Overall beautiful and an unforgettable experience.

Memorable Moments… A memorable moment was seeing all our loved ones around us in my grandparent’s garden. The sweet words read with such emotion by my little brother Cristian that moved everyone. The dancing at the reception were some wonderful moments of happiness and light-heartedness.

The whole day has flown by, almost like it has been lived all in one breath…

Advice for Other Couples… we can highly recommend to enjoy every moment of the day to the full, to be themselves, have fun and to embrace the emotions. Only this way they can truly have a wonderful memory of their wedding day.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Venue – Ceremony: my grandparent’s garden in Fiano (TO)

- Reception: Ristorante La Via’ in Cavour (TO) http://www.la-via.it/

Bride’s Dress Provonia www.provonia.it

Groom’s suit Corneliani www.algozzini.it

Florist local florist Elisa Fiori

Hair stylist Ilaria Acconciature

Photographer Cristina Rossi Photography www.cristinarossi.co.uk

DJ Alex Dj www.matrimonio.it

 

Such a fabulous day. Thanks so much to Wendy and Geremi for sharing their utterly beautiful wedding with us today XOXO Lou