Elegant & Understated Details We Love From Our Editor’s Italian Wedding
- Edited by
- Laura Fantacci
- Words By
- Elizabeth Little
- Photography by
- Ed Peers
“I had always known that I wanted to design my own wedding dress. I worked with a local seamstress who lived in the same town as my grandmother. Some of my favourite memories are from the year we spent designing it, especially as my grandmother has since passed. I was inspired by Anne Hathaway in a Valentino gown at one of her movie premieres, but I also wanted it to be something that I would look back on and love for years to come. I chose lots of chiffon, delicate pleating and no appliqué, for a dress that I still love even after all of these years. Finally, I added a belt - I wanted something that bridged the gap between day and evening, high and low - and it was the perfect finishing touch.”
“I knew that I didn’t want traditional flower arrangements. I wanted to get married outdoors, but it proved difficult in Italy. In the end, we got married in a church, so I wanted to bring as much of the outdoors in as I could. We went to a nursery and rented loads of trees of various sizes that were native to Tuscany. We just wrapped the bases of the trees in a bit of gauze-like fabric, and then after the ceremony we returned them to the nursery.”
“Peonies are my favourite flower – I adore how they blossom into such a fluffy flower head. Christian Louboutin did a collection of shoes with flowers, so I knew that I had to get a pair. While the rest of my outfit was more classic, the shoes were the decorative touch. I loved how the flowers brought some femininity to the whole look. They lent themselves to the spirit of the day, which was a garden theme. Now, I wear the shoes every wedding anniversary. I wear them with jeans, a jumpsuit, anything really. But I always make a point of wearing them. It’s a way to relive that day.”
“When we were looking for churches in Florence, we came across this one, called Santa Lucia. It was such a serendipitous find, because my name obviously starts with an ‘L’ and my husband’s name starts with an ‘S’, and all throughout the church were those letters. It felt meant to be.”
“Even though I got married back home in Italy, I wanted the reception to feel like an English garden. I love flowers and nature, so I decorated the space with lots of small bunches. I had hundreds of small bud vases, which I hung throughout the space. I didn’t have a wedding planner, so the day before, I hung them all myself, and then the florist filled them with the small flower bouquets.”
“I had a total of eight bridesmaids, but my two sisters and my closest friend were my witnesses. I spent about a year deciding what they would wear, and I ended up finding their dresses at various sample sales. I wanted them to match the flowers. In the end, all the dresses were different from each other, but I felt they all had a similar style and matched the essence of the day.”
“At the time, my wedding was very different, especially for an Italian wedding. It’s a bit more common now, but back then, most weddings in Italy were a church ceremony followed by a traditional dinner at a restaurant. I wanted the reception to be outside and feel like an English garden. When I look back on it now, I think I brought a nice mix of English and Italian traditions. All the furniture was wicker, and I gave sunhats and parasols to my guests to protect themselves. Throughout the garden space were lots of areas for people to hang out and chat, as well as an artist’s corner and various food stations.”
“Throughout the year before my wedding, I collected little vases to be used as bud vases for the flowers at the reception. I kept every empty jar I came across, from jam to olive oil. I even asked friends and family to give me any extra jars they had. By the end, I had hundreds of them.”
“This was such a lovely surprise! My aunt owns a 1950s Fiat, and my cousin surprised me by picking us up at the church in it. It felt so quintessentially Italian. It had an open roof, and I was able to stand and wave to my guests from the car.”
“After the church ceremony, we went back to the villa and set up some finger food for the guests. The villa had two orangeries, and we used one of them for this lunch with all the picnic food. We went very traditionally Tuscan with charcuterie boards, cheese, and these delicious fried Parmesan balls.”
“Sugared almonds are a very traditional party favour in Italy. Usually, they’re given at the end of the day in a fancy box with bows. We stripped it back to a brown paper bag with a custom stamp we had made with the date of our wedding. We put the almonds into these large cornucopias and then our guests could fill the bags and take them home.”
“Why just have one dress? I knew that I wanted a second dress for the evening, so I had the same seamstress who made my ceremony gown make this one. I got the fabric in Soho, and it was a bit Carrie Bradshaw-inspired. I didn’t want to wear white in the evening, so the fabric was actually a very soft pink.”
“Rather than table numbers, we named each table after an important date from our relationship. Every date was a special memory for us, like the day we met, our first kiss and when we first moved in together.”
“After the daytime events, we returned to the location for dinner and dancing. The dinner was set in one of the two orangeries. We had fairy lights on the ceiling, and it was further enhanced by candles. It was a magical sight. After that, we moved into the party wing and danced all night.”