A Romantic Tara Keely Dress For An Intimate And Unplugged Wedding In Italy

wpid438582 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 34

Saturdays deserve something a little special and this beautiful Italian wedding fits that brief to a tee. Meet Canadians Laura and Rich who both work as Recruiters. They were married on the 5th of September 2015 at Locanda Rosa Rosae  in Breda di Piave, Italy, an ancient mill dating back to 1570. Forgoing a traditional wedding party, their aim was to have a laid-back wedding with a focus on their guests, delicious food and fun. A Prosecco tour before the wedding to integrate the guests, a wedding morning yoga class and a whiskey and cigar lounge were all a big hit with their guests and set the tone for a truly lovely wedding. Joel and Justyna of Joel Bedford Photography have captured every charming detail, including an adorable first look and every image is a delight.

“We were drawn to the beautiful architectural details and unique style of Locanda Rosa Rosae, everything was so charmingly curated. The owners Silvio and Elisabetta have amazing taste and have imaginatively restored the building and the grounds into a romantic inn and restaurant with some of the best food in the world. Sylvie from My Italian Wedding  helped us to plan the wedding. She was phenomenal and truly understood our vision for the day.”

Photograpy by Joel Bedford

wpid438582 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 34“Rich and I met through work in 2009. He used to send me ‘Words of the Day’ via email, and then we discovered our mutual love of Scrabble and our first date involved a pretty intense game. Being an aficionado, I kicked Rich’s butt, and have not let him live it down to this day. A few months later, we travelled to Greece together for a friend’s wedding, where we talked about moving in together and buying a dog (a pug named Mr. Fart Wrinkles).

We returned to Canada and did exactly that. We incorporated a lot of these personal details into our wedding, using a Scrabble board as our ‘guest book’ and having pug place cards to assign seats to our guests.”

 

wpid438528 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 1

“We got engaged in April 2014.  I was wearing pyjamas (seriously…not what I would have been sporting if I knew that he was about to propose) but it was a very natural moment, and a total surprise for me. Rich had picked out a beautiful antique ring and then had a blue sapphire set into the middle. It was a pretty great Tuesday in my books.”

wpid438602 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 5

“We had a trip to Italy planned for June 2014 (two months after the proposal) and had initially thought about ‘eloping’ while on that trip but wanting to have our families and friends with us on our special day nixed that idea pretty quickly. Italy stayed in our minds though so I did some research in the Veneto region where my dad’s family is from.”

wpid438550 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 2

“When Locanda Rosa Rosae popped up, I knew it was the perfect place for our intimate and romantic outdoor wedding. The venue certainly acted as our main inspiration.”

wpid438594 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 4wpid438606 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 7wpid438608 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 8

“Prior to departing for Italy, Rich and I opted to get tattoos to celebrate our wedding. The ‘O’ that I got tattooed on my ribs was a symbol of my ring, since I do not have a wedding band. During the ceremony, Rich gave me my Grandmother’s wedding ring, but given its size, I wear it around my neck instead of on my ring finger. Rich has an antique white gold ring from Howard Fine Jewelers.”

wpid438610 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 9

Laura’s Tara Keely dress is nothing short of sensational and with its simplistic style and romantic lace, looks completely at home in the Italian countryside. Rich’s reaction says it all!

“I was looking for a long-sleeved lace dress that was romantic, yet avant-garde. I felt the plunging neckline made a serious statement and I loved that it had Venetian lace sleeves (we got married just 45 minutes outside of Venice).”

wpid438530 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 10wpid438532 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 11wpid438534 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 12

The bride accessorised her dress with a sparkly pair of Kate Spade shoes and a gorgeous floral crown by Il Profumo dei FioriMarcela Bantea made sure her make up was flawless.

wpid438604 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 6wpid438580 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 33wpid438536 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 13

Rich chose a light coloured L&K Custom Tailor suit teamed with an Oscar of Sweden shirt, the perfect choice for a laid back wedding in the sun. Laura gave Rich a beautiful Skagen watch as his wedding gift which he also wore on the day.

wpid438542 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 16

“The First Look was very special, it allowed us to crack a few jokes and calm our nerves prior to the ceremony and the look on Rich’s face was priceless. An unexpected moment occurred later in the day when people were enjoying whiskey and cigars. Billy Joel’s ‘The Longest Time’ came on and Rich and I had an intimate moment under the veranda where we basically serenaded each other and snapped along to the music. It was entirely spontaneous but I remember thinking this is why I married this man…my best friend.”

 

wpid438544 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 17wpid438546 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 18

As soon as I opened up the images of this wedding I could see exactly why Laura and Rich chose Joel Bedford Photography to capture their wedding day. Their attention to detail is second to none and the resulting images are truly breathtaking.

“Even though we were planning a destination wedding in Italy, we decided to hire a photographer close to home in Canada as we wanted to meet in person and develop a solid working relationship. After meeting Joel and Justyna, we knew that they were the perfect fit. Their portfolio is stunning and wonderfully creative, but the best part is that they are genuinely great people who are down to earth and easy to work with. They captured every moment of our wedding and the pictures truly tell the story of our special day.”

wpid438548 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 19wpid438552 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 20wpid438558 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 23wpid438560 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 24wpid438562 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 25wpid438564 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 26wpid438568 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 28

“My father walked me down the aisle to “Something” by the Beatles.  He was 75 and I am his only daughter so it was a very special moment for the both of us.”

wpid438570 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 29

Laura’s brother acted as officiant for the wedding, allowing them to have a very personal ceremony with non-traditional vows.

“You are the greatest catalyst of the happiness and joy in my life.

You will always be the best part of my day, and I can’t wait to spend my life with you.

I want you, and whatever life gives us.

Let’s crush life together!”

Laura and Rich chose ‘Wild Awake’ by Hilary T. Smith as a reading. They love how this quote speaks of how, despite their imperfections, they love and accept each other without judgement.

“People are like cities: We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks, but most of the time all we let each other see is a postcard glimpse of a skyline or a polished square. Love lets you find those hidden places in another person, even the ones they didn’t know were there, even the ones they wouldn’t have thought to call beautiful themselves.”

 

wpid438574 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 30wpid438576 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 31wpid438578 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 32wpid438584 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 35wpid438586 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 36wpid438588 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 37wpid438590 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 38

The couple chose Il Profumo dei Fiori to supply the flowers for the day. Laura was keen to use blush, pink and sage green colours to compliment the decor at Rosa Rosae.

“I think that the prettiest weddings tend to play off what already exists at the venue.”

And I couldn’t agree more, the flowers only enhance what is already a stunning venue.

wpid438592 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 39

“The furniture and accessories at Locanda Rosa Rosae were used to style the venue, but we did source the pink sofa and chair for the Cigar Lounge from Noeliya. We also passed out burlap sacks containing Italian roasted coffee beans sourced from Grosmi Caffè for the guests.”

wpid438566 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 27wpid438554 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 21wpid438556 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 22

“Elisabetta (the Locanda’s owner) and her team made a delicious spread which included multiple courses including a starter buffet of fish dishes, seasonal vegetables, vegetable and meat pies, salads, a selection of olives, cheese and prosciutto, and Italian spit-roasted pork followed by a 3-course vegetarian Italian feast. Needless to say we were all stuffed.”

wpid438596 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 40

The newlyweds chose ‘You and I’ as their first dance, a gorgeous song by Ingrid Michelson which talks of building a lovely life together.

wpid438598 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 41

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Hire a wedding planner if you are planning a destination wedding – we honestly could not have pulled the wedding off without Sylvie’s support. Also, remind yourself frequently that people care about the food, the party and whether a good time was had by all (very few will care about the tiny details, so don’t stress over them).”

wpid438600 Tara Keely dress unplugged wedding italy 42

Thank you so very much to the lovely Laura and Rich, we have loved sharing your beautiful wedding. We are also delighted to share Joel and Justyna’s work for the first time on these pages. If you have been sucked in by the beauty of an Italian wedding we have an archive of Italian weddings for you to peruse at your leisure (a rich aromatic coffee is optional).

Love Caoimhe xx

Credits & Thanks

Caoimhe Anderson

Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles

Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.

7 thoughts on “A Romantic Tara Keely Dress For An Intimate And Unplugged Wedding In Italy

    1. How lovely of you to say guys! Honestly it’s such a huge pleasure to be able to share this wedding and your work on Love My Dress – thank *you* xx

  1. This makes me SO excited to be an Italian bride! That flower crown is gorgeous, the dress is just beyond words but it’s the soft light pervading all these images which totally steals my heart x x x

  2. How atmospheric can one wedding be?! Obsessed with Laura’s floral crown and overall relaxed but super stylish bridal look. I cant stop looking at these images! Congrats guys xxx

Comments are closed.

Close
Top