A Relaxed and Soulful Wedding in Rural Italy with a Bride in Rosa Clara

This wedding arrived in my email inbox a few weeks ago, just a couple of days after I had come back from an amazing week in Tuscany with my husband- it was an incredible holiday and we both absolutely loved our trip.  These photos had me just longing to go back and I’m certain they’ll have the same affect on you, whether you’re an Italian-addict (like me) or not.

Meet Elizabeth and Adam, who married on the 30 May 2017 at the Tenuta Il Laureto hotel, Arpino, Italy.  The couple got engaged in their home city of Newcastle, with light up letters over the river Tyne!

“Having a love for the outdoors, we knew we didn’t want to get married in a church and coming from two different religious backgrounds we didn’t want it to be about who chose which religion but more about us becoming a team and enjoying the setting around us with all our friends and family.  When we saw the venue we saw the perfect tree to get married under and we instantly knew this was the place- full of natural plants, herbs, flowers and wildlife. We decided to let the natural setting be the ‘theme’.  I emphasised this by highlighting certain areas, such as the individual flowers and herbs, chill out areas with mats, rugs and cushions and festoon lights in the trees.”

Images by Lee Scullion

“Adam’s family are Italian and come from a small village called Arpino so we wanted our guests to come and sample the rustic Italian life.  We started our day with all the guests gathering at our favourite bar in the piazza with glasses of Aperol Spritz.  Then, in true Italian style, everyone jumped in a free space in a car and tooted their horns up to the venue where they arrived to food and more drinks on the terrace. I always hear of people saying how hungry they were at weddings so Adam and I wanted to make sure everyone was full.  Our friends still say how amazing the food was and how much there was of it which makes us very happy.”Elizabeth looked beautiful in a Rosa Clara gown which she purchased from Y.A.P Bridal Boutique in Newcastle.  The beading is just stunning.

“I didn’t know what I wanted but after some time of trying different shapes I knew I wanted something relaxed but with beadwork.  I fell in love with the Rosa Clara Dress as it was everything- relaxed but also dreamy and fun.  I had it altered so the cape sleeves were gathered at the top so more focus could be on the back detail.”

On her feet Elizabeth wore ballerinas by Mui Mui, while in her hair she wore a delicate gemstone point halo made with rose gold wire.  For scent she opted for Mandarino Di Amalfi by Tom Ford.

For jewellery she chose a real mix- a range of necklaces from her Mum’s vintage collection (worn in the evening), a necklace engraved with the wedding date, yellow diamond earrings which were a wedding present from Adam and rings by Monica Vinader and Daniella Draper.

“Adam surprised me on my birthday with an overnight stay in the penthouse suite at Malmaison Newcastle and with the help of his cousin (who owns Coco Luminaire) and the Baltic they managed to arrange the large light letters so they shone bright over the River Tyne with the words ‘Marry me Liz’!  It was a perfect evening (and even made the local news).”

Adam looked super cool and very chic in chinos from Reiss, worn with a white oxford shirt from Uniglo, a bowtie by Liberty London, footwear by Grenson and sunglasses by Illesteva.

“My hair was done by a local hairdresser called Ciniza who was perfect!”

The bridesmaids looked lovely in different dresses in shades of pink from Needle and Thread, ASOS and Miss Selfridge, while the flower girls looked very sweet in dresses from La Redoute, worn with flower crowns from Rock N Rose.

“Our florist was a family friend who lived in the next village.  I asked her to do a mixture of wild greenery, ranunculas, jasmine, olive branches, eucalyptus and white peonies wrapped in natural hand dyed silk.”

Elizabeth and her attendants were driven to the ceremony in a vintage red Cinquecento 500 which perfectly encapsulates that classic Italian feel.

“Our wedding planner was Veruska Corsetti.  She is based in Rome and was excellent at working with us when we were back in the UK.  She hadn’t done a ‘English’ wedding before so it was good to have someone who was also excited about the planning.  I would definitely advise having a wedding planner if getting married aboard.”

“We had a civil ceremony back home with close members of family and friends.  This meant we could have our friend marry us in Italy.”

Elizabeth walked down the aisle with her big brother to ‘You and Me’ by Penny and the Quarters.  Later, both of her brothers gave a ‘big brother speech’.

“We decided to write our own vows as we have been together for so long now we felt some of the traditional vows were a tad outdated for what we felt.  I messed up a line whilst reading my vows which left me (along with everyone else) in fits of giggles but I wouldn’t have had any other way as it managed to release the nervous tension and for everyone to laugh together was priceless.”

Two friends did readings- ‘Love is a temporary madness’ from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and ‘Let Love Be Stronger Than Your Anger’ by Jane Wells.

“Both readings are about love once the initial excitement of first getting to know each other has gone and about the work you both have to put into a relationship for it to work.”

“My wedding rings were designed by Adam to signify our two weddings and groomsman Rishi had them handmade in Dubai along with my earrings.”

The talent behind today’s amazing photographs is Lee Scullion.  Take a peek here for a couple of other weddings on the blog which were photographed by him.

“Lee is a fantastic photographer who we now call a friend.  He made both us and all our guests so relaxed and was perfect at capturing natural and relaxed points thoughout the day.”

Instead of a table plan, Elizabeth and Adam put photos of their guests out and let everyone find their seats that way- a great way of letting everyone see old photos of one another!

“To encapsulate the tradition of everyone eating together I decided that all eighty-six of us would all sit together on one long table.  At first the restaurant had some reservations but I knew it would work out just fine and it was brilliant.  I kept the décor really simple, took all the chair covers off the chairs to find mis-matching chairs and let the centre piece of olive branches, white peonies, sage and eucalyptus be the showpiece.”

For entertainment Elizabeth and Adam asked their friend, DJ Sam Hale, to get the party going.  For their younger guests (of which there were thirty-two under eleven!) they hired a children’s entertainer.

The newlywed’s first dance was something pretty spectacular and Elizabeth changed into a funky white crepe jumpsuit from Theory for the occasion.

“The O’Jays was the very first track I remember my parents playing when I was younger and we wanted to do something that would remember my father but also celebrate life, in true Nigerian spirit.  The best way to celebrate is to dance as it always make us feel happy so we decided to surprise our guests and do our own routine which went down a storm.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Fa Niente – this is one of my favourite phrases in slag Italian- it basically means ‘it doesn’t matter’ and I found myself saying it a lot during the lead up of the wedding.  Don’t get stressed!  None of your guests will be saying ‘they haven’t done this, they haven’t done that’.”

“All they want to see is you be happy and they will be excited that you have let them be part of your special day, so drink that fizz and enjoy.”

Huge thanks to Elizabeth and Adam for sharing this gorgeous day.  I’ve never been to an Italian wedding- if anyone would like an extra guest I’m definitely available! Take a peek here for some more beautiful Italian celebrations- our own Emily got married in Italy this year and I was so envious of her stunning photos- Italy is just the most romantic place.

Much love, S x