A Backless Suzanne Harward Gown for a Spectacular Italian Destination Wedding

If you’ve read any of my previous features, you may have noticed that I’m not often short on words, but the wedding I’m sharing with you today has left me, frankly, a little speechless. So on that note, grab yourself a pot of tea or bottle of bubbly and settle in – I’ve got so much to show you.

Gillian, a Marketing and Events Manager and Mark, a Recruitment Consultant chose the incredible Borgo Di Tragliata in Fiumicino, Rome for their wedding on 13th June 2017. We were delighted to see that the ceremony officiators for this wedding were the wonderful Blessings from Italy, who we are proud to recommend through our Little Book For Brides.

“We loved the idea of a rustic, romantic, fun outdoor wedding in the countryside. We also loved the idea that all our close family and friends would be going on holidays together – and who doesn’t love a holiday!”

Photography by Maison Pestea

When it came to choosing her dress, Gillian didn’t expect she’d find one that perfectly fit the bill…

“I knew all the elements that I liked in various dresses, but I honestly never thought I would find all of them in one dress. My ideal dress would be backless with detail on the bodice, but I wasn’t sure whether a full skirt would work with that. I had looked at dresses online with a plunge neck and also loved the idea of adding a gold belt or something that made my dress unique to me.”“When I tried my dress on in Suzanne Harward, there were so many options to amend it to suit my style and make it ‘me’. Sleeves or no sleeves, straight skirt or full skirt, gold belt or white belt. It had every single element on my wish list, and to top it off, it had pockets! The tom-boy in me fell in love with its edginess, but the girl in me opted to add a long tulle veil to give it a bit of feminine softness. I loved the addition of the gold belt. It was just the perfect mix of modern, edgy bride with a vintage twist.”

The couple’s florist works regularly with the Borgo, so she knew just how to bring out its beauty.

“Our florist Patrizia Caccia was incredible. She added beautiful flowers to the chairs and petals along the aisle. This really made the whole space feel romantic. She later moved the same flowers to the tables as centre-pieces for the reception. She was so helpful and wanted to go through every detail the week before the wedding to make sure she got everything just right.”

On the day, Gillian chose Janita Helova to help her and her bridesmaids get ready.

“She is simply the best hair and make-up artist in Rome; very talented, a lovely lady to deal with and super-fast.”

Gillian also wanted to give a nod to those who helped her prepare in the run-up to the big day;

Skincare by Lisa Wykes, nails by Lidia’s Studio, Head Office Hair and dental care by Dr. Maria Avis at Akoya Dental Boutique.

Gillian and Mark first met as 15-year-olds in Ireland; “Mark and I first crossed paths when we worked next door to each other. Nine years later we met again when a grown-up and rather handsome Mark joined Snugboro Football Club – where I played with the ladies team.”

“One evening, I randomly decided to go and watch one of the men’s games and saw Mark on the pitch and recognized him as that guy I used to work next door to. Unfortunately, fate decided to tear his hamstring 10 minutes into his very first game but it brought the two of us together! We had a brief conversation and that’s when we first noticed each other. A few club nights out later, and we became an item, however, we knew it was going to be short-lived as Mark was moving to Boston.”

“They say ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ and this was definitely the case for us. We talked and emailed every day and Mark convinced me to go and visit him. We spent time in Boston and New York and it was during this trip that I knew Mark was the one for me. Mark must have felt the same way as he actually didn’t end up staying in Boston, he came home to Ireland with me.”

“A year later we decided to jet off to Australia for what we thought would be a one-year trip. Eight years later and we’re still down under living the dream. We’ve travelled all over the world together and during a 6-month adventure, Mark proposed on a leap day in February in Argentina at the Iguazu Falls. It was a very romantic and special moment, especially when Mark pulled my mam’s engagement ring out of his pocket.”

“How I hadn’t seen it in our luggage is beyond me and it brought me to absolute tears. We were engaged for 1 year and 4 months before our wedding day. And we’re now in our first year of marriage, our tenth year together and excitingly expecting our first child in April 2018.”

When they were considering venues, Gillian and Mark wanted to find a location with the glorious warmth and sunshine they’re used to in Australia but somewhere closer to their friends and family in Ireland.

“Italy was the perfect compromise with its beautiful rolling green hills, a sunny European climate, and only 2.5hrs flight from Ireland. We were given two spectacular recommendations for Borgo Di Tragliata, and whilst we looked at some other amazing Italian venues, we couldn’t see past what the Borgo could offer us.”

“The ancient ‘borgo’ meaning village dates from 928 AD. It is set on a large green estate with the main part of the borgo rising above on an impressive ‘tufa’ (rock made of volcanic ash) which overlooks the Roman countryside. Today, it operates as a large organic farm with accommodation, restaurants and events venue. We loved the idea of a rustic, romantic, boho, outdoor wedding that felt quite relaxed. The Borgo offered all of this. We opted to get married under the tree in the upper Borgo garden rather than the large open gardens. We immediately loved this space and thought that the picturesque buildings would make the perfect romantic backdrop.”

For her bridesmaids, Gillian thought dress shopping would be simple, with only the colour-scheme to stick to.

“I loved the idea of mismatched bridesmaid’s dresses and thought it was a great idea for my sx beautiful bridesmaids. This was a great idea in theory, but about a month before the wedding, only one bridesmaid had a dress that she was actually happy with. I jumped online and bought eight dresses in varying sizes and colours from ASOS and a week later my younger sister went online again and bought another 10 dresses.”

“When I got home to Ireland 2 weeks before the wedding, we had 22 dresses, including some extra dresses that were purchased locally! It was crazy! We had a fashion show party and all the bridesmaids got to try on lots of different style dresses. It was so much fun and they could all pick what suited them. We even decided to keep an extra one for my eldest niece and got it taken up to her knee.”

“Knowing we could return what didn’t work was just brilliant. And in the end, all the girls got to wear something that they were very comfortable in. For such a last-minute rush, I think they looked incredible.”

The male members of the wedding party wore suits from Next. Mark’s jacket was from Zara and his shirt and trousers from MJ Bale. He wore shoes from Myer, a bowtie from Unit 7 Clothing, and cufflinks from Etsy.

Gillian walked to the ceremony accompanied by her brothers to the sounds of ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’.

“Both my brothers, Padraic and Eamonn Conway, accompanied me down the aisle as our parents sadly passed away due to illness 11 and 16 years ago. As we could alter the size of our aisle, I thought it would be lovely for both my brothers to walk me down the aisle rather than just one. And it was perfect!”

Gillian and Mark didn’t hire a planner but had the amazing team at the Borgo to help them.

“We didn’t hire a specific wedding planner and yes, it was tough planning an Irish Wedding in Italy from Australia. However, we did have the incredible Wedding Coordinator Cristina Masini and her team from Borgo Di Tragliata. Cristina is simply magic and knows her craft inside out. She was a massive assistance and continually put my mind at ease answering my endless questions.”

“The ceremony was so so special, finally walking down the aisle and seeing Mark, soon to be my husband. The celebrant made it so personal and it was so unique and special specifically for us.”

 

The couple chose Peggy Picot of Maison Pestea as their photographer for her ‘modern, artistic eye’, and videographers Celli Fotografi (you can see the video here).

Gillian explained how important the ceremony is, and some of the personal touches the couple included.

“We wanted the ceremony to be both unique and special to us, but also memorable for our guests. We used traditional ideas such as the lighting of a unity candle, readings and poems combined with our tailored vows, and the releasing of a symbolic balloon to remember those who have passed away. We also had our nieces and nephews carry gifts to the altar that represented various aspects of our lives.”

“Giuseppe Rossi was our celebrant and his ceremony blew us away. He made it so special, romantic, humorous, and unique. It was better than we ever expected.”

When it came to decor, the beautiful venue didn’t need much, so Gillian and Mark kept things simple.

“With regards to the colour scheme, we wanted something soft and summery. I always admired ‘pink champagne’ with added hints of gold. We didn’t go overboard with the décor but added a few nic-nacs that we’d picked up along the way such as love hearts hanging from the trees, lanterns and candle holders. To be honest, we weren’t overly fussy on too much décor as the natural environment of the Borgo was so beautiful.”

“Later, sitting down just before the meal, a feeling of immense relaxation came over me – all the pictures were taken and I could finally have a chilled out drink and enjoy the rest of the evening!”

Throughout the day, music was provided by The Gloves; “During the ceremony, The Gloves played beautiful soft music. During the cocktail reception, they played classic and modern music. At the reception, they showed their true talent and ability. They are truly the most entertaining, fun wedding band we have ever had the pleasure of partying with! The lead singer, Leopoldo Marcello, has an astonishing voice with an unbelievable range.”

“The eight band members were not only talented musicians but they were all incredible entertainers. When they changed from the band to the DJ set, the band members spent the night interacting and dancing with our guests. They organised dance-offs, gave us the ‘bumps’, organised games, and did Italian dance lessons with all our guests. It was just brilliant and we’d love to do it all over again with them!”

Gillian and Mark chose ‘Brown Eyed Girl” for their first dance.

“We wanted something upbeat and well known. We were able to have a bit of fun with this song.”

WORDS OF WEDDED WISDOM

“Get organised early!!”

“I was a very relaxed bride about planning the wedding as I always plan events through my work. But being relaxed meant I left far too many things to the last minute – things that still needed to be done but I was super chilled about. My motto was “it’ll get done”, and I knew it would… but it meant I was very busy in the weeks and days before the wedding!”

“I would advise future brides to get things done early, get them off the list as soon as possible. In the days leading up to the wedding, you can totally relax and enjoy the time rather than have a list of things that you still need to do. I’m a bit of a last-minute-nancy though, and I probably would have introduced more and more ideas the more time I had, so I think no matter what, I would have had something to do! I would also advise all future brides to take care of themselves. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, focus on getting your tasks done early and delegate where possible.”

I am absolutely bowled over by the film-star gorgeousness of this day! What a stunner. Thank you so much to Gillian and Mark for sharing their wonderful day with us, and to Maison Pestea for the photos and Celli Fotografi for the film.

Sarah x