An Natural + Elegant, Ethically Responsible + Sustainable Wedding in Italy

Ciao bellas! Come va? I’m attempting to get you into the continental mood as it’s my delight to share the most beautiful of Italian castle weddings with you. So, bring on today’s nuptials.

On 22 September 2018 Julia and Umberto wed in an intimate civil ceremony at Castello Falletti, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy with a reception afterwards at Michelin-starred Osteria Arborina, La Morra.  The whole day had a strong ethical and sustainable focus, from conflict free diamond rings, to Julia’s intention to dye and re-wear her gown, to hiring local suppliers and more.  As well as finding their photographer through the blog, Love My Dress also served as a source of inspiration for Julia and Umberto.

“I got tons of inspiration browsing through the Little Book Wedding Directory. Organising a wedding by yourself can be a daunting task but I used your Little Book to better understand what we were looking for from all the suppliers we contacted.”

Photography Carla Penoncelli Photography

“I love the layout of Love My Dress and how easy it is to find ideas and inspiration based on the specific topic that the user is interested in (fashion, makeup, venues, etc.). It was great to always have your Instagram feed as an easy reference point, which I could always follow in a pinch and then read about a topic/post in further detail in your website. Thank you for all the ideas and inspiration that you provided me with.”

Talking of personal style, Julia and Umberto’s day was infused with a sense of understated, modern chic. From the stationery with its elegant calligraphy and delicate leaf print, created by LetteraVentidue, to the bride’s bespoke gown and simple sandals, I love this look.

For the day, Julia slipped on a pair of metallic Salvatore Ferragamo sandals and pearl jewellery.

“I wore Effy Jewelry freshwater pearl triple drop earrings, a matching pearl station bracelet and my late grandmother’s pearl earrings. She had given them to my mother when I was born and had asked her to give them to me on my wedding day.”

Her perfume was Jo Malone’s Red Roses.

“I have worn Rosewater perfume ever since I can remember. I love roses and their romantic, inebriating aroma.”

“Jo Malone’s Red Roses captures the scent of an English rose garden. It is feminine and elegant, and as it was a scent that I had never worn prior to my wedding, I can now think back to our special day every time I wear it.”

Julia found bridal designer Larimeloom with whom she worked to create her feminine, understated beauty of a gown. A simple and exquisite silk slip at its base, Julia layered on a delicate French lace top and fluid and flowing skirt.

“I always knew that I wanted my dress to be made by an artisan dressmaker. I stumbled upon Lucia through her Instagram account and was ecstatic to find out that she was located about an hour away from where I live here in Italy!”

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“I had the pleasure and luck to be able to come to Lucia’s studio, where I spent hours trying several of her hand-made creations, where she patiently and creatively helped me to customize the fabrics and the design of my dress for a one-of-a-kind beauty.”

“The weightlessly comfortable, elegant three-piece dress was a delight to wear throughout the entire day. When it was time to party and dance (until 3am!), I simply removed the skirt (which had a short train) and danced the night away in the much shorter slip and a pair of cream-colored Vans Authentic.”

“In the spirit of sustainability and given all the effort and detail that goes into the making of a very special piece like a bespoke wedding dress, I knew that I wanted to wear it time and again after the wedding.”

On the day, Julia’s hair was swept back into a chic chignon by Palmi Salatin at GPF Parruchieri and had her make-up applied in a super-pretty, natural style by Beatrice Roggero.

Both the lace top and the slip can be worn separately; Lucia has offered to natural-dye and shorten the skirt so that I can wear this beautiful item on many occasions to come.”

The bride carried a full bouquet featuring Majolica spray roses, calcynia and eucalyptus, put together by Pane e Tulipani Emporio Floreale of Turin.

“As both of our grandmas have recently passed away, we decided to have them be with us on our day by carrying pendants with their pictures along with us. Umberto kept his grandma’s photo in his suit pocket while I tied my grandma’s image, set on a blue background and tied with a blue silk ribbon (becoming my ‘something blue’), to my bouquet.”

“Luisa Truffa was extremely helpful in helping us choose flowers and arrangements that were best suited for our ceremony and dinner venues, making sure at the same time that they were in season and sourced as locally as possible. The Majolica spray roses, calcynia and eucalyptus were romantic and elegant at the same time.”

“I added a naturally-dyed silk ribbon by Dyeing2MeetU to my bouquet which I plan to pass down as an heirloom in our family.”

Umberto is a sales and marketing director for a winery in the Barbaresco hills whilst Julia is an account manager for a Bavarian company that distributes local artisan cheeses. As such, cheese and wine were key elements for their wedding day, which also revolved around their commitment to leading a sustainable and ethically-responsible lifestyle.

Umberto asked his two childhood friends, Max and Nico, to act as best men, and they all sported a relaxed, contemporary style. The groom’s suit of chinos paired with a smart tux were from Sartoria Rossi and he added a Faille bow tie from R. Hanauer, shoes and matching belt by Joseph Cheaney and corkscrew cufflinks from J.Press.

And why Castello Falletti? It was in Barolo that the pair met and first kissed (whilst Julia was on holiday from her American home), so they wanted to return to where their story began, along with their 40 guests.

“Umberto and I met in Barolo (in the heart of the wine-making area of the Langhe, Piedmont, Italy) in the summer of 2013 at an outdoor Jamiroquai concert during what was supposed to be, for me, a two-week Italian vacation. A few days later, we came back to Barolo for another outdoor event.”

“That evening we kissed for the first time under a tiny window of the town’s medieval castle. I ended up moving to Italy in the fall of 2013 and from that moment on, Umberto and I were inseparable. Umberto proposed on Christmas Eve in 2016. As we started planning we knew that we wanted our civil ceremony to be held in beautiful Barolo, where everything had started for both of us.”

“Umberto and I are always very careful about making sustainable and ethically-responsible choices in our lives, from the food that we eat to the clothes that we wear. Our wedding day was no different and we made sure we work with suppliers striving to adhere to those standards and, who at the same time, reflected our own personal style.”

“Wine and cheese, being a big component of our lives, were key on our wedding day!”

The bride travelled to the castle in a friend’s Land Rover, where Umberto was waiting to meet her. Touchingly, they walked down the aisle with their mothers to marry in a ceremony led by the mayor of Barolo.

“Umberto and I were both walked down the aisle by our mothers, accompanied by Bright Eyes’ ‘First Day of My Life’, brilliantly performed by our friend Nicolas J. Roncea. Just before the ceremony ended, we exchanged heartfelt vows that we had written ourselves (we had the entire room tearing up!), after which we walked out as husband and wife to The Beatles’ ‘All My Loving’.”

“I moved to the beautiful Langhe from the US five years ago, facing many bureaucratic hurdles in order to be with the person that I love in the gorgeous hills that I now call home. All of those difficulties only made us grow stronger as a couple and taught us that if ‘there is one reason to give up on everything, there are another two that are just as important in order to keep fighting for what you believe in’.”

“I opened up my vows with a quote from ‘From Walking, Meetings of a Wanderer’ by one of our favorite Italian writers, Pino Caccuci:”

“From every, trip I came back with the memory of someone more than something… with the eyes of memory, I can see more easily the expressions of their faces instead of the beauty of so many landscapes.”

“And from that journey in Langa, that journey that was supposed to last only two weeks, the strongest memory, still stronger than the image of Monviso under the light of the setting sun or the green hills of Barolo, was that golden smile and those shy, blue eyes that captivated me immediately from the first time I saw them that warm July evening under the Jamiroquai stage – the most beautiful memory were you…”

“My delicate (conflict-free) diamond band was made by the Massachusetts-based team of Melanie Casey, while Umberto’s band was made with recycled white gold by Catbird in Brooklyn, NY.”

“When we had both said our vows, we sealed them with a pinky promise.” 

The newly-weds emerged into a shower of petal confetti, before escaping for their portrait shots captured so beautifully by Carla.

The entire party of 40 guests then travelled to the one-Michelin starred restaurant Osteria Arborina in La Morra for the wedding dinner. Reflecting their jobs, cheese and wine took centre stage in the Italian feast. The tables look splendid dressed with crisp linen, trailing foliage and cream and pink roses.

These timeless yet crisp and modern photographs come from the camera of Carla Penoncelli Photography, and how beautiful do the newly-weds look in the Piedmontese countryside? I was delighted to hear that the couple found her through these pages. My favourites have to be those unexpected, close-up shots.

“I always resorted to your website and social media pages for inspiration. As I looked through your Real Wedding Stories that had taken place in Italy, I stumbled upon the very talented Carla Penoncelli and fell in love with her clean, modern style with a touch of playfulness.”

“She was the first supplier I contacted as I wanted the memories of that day to be captured as natural as they were, and Carla did a beautiful job along with her assistant, Ely.”

“Carla clicked with us immediately from the first time that we chatted through Skype. We knew right away that she was the right person to capture us, our family, friends and all the memories and emotions of that day. Her modern, quirky style was able to capture and reflect us in her images” 

“The modern style of the reception venue was perfect so we didn’t feel we needed to add any extra décor to it. The vineyard hills surrounding us were all the beauty that we needed!”

“Rather than having table numbers, we chose the name and quotes from our favorite writers – Hemingway, Bukowski and Kerouac – for each table.”

“The typically-Piedmontese dinner menu featured exclusively locally-sourced dishes (showcasing some of Umberto’s favorite dishes from his region, such as vitello tonnato and carne cruda) and natural wines, which we carefully picked out ourselves along with Osteria Arborina.”

The guests ate and relaxed to live music from Nicolas J. Roncea on acoustic guitar and Giulia Provenzano.

“A very talented couple and long-time friends of Umberto who serenaded throughout the ceremony and celebration with some of our favorite tunes.”

Julia and Umberto ordered a special cake for the celebration, which I think you will agree looks absolutely divine.

“The talented and creative Manu Isoardi from the local and historic Gianfranco Fagnola Bakery made our beautiful and delicious two-tier cake. The perfectly balanced mascarpone cream went along beautifully with the fresh raspberries, raspberry spheres and creamy caramel (yes, it’s a great combo) filling layers.”

Another sweet treat acted as a lovely favour for the guests.

“I chose Connecticut-made bottles of maple syrup from Lamothe’s Sugar House as a sweet favor that reflected my upbringing.”

The evening party, which ran on until 3am, kicked off to a first dance to ‘Born To Run’ by Bruce Springsteen.

“In a way, this has always been our own ‘romantic’ ballad, speaking to us about the ups and downs of life, and that regardless of these, we were ‘born to run’ together and live every single of these moments as one.”

“It was simply amazing to watch people from different cultures, many of whom had never met each other before, come together in pure joy to celebrate with us! The dinner reception was a non-stop party of great food, constant toasting, dancing and singing: our family members, old and new friends, as well as our employers ended up having a blast together and dancing the night away until three in the morning. It was priceless!”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Try to absorb and enjoy every single moment: how gorgeous you will feel in your beautiful gown, all the whirlwind of emotions of the ceremony, the great food and drinks, and the general celebration and partying. All of this will fly by in the blink of an eye so make sure to slow down to take it all in.”

“Spend time with each of every single one of your guests, whether it’s coming down to their table or dancing a few songs with them – they are there for you, enjoy their company.”

“We kept our guest list down to 40 people, as we wanted to make sure we could mingle and celebrate with every single one of them.”

“Make sure to choose a great photographer who reflects on your style – long after the day is gone, these beautiful memories of your wedding will stay with you forever!”

Eleanor Crossland View all Eleanor's articles

Ele lives in the Lincolnshire countryside, close to the beautiful coast. A qualified Pilates teacher, she loves fitness, yoga, Pilates and has a healthy addiction to baking, writing and travel.