Martina and all the staff at Italyweddings- we cannot thank you enough for your help making our wedding day come true. Our wedding was an absolute fantasy, a fairy tale, which we feel so lucky to have in our memories for the rest of our lives.
My (now husband) and I started thinking about getting married in Italy in March of 2016. In our search for a venue and wedding planners – we came across Italyweddings and we were immediately connected with Martina- something we feel so thankful and blessed to have happened. Throughout the process she was timely, understanding, incredibly detail oriented – and made this dream we had come true.
Coming from the US (and for my husband and I – from California!), planning a wedding in Europe seemed impossible, even frightening – but Martina always made us feel like our wedding was at the forefront of her mind, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for us.
Cavan and I ended up planning everything from a distance, and literally never saw, touched, or tasted anything for the wedding until the day of the wedding. My parents were the only ones who could travel to Italy to see things beforehand – and Ben, Marisa, and Martina were so kind and accommodating to them. When they returned from their trip, all my parents kept saying was “Its so much better than the pictures (which the pictures are incredible, by the way). We don’t know how else to describe it- but it’s so much better than you can imagine”.
That ended up being absolutely true.
We stayed at our venue in Tuscany for a week before the wedding with both of our families on the property. The venue- was like something out of a storybook. It was this enormous ancient borgo occupied and run by the kindest family. The decor, the pool, the bocce courts – it was astonishing. We aren’t sure if it was the venue, or the magic of Tuscany- but our families quickly became friends. Everyone was having an incredible time already; and as the bride and groom, we had a chance to spend quality time with our guests in advance of the wedding day.
Our florist Marisa at Le Petit Jardin – we worked exclusively through pictures, pinterest, and mood boards. The flowers she put together and décor was so perfectly in line with our vision for the wedding- it was incredible and so so very beautiful. We are ever grateful to her for that.
Ben always had beautiful ideas to make the wedding more intimate – but we think most important to mention – he was kind enough to step in and officiate our wedding very last minute. My oldest brother was meant to officiate the wedding, and unfortunately, he and his wife were unable to attend because their child got sick. With only a few days’ notice, Ben prepared and officiated an incredible ceremony that was 1) totally in line with my fiancé and I’s hopes for the ceremony but also 2) paid homage to my brother who was unable to attend. It was touching and absolutely perfect.
We have to mention our amazing photographer. We met for the first time at the wedding, and I must admit, I was a tiny bit nervous because I am not one to sit still for pictures. David was incredible – he was hilariously funny and got me and Cavan to somehow focus on each other the entire time and take these incredible photos. We took some posed shots as well and his vision for these shots was incredible.
The wedding itself- it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it, we were so happy. It was exactly like my parents said, so so much more than we could have even imagined it to be. I have extremely curly hair that I was worried about – the hairstylist did an incredible job. My make-up was flawless and never ran despite crying (out of happiness) 4 times. I had the best manicure of my life- Martina set up a nail appointment last minute after I accidentally missed my scheduled appointment. In terms of how I felt about myself- I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world.
The ceremony was more picturesque than you could even imagine an Italian wedding. The flowers, chairs, the back drop- perfection. Our band (the Tuscan Trio) played a specially requested song flawlessly while I walked down the aisle, and then continued to play beautiful music for our aperitifs. The cocktails were one of the most impressive items- smoking and bubbling! Very cool, and an unexpected perfect detail.
Our dinner was some of the best food I’ve had, even in Italy! Everyone’s wine glasses were kept full, and there were delightful small touches, like flowers on my husband and I’s plates. The table was incredible – we opted for a King’s table (one long table) to seat our 80-90 guests. Martina, Ben, and Marisa and their imaginations turned it into this incredible curved table around the center of the courtyard. Amazing. Twinkling lights over our heads added a delightful romantic touch as the day turned into night. It was positively magical.
For our cake, we opted for an Italian wedding cake (Mille Feuille) made in front of us on the wedding day. I think this was my favorite part of the night. The moon came out just as they started assembling it- and then the bakers let us give it a shot with the frosting! It was an incredible experience, topped only by one of the waiters cutting the top of our champagne bottle with a sword!
Lastly, music played long into the night courteously of our DJ, who kept our musical taste in mind. The bartenders and DJ made the end of the night a blast, and everyone danced the night away into the morning hours under a sky full of stars. The whole night flowed effortlessly, and Martina and Ben were at the same time present and hidden all at once. They would appear to check how things were going for us, if we were happy, and to ask questions- but were mostly in the background- happily orchestrating this perfect evening. It felt like the universe wanted us to get married, and that all of these forces were perfectly colliding on our wedding day- but now looking back- I think those forces were Martina’s hard work, happening before our eyes, from early in the morning to late into the evening.
One of my best friends exclaimed “This was the most romantic night of my life, and it’s not even my wedding!”. Another couldn’t stop thanking me for the invitation- insisting it was the most fun they’ve had in their entire life. Similar exclamations and comments about the wedding being like a fairy tale ensued for the entire night.
With their comments in mind- we can’t even begin to fully express the happiness we felt that day, and the amount of gratitude we feel towards Martina, Ben, Marisa, and everyone else who helped make our wedding so special. Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. We can never repay you for the generosity you showed us, and for this incredible gift- this once in a lifetime experience for us and our guests. It was truly the happiest week and night of our lives.
Alessandra and Cavan
