Inspiration

Are you sitting comfortably? Because this Italian destination wedding is about to knock your socks off. Bride and Groom Giorgia & Matteo are absolutely gorgeous and wear incredibly stylish outfits by Pronovias and Zegna, fitting into the elegant atmosphere of the Monasterolo del Castello wedding venue beautifully. With the moments they share together and with their guests captured by Matrimoni all’Italiana Photography making your hearts swell and your faces beam. Also making me mouth a huge sigh are the blush pink and white blooms, containing all of our favourites; hydrangeas, peonies, ranunculus, anemones and roses. So if you're looking for escapism, pretty and romance this morning, this is the wedding for you.

Love Story

Giorgia the Bride: We used to know each other since middle school, growing up in the same neighborhood. I was Matteo’s first real kiss…then the summer came up and we lost track of each other for few years. We met back in 2006, he asked me to join for a evening out with friends…and from that night we never left each other’s side.

Our Engagement Story

We were that kind of couple who though we would never get married. We moved in together and after only few months something changed in Matteo’s mind..we planned a trip to Amsterdam for his birthday and when out for dinner he started talking about how much life changed since we lived together and how his thoughts about us took a different direction than in the past without specifying which direction… I was almost crying believing this was the end of our love story. Walking through the canals after dinner, just the two of us, I was sure he wanted to split up with me but he looked into my eyes and told me that even if he always tought he would never get married…he chaged his mind and he wanted me to become his wife and his longlasting love forever.


What Marriage Means To Us

Being loyal to each other, the best friend we could ever ask for, travelling the world together and create a family full of love and happiness.


Location

A very old and small castle on Endine’s Lake, Italy. Both the ceremony and reception were on site. We always wanted an open air intimate wedding, where to gather our closest friends and relatives. The beauty of the location took our breath away one minute after stepping in.

Theme/Style

Our idea was to keep it simple but at the same time elegant and beautifully organised in every detail. Colours used were mostly white and pale rose (as the colours of the engagement ring). The ceremony was under a gazebo overlooking the lake, while the reception was on the cloister of the castle. 


Photography

Matrimoni all’Italiana photographed our wedding. He is a young italian guy with a lot of passion for his job and a major will to succeed. We decided to trust him completely and he gave us back the most beautiful gift we could have asked for: simple pictures full of emotions.

Dress

Pronovias dress, simple straight lace dress with a deep open back. Lace long sleeves top in case of cold weather to cover up, with a back tulle bow. My hair were loose beach waves with a white flower on a side.
 For the make up we followed the theme of the wedding, white and pale pink eyeshadows, with a burgundy lipstick.

Groomsmen

Matteo’s went for an elegant dark blue Ermenegildo Zegna suit and a satin blue bowtie. Black spazzolato lace up shoes and belt.
 HAIR: My hair were loose beach waves with a white flower on a side.
 MAKEUP: for the make up we followed the theme of the wedding, white and pale pink eyeshadows, with a burgundy lipstick.

Stationery

All our stationery was on white rustic paper, black italic font, with kraft envelopes, twine and beige tassel to close it.

Favours

As favors we had cactus plants with a jute wrap and a typical Italian sweet called confetti with different flavours of almond, coconut, chili pepper and cinnamon.

Flowers

We wanted to keep florals very simple and be careful to not distract our guest from the beauty of the location. Peonies, ranunculus and hydrangeas were our favorites. After sending lots of images and inspiration photos to my amazing florist Sofia, she worked her magic and blew us and our guests away that day.

Videography

Pazart made a short trailer of our day, he captured all the love and the emotions of that day in one of our favorite songs. 


Preparation

May 8th was also Matteo’s 30th birthday, I was sleeping with two of my girlfriends and Matteo with two of his good friends. We saw each other as soon as we woke up, I gave him my gift for his birthday, a kiss and promised to be ready to meet him few hours later to celebrate his birthday in the best possible way. Both me and Matteo got dressed directly at the castle in two different rooms.

Decor

We decided to keep the décor natural and white as much as possible. The seating chart was a wooden table with flowers and lanters at the bottom. Me and Matteo put all our efforts in this wedding and planned and styled the whole day as a team just the two of us. We had an italian round crostata cake with mixed berries.

Entertainment

As I walked down the aisle we had “All of Me – John Legend” while for the cake we had “A sky full of Stars – Coldplay” We had two amazing guys playing guitars for us and our guests. Everybody loved them and we truly get emotional in few occasions.

Food & Drink

We had a cocktail aperitivo after the ceremony, then a sit down menu of two first course and a second course. For the desserts we had a huge buffet with all the different italian pasticcini, cakes and drinks.

Memorable Moment

Right after the ceremony, Matteo and me shared few moments alone walking on the lake, holding hands and kissing each other. There I realized how much what just happened touched me and how excited I was to go on with the day we had ahead and our future. 


Advice

Planning the whole wedding by ourself was one of the best thing we did as a team, it made us stronger as a couple and showed us how in line we are mostly on everything. But it also meant having a double job for almost a year. We both work a lot and many times we found ourselves right in the middle of wedding planning at night. We arrived at the wedding happy but exhausted by all the work needed. Maybe a wedding planner would it be better not to suggest but just to make all the operative work load.
 Be sure about what you want, and try to be clear with the team of people who’ll work with your wedding. After making sure your word is said, don’t get nervous, you are marring the love of your life, nothing bad can happen. The last few days don’t stress too much, everything will be ok.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Dress Designer: Pronovias | Bridal Shoes: Schutz | Grooms Suit: Ermenegildo Zegna | Wedding Venue: Castello di Monasterolo, | Florist: Il Profumo dei Fiori | Stationery: Leninette | Entertainment: Glem | Videographer: Simone Pazienza

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