Inspiration

Sarah and Ric have discovered an absolute gem of a destination wedding venue, that I almost don't want to share with you all, as it feels like something we should keep quiet. Locanda Rosa Rosae is simply gorgeous, a treasure trove of collected items filling stunning spaces. Just don't tell anyone ok, as otherwise we'll all want to get married there ;) Sarah and Ric held their ceremony and reception outdoors in the golden Italian sunlight, covering their tables with potted herbs, fresh fruit and candelabras - the result is nothing short of heavenly. And you'll absolutely never guess where Sarah found her wedding dress, nor the secret behind her gorgeous blooms... One final mention, Sarah runs a hand poured candle studio and created the personalised candle wedding favours you'll see below. If you're on the hunt for a wedding favour with a difference, then do get in touch.

Our Wedding

Sarah The Bride: From the moment I got engaged, I knew what style of wedding I wanted us to have. It was deciding where to hold it that took some time. We went through various options from Yorkshire and Nottingham to London and Somerset. We couldn’t find anything that suited what we had in mind, so we started researching European wedding destinations. I came across North Italy’s hidden gem, Locanda Rosa Rosae just outside of Treviso, and fell in love instantly.

 We booked fights to visit the location straight away and as soon as we walked inside the decision was set in stone. Rose Rosae is a magical place that has been expertly styled and decorated by its architect and interior design owners. It almost feels like a treasure trove of charming trinkets and accessories, with an entrance packed full of beautiful blooms and vintage candelabras. 

 If the setting itself didn’t make up our minds, the food definitely did. The venue’s lovely host, Elisabetta is not only very welcoming and accommodating, but she is also a fantastic cook. We were treated to a delicious 6-course meal accompanied by beautiful red wine from the restaurant’s vineyard. 

We wanted our day to be relaxed and informal. Our guest list was small with 45 people in total; a tight group of amazing family and friends who helped make the day so special.

The Ceremony

I always dreamt of an outdoor wedding with lots of candles at sunset and Locanda Rosa Rosae absolutely delivered. 

The ceremony took place beneath a wisteria canopy and I walked down the aisle to a string quartet cover of Radiohead’s Motion Picture Soundtrack. I thought I would be in tears the whole way through, but I was the complete opposite, I don’t think I have ever smiled so much in my life. We had a solo guitarist play music during the ceremony. Francesco was amazing and he even learnt to play one our favourite songs for the recessional, Start a War by The National. 

The Wedding Party



I had 6 bridesmaids in total and they all looked amazing! Finding their dresses was probably (aside from finding my own!) one of the hardest tasks of the wedding, as I really wanted to make sure they were all happy in what they were wearing. I went for a mismatched look of three different styles, a pair in each dress. The tones were dusky pinks, pewter gold and olive greens, offset with different textures and a beautiful floral print. 

My husband, Ric, wore a tan Paul Smith suit and his 5 ushers wore varying shades of tan and beige, which worked perfectly with the mismatched scheme of the bridesmaids. The tones were complimented with our colour scheme throughout the rest of the wedding, choosing lots of leafy greens - eucalyptus and bay leaves - tan and white anemones, peach and cream roses, black and brown bunny’s tail (which I loved!) and gold detailing.



The Flowers

After much research on local florists in the area, I decided to have my flowers shipped to Italy. I found The Sleeping Flower Company based in Durham and they did an amazing job at matching the style of flowers that I wanted. I was quite particular about the details, not to mention changed my mind a few times, but Julie was so good at understanding my vision. She makes her bouquets and arrangements with silk and dried flowers and foliage. Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive that they could look ‘fake’, but when I saw them I was absolutely blown away at how beautiful and realistic they looked. And the great thing is that I can now keep my wedding flowers forever!

The Details



I run my own candle studio that offers a personalised wedding favour service, so it was only natural for me to include Evermore London’s candle favours on our big day. The gold tins matched our wedding theme perfectly and they went down really well with all of our guests. My husband also runs his own design agency, Post, so he took on the task of designing our wedding stationery. We wanted something simple, classic and elegant, opting for blush pink and moss green finished with gold foil printing. 



The Reception

The reception was held under the stars in the venue’s vineyard. We seated all of our guests on one long table, which made the evening feel warm and intimate. We dressed the table with a lace table runner, seasonal fruit and lots of greenery. The venue’s table accessories are second-to-none; a magical scene was set with lots of stunning candelabras and vintage crockery. 

Our wedding cake was created by Camellia’s Bakery in Treviso - an organic bakery with beautiful attention to detail. We went for a three-tier cake decorated with figs and foliage. We also wanted our border terrier, Raph, to be at our wedding, but obviously getting married abroad we couldn’t do this, so we paid homage to him with a border terrier cake topper! 

Our first dance was to Breathless by Nick Cave. We’re both huge fans of Nick Cave and this song is so beautiful and upbeat. I love the lyrics; they’re really touching and resonate with both of us. We wanted the evening to be one big party, so we complied a wedding playlist of all our favourite songs and danced the night away with the help of Francesco, who not only plays guitar, but is also a great DJ.



The Bride

Finding my perfect dress was no easy feat and I’m not exaggerating when I say that I probably bought about six wedding dresses before I finally settled on ‘the one’. I’m a very indecisive person and a real perfectionist, I had a clear vision in my head of how I wanted the dress to look and feel, and I just couldn’t find what I was looking for. On a whim, I ordered a bridal dress from Mango and when it arrived, everything fell into place. The cut and colour was perfect. I didn’t want to wear bright white so the vintage ivory tone of this dress was perfect. I had the dress customised and altered to get it just-so and then completed the look with an epic chapel length veil perfectly matched to the lace of my dress by AM Faulkner. In the evening I changed into a fun, tiered mini-dress by Self Portrait.

Advice



My advice to brides-to-be when looking for your dress is not to shun high-street bridal. I was so impressed with my dress from Mango and saved a lot of money. We also decided not to go with a wedding planner, if you have the time and dedication you can get it all done yourself. It might be stressful at times, but if you’ve got a great fiancé to rely on and an amazing group of bridesmaids at your beck and call - it can be done!
Fern Godfrey

Written by Fern Godfrey

Venue: Locanda Rosa Rosae | Veil: AM Faulkner | Jewellery: Tada & Toy | Bride: Mango | Self Portrait | Groom: Paul Smith | Wedding Favours: Evermore London | Flowers: The Sleeping Flower Co | Cake: Camelia Bakery | Celebrants: Blessings From Italy

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