Francesca & Marco

I literally can not express how excited I get sharing our Wednesday afternoon destination weddings with you. The team are often inundated with texts saying look at this! And todays outdoor Italian wedding was no exception. The words 'holy moly', 'immense' and 'wowsers' filled my inbox when they saw the open air church and beautifully styled loooong trestle table under a copy of festoon lights and stemmed florals by Diverso Event Design. Giuseppe Marano has truly connected with our gorgeous couple (who I have to say look absolutely stunning in Dolce and Gabanna and Laure de Sagazan), to bring you heart felt images of a breathtaking wedding full of love, family and inspiration you'll want to enjoy time and time again. So sit back relax and get those pinning fingers at the ready.

The Wedding

Francesca the Bride: The dress I wore was the “Verlaine” by Laure de Sagazan, I bought it at the boutique in Rome. I’ve never dreamt of the big white princess dress or something super tight, but I was looking for something non-traditional that mixes easy breezy bohemian, subtle sophistication with an edgy look and Laure de Sagazan was the perfect choice. I instantly felt relaxed, comfortable and stylish in this dress, the soft silk was so beautiful that I couldn’t stop touching it. I really love its effortless style, the delicate French Calais lace, the capped sleeves, the simple pearl buttons and the deep V backline. Feminine, ultra modern but also with a timeless allure. The most difficult thing to choose for me was by far the shoes. I tried find something comfortable as I didn't wanted to change my shoes during the party. I found the Valentino “Tango” and I fell immediately in love with them. I wore a headpiece made by Cecile Boccara and a pair of simple diamond earrings.

The Ceremony

We celebrated the wedding in Ortigia, the historical city center of Siracusa. There troughout its magic alley we found the church of San Giovanni Battista. In the past it was a jewish synagogue, after many years it was turned in church. It had been lost in memory for centuries, and the church is left to us without the roof. These is the main feature that makes it special. For this feature we had to buy 60 white umbrellas, cause the wedding day was raining all the day long, but when I entered the church the sun started to shine and this moment was magical and touching for everybody. The church was so simple that we wanted to respect his nature. The wedding planner used blu vintage benches for the guests, lining the aisle with flowers e greens hedges and she created an isle of white cushion for us.

The Venue

After the ceremony we reached the after party in a old Fiat Cinquecento. The venue was at Commenda di San Calogero, a beautiful place in Brucoli, just 30 minutes from Siracusa. It is a gorgeous Sicilian country house with lush gardens and beautiful landscapes. We love being outdoors and surrounded by nature. Our wedding planner, Rossella D’Agata of Diverso Event Design, understood our vision. She was amazing and she made our dreams real. The main theme was flowers and thousand lights for a fairytale mood. Inspired by the idea of an all outdoor evening party, we created one long dinner table with a lot of different candle holders, in a path of olive trees, under hanging lights and pink shade flowers. For the stationery we used the same theme from the invitation to the menu: watercolor prints of oranges and flowers in green and soft pink, our favourite colours. For the cutting of the wedding cake, Rossella realised a light installation with a lot of colourful abat-jours, a very magical setting. Rossella created a whimsy arrangement that matched the vintage twist of the villa: an eclectic mix that include vintage sofas and bon-ton couches, dark wooden tables with centerpieces of ranunculus and candles and a long canopy table for the appetiser, with hanging greenery and candles.

The Grooms Fashion

Marco the Groom: When I went to buy my suite I was looking for a classical italian style suite, so I went to all the italian fashion boutique in Florence and finally I found it to Dolce & Gabbana. I opted for a dark blue suite in whool and silk, the perfect combination for a wedding in Sicily. I bought there all my accessories too, except shirt and cufflink bought at Hugo Boss boutique.

Photographer

Francesca the Bride: Giuseppe Marano is not just a photographer but he is an artist. We met him in Florence where he lives and the first impression was great. Giuseppe has the capacity to document your wedding and when you look back at his work you can live the emotions of that day.

Food

For the food we opted for Squiseating caterer. Domenico Colonnetta and Francesco Patti are the owners of the Coria restaurant in Caltagirone, a beautiful city in Sicily. In 2012 they awarded the Michelin star and a year later they decided to start with the caterer in witch they keep the same quality of the restaurant. They made a menu with all typical sicilian products and wines but in a modern way. They did three cakes too for us: the classical white with cream, a chocolate one and a naked one with cream and straberries. After the cakes they provided to an open bar near the dj set station.

Entertainment

For the music we opted for a sicialian band the Babil’on Suite. They started the party with a real concert and after the cakes they continued with a dj set till the 4.00 AM. If anyone want to ear its music the band is on iTunes with two albums.

Party Favour

Caltagirone (the same city of the caterer’s restaurant) is famous for its ceramic products. For this reason we went there to find our party favors. In the workshop of Andrea Branciforti we found a special couple of Moor Heads. Moor Heads are colourful traditional Sicilian pots. Andrea turned them into a minimal and essential home decor piece. He personalised it with watercolor stripes of the colours of our stationery, then we put a succulent plant into the pots.