Romantic Italy Destination Wedding

Guys, I seriously cannot find the words for this wedding. I saw the photography by Weddings by Willy and Meghan, and for a second wondered if it were even possible for a wedding to be so beautiful! But really, what do you expect when it’s a romantic wedding in Italy?

From the bride:

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

We were blessed to have a lot of help from dear family and friends. I would have to thank my mom the utmost gratitude and thanks, for her ideas, input, time and love. I am also so incredibly appreciative of my sweet maids of honor, Jill and Becca, for the countless hours they put into every last detail. And lastly, we could have never pulled it all off without our wedding coordinator, Katia. Planning a destination wedding is not the easiest, but with her help she was able to make our dream wedding a reality.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

We were lucky to have many talented family and friends who wanted to be a part of our planning and wedding day. It was a true Italian, family-style wedding where everyone played a part in some way or another. It made the day that much more personal and special to us. 

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

We love Italian culture- the food, the traditions, everything! With the beautiful Italian setting, history and culture, it was easy. We were married in a small town surrounded by vineyards and wineries, so we used that as a focus- good food, good wine and good friends/family – true Italian style.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

Besides marrying the man of dreams, I would have to say that I loved the meaningful touches.

Getting to wear my mom’s wedding dress was such an honor and something I will cherish forever. I also wore a garter that has been in the family for decades. My grandmother, aunt and mom each wore it on their wedding days and put in a penny with the year on it. Putting that garter on and adding in a 2012 penny was so sentimental. The brooch bouquet I carried was also very special to me. It was hand-made by a dear friend of ours. As part of my bridal shower, I was given brooches by my nearest and dearest women in my life. Although not all of our loved ones were able to join us for our wedding in Italy, I was able to feel like a piece of each of them was there with me as I said my vows.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Have fun! Don’t stress over the day not being perfect- there are going to be mishaps (like the Italian priest calling my husband the wrong name for the entire ceremony!) but that makes for some of the best stories and memories. No matter how the day goes, you married your best friend and that’s the most important part of all! 

From the photographer:

Katie and Dustin decided to escape their normal Orange County life to have a romantic dream destination wedding in Italy. Katie had studied abroad there in college and fell in love with the rustic beauty and the fun-loving people. They had 40 of their closest friends and family fly to Italy for their special day. The entire guest list stayed at Castello DI Meleto, a 12th century castle in Tuscany for the entire week of the wedding. Everyone had a blast exploring the countryside with the bride and groom and celebrating nightly by drinking the wine made at the Castle. The couple had two ceremonies to honor the bride’s Catholic heritage. The first was a traditional Catholic ceremony in a little stone church in the nearby town of Gaiole in Chianti. The wedding guests all laughed as the priest, who barely spoke English, kept calling the groom the wrong name, “Doug.” It was a scene out of a movie I’m sure the couple will never forget. The second ceremony was held in a beautiful garden setting with panoramic views of the Castle and the surrounding wineries. We had dinner at an outdoor long banqueting table fit for Kings situated in the courtyard next to the Castle. As the sun set the party moved to the old barn area of the Castle where a DJ played music and the guests danced the night away with a all you can eat gelato bar!

See what I mean? I am absolutely amazed at how beautiful the photography for this wedding is! What a sweet way to remember such an incredible -and gorgeous- day!

Vendors who made it all happen…

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Joelle

Owner at Joelle Charming

Joelle is the founder, owner, and creative director of Joelle Charming. She blogs, plans weddings, and writes love stories. Joelle is also obsessed with Taylor Swift, loves the color pink, and likes to wear bows in her hair.

Latest posts by Joelle (see all)

• How To Create An Assigned Seating Chart (Without Going Crazy) - October 16, 2014
• Making Wedding Trends Your Own - November 5, 2013
• Trust The Wedding Vendors You Hire! - October 1, 2013