I’m always so impressed by a bride who can plan an overseas wedding…and pull it off with incredible elegance! Lovelies, say ciao to this romantic number planned by Italia Celebrations and shot by the super talented Rochelle Cheever Photography. Deep, rich purples and reds, a vintage Fiat and lots of candlelight created old-world ambiance and spoke perfectly the history and beauty of Rome. The details don’t stop here…pour a glass of vino and take a peek at the full gallery!
From the Bride… I can’t remember what inspired me while planning my wedding day. I just started with a venue (Rome) and then everything else started from there. Therefore, I daresay that Rome itself was my inspiration. :) Since it was a very intimate wedding, it was unlike any wedding I’ve ever seen. Everyone seemed to be having fun — even our priests. If you look through the photos, it did not seem like an actual wedding ceremony was occurring — the priests were laughing, the bride and groom were laughing, our guests were laughing. It was relaxed, informal, very personal and yet spiritual at the same time. I will always remember my wedding to be one word — HAPPY. Not just for me and my husband but for everyone who was there. Even now, they would tell us what a beautiful wedding it was — you could feel the love and joy of everyone. It truly was a celebration.
Every girl dreams of a perfect wedding. For me, my dream was fulfilled. I realized that a perfect wedding does not mean that each detail and moment of your wedding is actually perfect. It should just be perfect enough FOR YOU. Our wedding had a thousand “flaws” to it — simple things such as not having the veil pinned to my hair or the candle being lit at the start of the ceremony and not during the actual part of the ceremony where it should be lit. Even the journey to Rome was insane. My secretary lost ALL of our original papers on her way to FEDEX a month before the wedding — that’s a whole story in itself — and we realized my passport was inside my checked luggage an hour prior to boarding. Flaws and all, I could not have dreamed of a better way to get married — because I married the man of my dreams, because I felt all the love and support of my family and friends, and because we got married in our most favorite city in the world: Rome. Just know that Murphy’s law will always hold true — anything that can go wrong will. It helped me to know this fact during the whole process — to remain calm and composed even through all the stress that comes with wedding planning. The best advice we ever got (from one of Julian’s friends) was to remember to take it all in. It will go by so fast. Enjoy the journey, and have fun.
Also, get a good wedding planner and photographer. Do not scrimp on these two items. Since it is a destination wedding, you would need a planner you can trust as you are not physically present to check on things and book your suppliers and venues. My wedding planner, Brenda Babcock, is amazing. I could not have pulled this wedding off from 10,000 miles away without her. Not only did she handle the logistics in Rome, but she also gave the best recommendations based on what we wanted — the flowers, the reception venue, the makeup artist, the bridal car, etc. If you are planning to have a destination wedding, you have to make sure that you have an amazing photographer as well. What good is a beautiful setting if your pictures are not able to capture the moment? Search for photographers that have the style you want. I chose Rochelle because of her ability to capture priceless moments, as well as her style of fine art photography. Our pictures are unlike any I’ve seen. They are like art pieces and were perfect for our Rome setting.
Wedding Photography: Rochelle Cheever Photography / Ceremony: Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale in Rome, Italy / Reception: Antica Pesa in Rome, Italy / Wedding Planning: Italia Celebrations / Floral Design: Noosheen / Wedding Dress: John Herrera / Bride’s Shoes: Co-Designed by the Bride + Aira Franco / Groom’s Suit: Designed by the Groom