Love My Dress Wedding Feature

One of our real weddings got featured on Love My Dress! Here we reveal the behind the scenes.

This month one of our fabulous weddings got featured on Love My Dress! How amazing is this? I am over the moon and genuinely happy because the famous blog chose the quirky vintage style wedding of Laura & Rob. It is a wedding I hold very dear to my heart for many reasons. Laura & Rob are truly an amazing couple. After a year spent planning their wedding together, understanding their quirks, wishes, style and personality I must confess I that fell in love with them. This wedding was full of heartfelt little touches and it really celebrated the couple’s love for each other. Last but not least, for their special day the couple chose Bologna, my beautiful and beloved hometown.

You can read the full article on Love My Dress – A 1960’s and Film Inspired Intimate Italian Wedding and learn all about how the Laura & Rob met and how he proposed. But also how she redesigned the perfect vintage wedding dress, and how they lived the planning process and indeed their big day. Here is what it meant for me to embark in this wonderful adventure with them as their wedding planner. How I immediately understood their vision and helped them bring it to life by finding the perfect venue and suppliers. Together we created the wedding of their dreams and I loved every minute of it!

HOW IT STARTED

From the very first call, I could feel that Laura & Rob were two extremely creative people, with a passion for 1960s design and film. They had just returned from Italy, where they fell in love with Bologna, its liveliness, architecture and incredible food. Generally, the design phase comes at a much later stage of the wedding planning process. However, in this case, the first step for me was to create a mood board that would embody their vision. A 1960s style wedding with a contemporary twist.

THE DESIGN PHASE

The key was to create a 1960s theme without going overboard. Introducing a theme into a wedding in a tasteful way is always a tricky exercise. It requires a good eye for design and a sense of harmony and balance. Because after all it is a wedding, not a costume party! I titled the board “Roman Holiday Wedding” after an old Audrey Hepburn film and filled it with all things 60s but also a few contemporary details and clean lines. As this was a wedding afterall, I toned down the chocolate box colour palette the bride loved. Turquoise, pink, orange, yellow and mint green. I coupled bold chevron patterns of textiles and stationery with contemporary crockery. I kept the festoon lights in warm white rather than colour and mixed vivid flowers and succulents. Finally, I introduced some real vintage touches like a yellow classic FIAT 500 and a pink Vespa.

VENUE HUNTING

Then I sat back, stared at it for a while and searched my brain for a venue that would fit the inspiration for the whole wedding. One immediately came to mind, and I knew then that it would be love at first sight for Laura & Rob. Villa Isolani is pastel coloured Italian villa in the countryside just outside of Bologna. I was right! We planned a trip to visit multiple venues and I kept Villa Isolani for last. Partly because I could be wrong (although it rarely happens!). But mainly because I believe that for a couple, it is very important to see what they don’t like to understand what they do like. I remember Laura asked me beforehand which one did I think they would choose. My reply was I would not tell her until she saw them all.

ORGANISING THE CEREMONY

Venue of their dreams booked, I went to work with everything else. First of all, the paperwork! Laura & Rob wanted a simple Civil ceremony surrounded by close family and friends. I guided them through the process to obtain all the necessary paperwork. They tied the knot in the magnificent Sala Rossa of Bologna’s Town Hall overlooking the main square. And because we could not miss such an opportunity, I arranged a couple shoot to take place immediately after the ceremony to capture the newlyweds browsing through the little streets of Bologna. As bridal transport, I managed to find a charming vintage FIAT 500’ in a gorgeous powder blue colour. Picture perfect!

SORTING OUT THE BEST FOOD & WINE

Then it was time to outsource the catering. Laura & Rob are serious foodies as am I. Bologna is famous throughout Italy for its food, which says a lot! However, as anywhere, there are good caterings and bad caterings and inside knowledge is crucial. The couple wanted a daylong celebration where guests could relax and enjoy the delicious food and the sun. I organised a fun picnic on the grass with plenty of food and kept the Prosecco flowing. The florist set up tiny bud vases hanging from the trees and the bride found some colourful geometric print blankets.

FLOWERS, DECOR AND THOSE IMPORTANT LITTLE DETAILS

For the outdoor dinner reception, we set up a long dinner table in the park. Vintage bud vases with bright coloured flowers and succulents, pink, turquoise and yellow table runners, in clashing chevron and geometric patterns, and hanging paper decorations. Laura was great at outsourcing all these little vintage décor, while I outsourced festoon lights for the dinner area and coordinated flower varieties and venue layout with the florist. As a surprise for the guests, the bride prepared original vintage matchboxes with a gold-plated Lego brick inside and a little note ‘Thank you for being here today as we build our married life together’. Another heartfelt little touch that made all the difference.

IT’S PARTY TIME!

Finally, it was time to sort out entertainment and, as you guessed it, a modern style disco party was not an option. The groom created a fantastic music playlists and a video collage of all the couple’s favourite classic films and TV shows. I arranged for a mini PA system and cinema area to be set-up under an old oak tree as a backdrop for the dinner and dance. Unfortunately, after hundreds of years, the day before the wedding, the chosen branch inconveniently decided to break during a storm and we had to find an alternative… but this is another story.

WHAT THE BRIDE SAID OF US ON LOVE MY DRESS

To see more pictures, you can have a look at the full article on Love My Dress or have a peak at Laura & Rob’s wedding album. Moreover, if you want to know what the couple thinks about me as their wedding planner, you can have a look at their testimonial. Here is what Laura said to Love My Dress: “I knew as soon as we met her that she ‘got’ what we wanted to achieve. We can now honestly say that she is a friend and very patiently guided us through everything we needed to sort. She was our guide, our brains (when ours had slipped into bridal mushiness) our inside knowledge into the beautiful city of Bologna and the very keystone of our wedding.” 

OUR THANKS TO THE COUPLE AND TO LOVE MY DRESS

Personally, I would like to thank Love My Dress for featuring A Taste Of Beauty, we are honoured. I must also thank On Love & Photography for these amazing pictures, you really captured the essence of the day. But more than anyone else, I would like to thank Laura & Rob for giving us this opportunity. Thank you for putting your trust in me in making me a part of your wedding. Thank you for actually listening to my suggestions and for being always kind and appreciative of all the efforts everyone put into your special day.  But most of all, thank you for understanding my dry sense of humour. After so many years, I can honestly say that these things should not be taken for granted.