I pulled a selection to post here and they're not in order. You can see the full photo album on our photographer's site.
Weddings are typically a moment of a couple's beginning. A step to mark the start of a long journey. But for us, well, we've taken so many steps together already. We've been together for 16 years and legally married for 7. And so, our wedding felt more like a celebration of a life together that is has already been, and continues to be, well-lived.
It was intimate and filled with family. My only wish would have been to have more of our family and friends from the U.S. in attendance, but we knew it would have been a stretch. My mom, sister, and brother-in-law were there - as well as my longtime friend and freshman year roommate, Martha, and I was so grateful to have them with me. And Luca, of course. I can't even imagine our wedding without him present.
For those who don't know, and we've told this story many times now so you probably do know, the years-long delay of our wedding was caused by the seemingly never ending restoration of the original location. Villa Savorelli in Sutri holds a special place in Sergio's heart. He was set on having our wedding there. But honestly, to this day, they are still "restoring" the building and I think no longer renting rooms out. It's all a little confusing what's happening with the property. And then we would have had to figure out the logistics of getting a caterer up to the Villa, deal with questionable kitchen and bathroom access, not to mention having to run electrical everywhere. So, in the end, I think we ended up with the best of both worlds.
We had a photoshoot at the Villa park and grounds around Sergio's childhood home a few days before the wedding. The ceremony and reception took place at Lido dei Pioppi, a restaurant right on Lago di Vico. Sergio's family has been going there for over 35 years. Both families watched each others kids grow up. They taught Sergio how to windsurf on the lake. They treated us like family.
Everyone was invited over the phone or email. We didn't have invitations printed up. We did our menu-tasting and met with our florist the day after we arrived in Italy, just 4 days before the wedding. Our awesome photographer got us in touch with the makeup and hair person, as well as found us the perfect little fiat cinquecento. The owner drove us around the lake and to the ceremony, honking the horn to announce our arrival. I had a quick makeup and hair trial three days before the wedding. We purposely coincided it with our Villa shoot.
Instead of program cards, we had Italian translations of the readings Sergio and I did in English during the ceremony. Nora "officiated", that is, translated our vows into Italian as we read them. We did a last minute pull of childhood photos to display near the petite guest book. We took Instax portraits of each other the morning of the wedding to use as cake toppers. The restaurant also provided the cake. There was no seating chart or menu cards. Sergio's cousin, Luca, is a Blues vocalist and harmonica player, and in a couple of bands. He performed during the ceremony and at the reception. There was no playlist. He just performed. I'm not even sure what he sang while we walked down the aisle. Although, I did hear a lyric "She's so beautiful..." right when we arrived.
Because of where I am in my life, I definitely approached the day much differently than if it had been 7 years ago. There was so much more I trusted others with to help us make the day special. Sergio and Nora did the bulk of the organizing. This happened by default because the event took place in Italy and most of the guests were there. I tried to do other things that did not need Italian to help, like booking travel arrangements, ordering favors, making the printed materials, finding Luca's outfit, cake topper, photographer research, etc. I found the readings but Sergio found the translations and Nora verified them for us.
There was a bit of last-minute, day-before scrambling over whether or not to decorate the gazebo and rearrange the chair setup, but it came together. Our florist pretty much rocked. The sun even shone at just the right moment for us. We were both surprised by how emotional we became as we did our readings.
There was dancing. And the food was so delicious. The meal seemed to stretch on and beautifully on. Luca had a fantastic time playing with his cousins. Oddly, Sergio and I never really got to dance with each other. I boogied down with Luca and his cousins. But not with him. We'll just have to make up for it another time.
Menu
We had a full course, seafood-based Italian dinner. As I said before, it was gloriously drawn-out and leisurely.
Aperitivo : Spumante, Juice, Crostini
Antipasto: Carpaccio pesce di lago
Primo : Ravioli di pesce persico (perch)
Secondo : Spigola e Gamberoni Kids table: Filetti di persico fritti dorati
Contorno : Patata arrosto
Insalata mista
Dolce : Wedding Cake
Caffè
Digestivo: Biscotti e Angioletto
Sources and Team
My Dress
David's Bridal DB Studio Limited Edition Style: 061896890
Sergio's Suit
Hugo Boss from Nordstrom
Luca's Outfit
Rosebuds & Rosestuds consignment shop
Florals
Anna Coppola of Il Laboratorio Fiori di Zucca
Via Vittorio Veneto, 15
Sutri (VT) Italy
Tel: 0761 608199
Cell: 333 26 09 108
annastageart@gmail.com
Location and Reception
Lido dei Pioppi Ristorante
Via Lido dei Pioppi, 14
Ronciglione (VT) Lago di Vico
Tel. 0761 612029
Hair and Makeup
Michela Meschini of Enzo & Marco Parrucchieri in Viterbo
Photography
Andrea di Giampasquale
Videography:
Giulia Selvaggini
Music
Luca Vaglica and band
Accommodations
Villa la Paiola
