An Abandoned Quarry Reception

On a spontaneous trip to the Sicilian island of Favignana, Alba & Jan discovered an abandoned quarry transformed into lush gardens. Wandering through the space, and after just one month of dating, they both intuitively knew this is where they would marry.

Evocative of a hidden cave, the grandeur of sky high walls encapsulating the space lined with vines and greenery was the perfect space to hold their intimate ceremony and reception.

Inspired by the Favignana’s breathtaking natural beauty and playing to their love of minimalism, Alba & Jan drew on the islands natural elements stone and wood as the central elements of their beautifully understated styling, finished with earthy blooms to tie in seamlessly with the organic surrounds.

White sheaths swung from tree’s, creating an altar effect to frame the Bride & Groom during the ceremony. The Bride exchanged vows in a custom made Unielle Couture sheath open back dress, later changing into a playful floor length skirt, adorned with silk roses.

Documented by the inimitable Giuseppe Marano, handpicked for The LANE Brands Directory.

Our Story

Names / Alba & Jan

Wedding Date / September 10, 2016

Guest Numbers / 70

How we met…

We met through the Global Shapers, an initiative from the World Economic Forum. The Global Shapers are a collection of young professionals from various sectors, who use their talents to have a positive impact on their communities. However, we truly met on a Global Shapers trip we organised together, where we ended up as the last two people on the dance floor. We have not stopped dancing ever since.

Our Engagement Story…

After one month of dating, we went on a trip to Italy, to a small island called Favignana. We arrived early in the morning at Hotel Delle Cave, a small hotel located at the edge of a former quarry that has been transformed into a garden. While waiting for our room to be ready we explored the garden with a glass of prosecco in our hands, only to find out that there was no one else. We walked around the garden and discussed how this would be the ideal place to throw a party. In our shared imagination we saw a band in the corner, a table set for all our friends in the centre and before we knew it, we both agreed that this is a place where we should get married. Then, it could have been me or him, but one of us said: Let’s get married here. The other immediately agreed. And so we did.

Marriage to us means…

The ability to believe, that if you work together you can make the impossible seem possible. Because although love is not ensured to be eternal, we will try to get as close to eternity as we can anyway.

The Details

Location

Our ceremony and reception location were held in a former quarry turned into a beautiful garden. We chose it, as it was the place we visited on our first holiday.

Style

We focused on three elements: natural (wood, stone), formal & minimal.

Photography

Giuseppe Marano.

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

Custom-made sheath open back dress and a two-piece high-low cut lace and rose dress (both by Unielle Couture).

Wedding Rings

Antique double-diamond ring (France, circa 1910) for the bride and extra slim gold band for the groom, both from Lyppens Amster.

Hair

Simple, braided bun.

Makeup

Natural-toned makeup by Laura Mercier.

Hair & Makeup Artists

Find our handpicked edit of Hair and Makeup Artists around the world on the Directory.

Discover more

Style Notes

Stationery

The groom created the save the dates and wedding invitations himself to ensure more personal communication with the guests.

Flowers & Bouquet

The setting was naturally exotic and beautiful enough to require very little additional accents. The floral décor consisted of olive branches with a few white nglish roses for a very minimal look. The bridal bouquet was a dramatic bundle of olive branches.

Wedding Planner

The wedding planning was done by the dynamic duo of Silvia Tosto and Alessandra Bentivoglio at Weddings in Sicily.

Preparation

I got ready with my close friends in our hotel room, practising my vows. Jan got ready in an adjacent room and practised his vows before his little sister.

Videography

We decided not to have a video, but to capture our wedding only in our stories and pictures.

Reception Notes

Ceremony & Reception Décor

The decor was inspired by the beautiful quarries of Favignana, which created a cave-like effect. Wooden tables and chairs were used to match the natural atmosphere. A single white sheath was hung on the large tree under which the ceremony took place, framing the bride and groom and creating an altar effect.

Cake

Instead of cake, we chose to have a mountain of mini cannolis – the favorite local dessert.

Food & Beverage

After ceremony: a mix of Sicilian antipasti dinner: two types of pasta, tuna steak and cannoli, pizza as a midnight snack.

Entertainment

A jazz band played after the ceremony and during the dinner. After the dinner we had friends perform (singing & poetry) and finally a DJ took the stage using our playlist.

Special Details

Honeymoon

We spent our honeymoon on the island of Sicily with friends and family. Our favorite spots were Noto, the nature reserve Cave Grande del Cassibilie and Catania.

Celebrant

A close friend (who was there when we met) was the celebrant. As a result, the ceremony was very personal and intimate.

Readings

We wrote our own vows which we recited to each other for the first time at the ceremony.

Sources of Inspiration

We were inspired by the simplistic beauty of Favignana, from there we knew we wanted to choose vendors which shared our minimal aesthetic. Pinterest was a great help in finding the right looks.