A Baroque Villa Wedding in Rome

Wrapped in the kind magic that spills from ancient walls, Hannah & Paul exchanged vows in Rome’s Renaissance church, San Pietro. Engulfed by painterly surrounds and ornate ceilings, the space itself provided artful drama that needed little more than romantic blooms.

Ask dusk set, guests arrived to the prestigious grounds of Villa Aurelia, a Baroque villa set on the highest point within the walls of Rome. Drenched in afternoon light, surrounded by lemon trees and expansive views, guests celebrated on a tablescape that stretched through the property.

Poetically capturing every frame were photojournalists, Danilo & Sharon.

Our Story

Names / Hannah & Paul Stoss

Wedding Date / July 10th, 2021

Guest Numbers / 80

How We Met

We can hardly believe that this happened already 4 years ago. But it is just as unbelievable that having known each other for only 4 years, we can’t imagine life without each other anymore. As life goes, our first encounter was the result of a series of fateful events – Hannah was close friends with a bunch of medical students at university, together with Paul’s roommate and longtime friend Max and his girlfriend Sophie. A coincidence, without which we would probably never have met. However, it took a few years, a kiss at a party, a few dates and a series of retrospectively funny blunders to turn you and me into us. From that point on, we have been inseparable. And here we are, freshly married and Max and Sophie, who played such an important role in the beginning of our relationship, have been our best man and maid of honor. Lucky us!

Our Engagement Story

We were on vacation in a beautiful hotel in Thailand. There was a quiet place at the beach with a swing. Already at the beginning of the vacation we were there a few times and admired the sunset from the swing. One evening we were getting ready for dinner and Paul wanted to go down to the sea to the swing. As we walked down the stairs to the beach, I could already see countless candles in the sand that wrote “Will you marry me”. We were both so nervous and overjoyed at the same time

Marriage To Us Means…

What marriage means to us is to grow together. To be a support for each other in all situations and to create a familiar place where we feel comfortable. Marriage is for us a chance to share so many beautiful memories in life with a person we love.

“Good wedding planners are so important. You can’t believe how much work is behind the planning of a wedding. Also, invest in good photographers – these are the memories you will have forever.”

The Setting

Wedding Location

The beauty of the Villa gardens, the breathtaking view of Rome, and the variety of spaces available make Villa Aurelia an ideal location for high-level external events such as our wedding. Finding the location was definitely the hardest decision – because the whole style of the wedding depends on it. We really aimed for an outdoor dinner, a long table, and were looking for a location that was chic but still had a casual atmosphere. The first time we were at the Villa, we knew right away that this was the place that suited us.

Aesthetic

Chic, Modern & minimal

Preparation

We had rented a whole hotel where our closest friends and family stayed. The morning of the wedding we met with the Best Man and Bridesmaids and got ready. The first tears of joy were also shed. We were was so happy to have my best friends by my side.

Photography/videography

Danilo & Sharon Studio are an award-winning destination wedding photography team. Driven by style, fashion, and the unique character of the couple, they deliever amazing photography and videography. They captured so many beautiful moments of our wedding and we wouldn’t have though of any better.

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

To keep the neutral color palette we decided to keep the ceremony decoration very modern and minimalistic with handmade silk ribbons from Apulia and white peonies along the aisles. The beautiful Renaissance church San Pietro in Montorio did the rest.

Reception Décor

Just like the ceremony and the dinner, we looked to create a beautiful setting inspired and integrated with the venue. We aimed for an elegant look that included white and beige roses, hydrangeas, orchids and dried grasses in different vases placed on linen coverd high tables and garden furniture.

Wedding Planner & Stylist

We hired Natalie & Daniel from HEA wedding and event design. It was crucial to find wedding planners who shared our style. We researched for quite a long time before we finally met with Natalie for the first time. And what can we say, we clicked right away. Natalie and Daniel have a wonderful eye for details and an incredible sense of design. They were extremly helpfull from beginning to end and thought of so many things we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves. Moreover, they were incredibly dedicated to make our wedding exactly how we envisioned it.

Flowers

For florals, we continued with the neutral color palette. The choice of flowers has always been particularly important for us. We used flowers like dahlias, roses, ranúnculos, orchids, peonies paired with dried flowers like lunarium, ruscus and grasses to create beautiful and elegant arrangements.

We decided on a mix of 70% fresh flowers and 30% dried flowers and some hints of greenery like olive, sage, thyme, rosemary.

Stationery

We believe that the most important messages in life should not be sent or received via Email. Invitations are such an intimate form of communication and turn into cheriched keepsakes. It is like a sneek peek of the day to come. We used Carissimo Lettepress for our stationery.

Favors

The wedding cake, profiterol, tiramisu, sorbet and ice cream, Crème Brûlée, cheesecake.

Cake

We had a very simple white wedding cake decorated with flowers.

Food & Beverages

The Catering turned out to be really amazing. At the reception we had an aperitivo with Italian finger food specialities. Then we had a three-course menu served at the breathtaking long table in the middle of the lemon trees. Amazing wines and a dessert buffet did the rest. We and our guests loved everthing they prepared. In addition, there was a cocktail bar on the dance floor.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress

I wore a Rosa Clara Couture A- Line dress with a long train of flowing tulle. The lace was elaborate and the dress had a plunging neckline and an open back. I wanted a classic wedding dress that still didn’t look too staid and I was very happy to have found this dress.

Bride’s Shoes

I wore Stuart Weitzman, high heeled sandals. While choosing my wedding shoes I have to admit that the comfort for me was the first priority. Fortunately, it was a good decision because I was able to dance the whole night through.

Bridesmaids’ Dresses

The bridesmaids wore a multiway dress by Rose avenue.

Flower girls & Paige boys

Our flower girls wore white tulle dresses.

Wedding Rings

My engagement ring is a thin simple white gold ring with a solitaire diamond. My wedding band is an eternity diamond ring in white gold. Together they are a perfect match. Paul wears a white gold wedding band.

Jewelry / Accessories

My mother lent me her diamond earrings for the wedding which are a heirloom and very timeless. Paul wore a Rolex watch.

Groomsmen

Paul wore a dark blue linen tuxedo with black bow tie by Anton Meyer and tailored white tuxedo shirt by Gino Venturini.

Hair & Makeup

For me, it was always important to look like the best version of myself on our wedding- but still like me. Together with my stylist I finally decided to wear my hair open with loose curls. Part of the hair was pinned up which was especially nice with the veil. I kept my makeup subtle with nude colors.

The Details

Transport

We wanted to make sure guests could arrive by foot so recommended hotels right nearby the church within walking distance. However, we had also reserved cabs in advance.

Honeymoon

Right after our wedding we went to Puglia with our family and spent a nice vacation at Masseria Grieco. Our real honeymoon later was in Dubai at the Hotel Jumeirah al Naseem and afterwards at Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives, which we can highly recommend.

Wedding Songs

We had a string quartet in the church. Our ceremony song was Saturn- Sleeping at last, our after ceremony song was May it be- Enya and our first dance song was Fall on me by Andrea bocelli.

Entertainment

During the reception we had a playlist of songs that we chose. For the dinner and after dinner party we chose the amazing Gleams live band from Milano. They started with smooth jazz during the dinner, followed by dance music and a DJ for the real party.

Celebrant

We had a catholic priest for our wedding ceremony.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

A moment I will probably never forget as a bride… The church where we got married was on the Giannicolo hill in Rome. We had our wedding ceremony exactly at noon. I was so nervous and waited with my father in front of the church while Paul and all the guests were already inside. The string quartet started playing and all of a sudden we could hear all the church bells of the city on the hill in front of the church. I still get goose bumps when I think about it.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

The planning really takes some time because so many details need to be thought of. Fortunately, we had calculated 2 years for the planning and can only recommend it. Even then, the last few months before the wedding are still a bit stressful but you can enjoy the planning more and still get all the service providers you would like to have for your wedding date.

If I could give other brides to be one piece of advice…

We can really recommend a get together event the night before. The day of the wedding rushes by so fast. So a pre-wedding event allows you to have more time to enjoy the wedding and talk to all the guests. Furthermore, good wedding planners are so important. You can’t believe how much work is behind the planning of a wedding. Invest in good photographers – these are the memories you will always have.

Sources of inspiration…

We got most of our inspiration through editorial accounts like The Lane. Pinterest and Instagram were especially helpful before we even started planning to know what style we wanted for the wedding in the first place.