Rustic Opulence in Italy

Photography by Cinzia Bruschini for Maria & Riccardo

Inside a crumbling church in the Italian countryside sat a canopy of green, a collection of trees reaching to the ceilings, trunks steadied by soil resting on the ancient sandstone floor. It’s as if they have grown in through the church, an enchanted garden that has sprouted between minute fissures in the stone…

In a celebration imbued with Italian tradition, Maria and Riccardo exchanged vows beneath the emerald leaves of their bespoke interior garden. Beautifully captured by Cinzia Bruschini, guests mingled amongst the rolling Italian hills, a balloon installation hanging above.

This was a wedding of sunset skies and candlelit feasts, where guests danced to jazz music and the couple were whisked away in a sky blue vintage Fiat…

Photography by LANE handpicked photographer Cinzia Bruschini.

Our Story

Names / Maria and Riccardo

Wedding Date / September 10, 2016

Guests/ 210

How we met…

We met in a club in Sardinia in the summer of 2003. We were introduced through mutual friends and have been together ever since!

Our Engagement story…

I was coming back from a working trip in London, the flight had been delayed and I was very tired. Riccardo had prepared an amazing dinner for us both and proposed once I got home. I was so happy and surprised!

The Details

Wedding Location

Villa Sparina, in Monterotondo, Italy. We’ve always been fascinated by the idea of getting married in a winery. We loved Villa Sparina because it has a beautiful hotel on the grounds where all our guests could stay with us and spend the weekend together in a charming location.

Theme & Style

We were so inspired by our beautiful venue and its amazing surrounds, so decided to keep our styling rustic to fit in with the space. We opted for décor and florals that echoed the earthy colors and natural finishes of the estate. Keeping to this theme, we asked our guests to dress in printed gowns and statement accessories – everyone looked so gorgeous!

Photography

Cinzia Bruschini. We love her style, how she catches the moment in a very authentic way. We found her work online and she immediately caught our attention – it’s so very rare to find spontaneous work out there!

Fashion Notes

Bride’s Dress

Maison Samit, an atelier in Verona. The dress was a mix of different shades of white macramé with cream chiffon layered underneath. The dress has a gentle A-line shape with a big ruffle on the upper part to cover the shoulders. On the waist, there was a grosgrain belt. The macramé was especially designed by Ricamificio Paolo.

Bridesmaids’ Dresses

I chose two floral long gowns by Luisa Beccaria and Marta Ferri.

Wedding Rings

Matching our wedding aesthetic, our rings were minimal gold pieces that were beautifully understated.

Groom

Riccardo wore a made-to-measure single breast suit in blue with a white shirt and grey knit tie. He also wore vintage Cartier cufflinks.

Hair & Makeup

The amazing Massimo Serini did my hair and makeup. We went for a natural look, using minimal makeup. I had my hair in braids, woven into a bun. This was styled with little Japanese white and pink flowers.

Style Notes

Favors

We gave each guest a flute of confetti (that they threw over us as we walked out of the church) along with a traditional Italian bonbonniere of sugared almonds. We also put hangover kits in each of their rooms so help with their day-after recovery! Additionally, everyone was able to make a personalized flipbook during the weddings party – we provided colourful masks, glasses and wigs!

Flowers & Bouquet

The bouquet was made from flowers in soft shades of pink and pastel colours, keeping to a rustic style. The bridesmaids wore handmade flower bracelets in the same colours as the bouquet.

Preparation

In the morning, I had a massage to relax and unwind before the ceremony. As I got ready, I had some drinks and nibbles with my sisters and bridesmaids.

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Reception Notes

Ceremony & Reception Décor

We got married in a deconsecrated church that was beautiful and timeworn. We wanted to create the environment of an enchanted garden that was growing through the floor of the church, so we filled the space with huge green plants. They were placed on the floor without vases, and after the wedding all of them were planted in a beautiful garden next to the church.

Cake

We had a large rectangle cake that was topped with strawberries. Surrounding the cake, we had 100 balloons that were connected in sync with the music. They changed colours and bumped together – the effect was very romantic!

Wedding Song

Our first dance was to “Heroes” by David Bowie

Entertainment

In the church, we had a trio of violin, viola and violoncello. During the happy hour, we had a jazz band playing and then after dinner, we had a DJ playing all ‘90s music.

Food & Beverages

Our reception was a sit-down dinner with a rustic menu. We had a lot of fried canapes with vegetables and homemade salami during the aperitivo. For the later courses we had agnolotti with cured meats and filet steak with vegetables ratatouille. During the evening, there was pizza and focaccia available as well (to help the guests that were drinking too much!). We served champagne and had an open bar for everyone during the dance party.

Special Details

Gift Registry

We used Mohd for our registry. My favourite gift was from my bridesmaid – an ostrich egg on which she had hand painted our love story. My sister prepared a collection of our favourite pictures from our years together which our guests could take and glue onto our guestbook. It’s a beautiful memento to keep.

Celebrant

The celebrant was my cousin, Don Renato Fantoni. It was so special for us to have him during the ceremony.

A memorable moment…

My most memorable moment was definitely entering the church with my dad, it was so amazing and emotional. And of course, the feeling of all our friends being willing to be there to share in the best day of our life.