Julie and Pete got engaged on their eighth anniversary. Exactly one year later, they travelled to Chianti in Italy to celebrate their wedding amidst these rolling hills in an ancient church dating from the 11th century. Julie tells us all about the day below as well as her favorite moments and advice, and their celebration was captured so well by Andrea Matone. We love the bright coral bridesmaid gowns, and Julie's matching nails add a lovely dash of color to her bridal ensemble.
"Pete and I met nine years ago through mutual college friends. Very quickly, as soon as we were in the same party or gathering, Pete and I were always talking to each other for hours. When we started seeing each other more officially, the chemistry was there right away. Within weeks, we were inseparable. I remember beginning university after we started dating and I was telling my new friends that Pete was Mr. Right. I couldn't be more right. Eight years past by, and on our eight-year anniversary date, Pete proposed on that casual Tuesday night at home. I couldn't believe it! I was extremely surprised and beyond happy! Pete told me that he had a hard time sleeping the last few weeks as he was nervous and excited about the idea of proposing. About a year before Pete proposed we read an article in a magazine about a French Canadian young lady that bought a vineyard in Gaiole in the Chianti region of Italy. We both had the same reaction: what a perfect place to get married. We had that in the back of our minds and when Pete proposed we started thinking: are we doing this Italian adventure? We contacted Paula Cook and were able to set a date with her, July 30th- the day of our ninth anniversary. The most challenging thing planning a wedding abroad was the language-barrier. Both my fiancé and I speak French and English, but our Italian was limited. For most things, we were able to communicate in English electronically or via Skype, but for a number of more specific things, it was very difficult not to be there in person speaking the language. We were lucky enough to find really helpful people on our way such as the winery and villa owner Paula Cook and our Italian wedding advisor, Elisabetta Tagliani. Though we didnt use a wedding planner as such, we had contacted Elisabetta to help us with a few things such as finding a French-speaking priest, music system for the reception and a hairstylist. She was incredibly useful as she spoke Italian, English and French. We went for a sort of vintage feel and an outdoor Italian style. We wanted to be able to enjoy the magnificent scenery around us but at the same time keep it very simple with emphasis on the food and Le Miccine wines, so we had only one long table making it easy to talk to everyone and enjoy the moment. We ate for hours outside on that warm and perfect summer night. One of the most memorable moments was when I made my entrance in the church. We had a solo violinist playing 'Pachelbel's Canon in D', all our best friends and family were there, and most importantly the man of my life was smiling as he waited for me to get to his side. For us, having a destination wedding was fantastic. Since you can't control everything when you plan from abroad, we just went with the flow and let things happen. We were lucky enough that everything went as planned even if it poured rain the day before which never happens over there at that time of the year and we had absolutely no plan B if the weather would have been rainy on our big day. My best piece of advice is to keep it simple and to enjoy every moment of that day." Photographer: Andrea Matone | Ceremony Venue: Pieve di Spaltenna | Reception Venue: Villa Le Miccine | Violinist: Firenze Classica | Wedding Advisor: Special Days in Tuscany | Florist: Stiatti Fiori | Stationery: Maude Prince-Lescarbeau | Catering: Gastronomia Biagioni | Wedding Rings: Hardens Fine Jewellers | Bride's Dress & Veil: Di Carlo Couture | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaids Gowns: BCBG | Groom's Suit: Surmesur | Groom's Shoes: Aldo | Cufflinks: Scotch & Soda | Bride's Bracelet: BCBG | Wedding Celebrant: Don Giorgio Celora | Hair Stylist: Barbara Hair Studio
