A Rich Tapestry Of Italian Memories.

A Rich Tapestry Of Italian Memories.

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Natalie and Duncan are super stylish, I mean you can tell this is the case as soon as you start reading Natalie's wonderful description of her wedding day below. And any man that accessorises a splendid navy Italian jacket with a crisp white shirt and a very strong gin and tonic for the woman in his life (as Duncan did when he first met Natalie) is a winner in my book.

And where would a super stylish couple such as this pair choose to host their big day, why in Italy of course, set against the backdrop of olive trees, deliciously fresh white linen and a sprinkling of lavender.

Heaven! Let's take a look!

Natalie The Bride: When I first met Duncan on a cold, wet and windy night back in February 2010, he was wearing a beautiful navy Italian jacket, crisp white shirt, stylish brown shoes, and he was holding a very strong gin and tonic for me. That rather fabulous start, was just the beginning of our very special journey. Our shared love of all things Italian led us to Lake Como in October 2012 to celebrate my birthday and unbeknown to me, our engagement.

Tuscany, famously romantic, renowned for its picturesque countryside, sunny climate, wines, pecorino cheese, olive oils, truffles, homemade pasta and fantastic red wines, won our hearts and was the natural choice for our wedding. The supremely talented Helen Cawte, who I had wanted as my photographer from her very first wedding, and even before I had met my husband, recommended a number of wedding blogs including Rock My Wedding. These quickly became our style bibles!

We quickly learnt that there are a few key details for a truly memorable wedding - stunning floral arrangements and a breathtakingly beautiful venue drenched in natural light. We quickly selected eight such venues and spent two rather frantic days careering around the Tuscan countryside in our Fiat 500. From the moment I stumbled across Villa Catureglio in Borgo Mozzano, I knew that we had found our venue and that it was just a matter of convincing Duncan.

Villa Catureglio, set in the beautiful mountainous northwest corner of Tuscany, is an elegant, traditional stone built 13th Century house, lovingly restored by its two world famous architect owners. The simple elegance of the building is set off by the surrounding landscape. It really is like a painting with a thousand colours; the silver-green of the olive groves, the dark green of the chestnut forests, abound with the masses of wild flowers. Villa Catureglio not only looks the part, but it also allowed us to spend four days with our closest friends and family in the villa and the various cottages on the estate.

When it came to organising the details for our wedding we agreed to keep it simple. We honoured the rustic charm of the villa combining Duncan's love of architecture with an understated and elegant aesthetic. An outdoor setting only added to the drama and beauty of the venue. We had the ceremony on the lawns in front of the villa surrounded by lemon trees; our apperitivio on a terrace high above the villa allowing the guests a magnicent panaromic view of the valley; the sumptuous wedding meal under the candle lit olive grove; and the evening party in the stone barn with our fabulously entertaining saxophonist, percussionist and DJ.

Our dear friends did a fabulous job of illuminating the dilapidated stone walls in the barn with hundreds of candles and trailing ivy and foliage around the barn completing the wild and rambling look. Our florist used locally sourced olive trees, rosemary and a variety of herbs in all of her stunning aromatic creations. We kept our colours in keeping with the surroundings: green foliage and flora with white roses and peonies.

Once we had the venue, I needed to find a dress. I wanted something romantic, chic and sassi, yet elegantly simple. I also wanted to be comfortable, so that I could dance with the best of them! I travelled to Paris, Rome and Barcelona in search of the dress. Then, unexpectedly on a trip to the Isle of Wight to visit my brother, I found it! I certainly had not expected to find the dress in a small shop in Ryde, but when I was presented with the two gregarious and extremely talented sisters, Gerry and Katrina from Forget Me Not Designs, I immediately felt at ease and confident that they could design what I had been looking for (for a very long time).

Gerry designs and creates the dresses in her shop, offering brides a bespoke couture service at a fraction of the price you would find in London. At every step of the process I felt entirely involved and I was given the freedom to design my perfect dress (whilst having jolly good fun along the way!).

We now have an incredibly rich tapestry of memories to last us a life time. Not only captured in Helen's jaw droppingly beautiful photographs but also in the smaller personal details that will stay with us forever: the thought provoking and inspiring "Love - by Roy Croft" reading; our own heartfelt vows; the beautifully hand crafted jewellery box designed by Duncan and built by a retired partner from my law firm; the delicious and perfectly simple wedding cake lovingly baked by Duncan's mother; the exquisite diamond ring lent to me by Duncan's sister on the morning of the wedding and the hand made garter with the forget me not design to honour my late grandfather.

The list could go on. Our wedding was a wonderful step in our journey together, a journey that we hope will continue for many years to come.


Photography by Helen Cawte
Venue Villa Catureglio, Italy | Dress Forget Me Not Designs | Earrings and Necklace Tiffany | Groom's outfit Chris Kerr | Hair Alina Coiffeur | Band Organised by Italy Weddings | Rings Jade Jewellers | Catering Il Fattore Party.

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