We love this week’s Real Wedding from our friends at Infinity Weddings and Events, who helped Morgan and James plan their dream day in Tuscany. Every aspect of their destination wedding is breathtaking, from Morgan’s dress, the stunning rustic venue to the jaw-droppingly beautiful forest location. So, sit back and enjoy!
Bride and Groom… Morgan and James
Wedding date… 6th September 2014
We met… At a work networking event, through a mutual contact. I told James I was far too focussed on my career to have a boyfriend, and he saw that as a challenge.
The proposal… Was on the two year anniversary of our first date and James took me to Prague for the weekend. James popped the question on the Charles Bridge! We celebrated with delicious Czech beer. He had bought a ring from Accessorize with him, which he proposed with and then we went shopping together to Grays Antiques in London when we got back and bought a stunning vintage 1950s ring.
James knew I was ‘the one’… When he was on holiday in Brazil when we first started dating, sitting on Sugarloaf mountain and the only person he wanted to share it with was me.
Length of engagement... 18 months
My dress was… A Pronovias gown. I went shopping with my bridesmaid Chrissy to Mirror Mirror in Crouch End and it was the first dress I tried on. I chose a lace strapless dress with a glamorous Italian ‘La Dolce Vita’ vibe. The dress was figure hugging with a stunning train and plenty of va-va-voom!
Our bridesmaids and groomsmen were… My 3 oldest friends were my bridesmaids and James had his two best friends from school to be his best men.
Our wedding ceremony was… At a villa outside San Miniato in rural Tuscany. We had 65 guests and the whole weekend was magical. On the Friday night we had an informal dinner in the evening with fresh oven baked pizzas, which were the best pizza we’ve ever had! On Saturday, most of our guests either explored the local San Miniato, or chilled out by the pool. The wedding ceremony was in the evening on the terrace, with Prosecco and canapés afterwards, followed by a delicious 4 course dinner. After that, there was a party in the courtyard, with lights in the trees, a cocktail bar, and a tequila station! The party went on to about 5am. We chose the villa as it offered us everything in one place, we wanted to have a relaxed, informal and fun wedding in stunning surroundings, with our friends and family, and have good food and wine in the sunshine. We could also accommodate the majority of our guests in the villa’s apartments.
Our favourite part of the wedding was… Exchanging our vows in front of all of our friends and family in the most stunning location. I also enjoyed the speeches, my dad ‘outsourced’ some of his speech, and got the bridesmaids, my mum and gran to all say a few words, which was very special.
Our wedding was unique and special because… We were so chuffed that so many of our friends and family flew out to spend the weekend with us. The whole weekend was so relaxed and fun, an hour before the wedding everyone was still by the pool in the sunshine! To do it over three days meant that we were able to spend a lot of quality time with friends and family and not rush to get around speaking to everyone.
Our wedding photographer was… Domenico Costabile , he was brilliant!
Our wedding colours were… Light colours in keeping with the surroundings. James and his best men wore powder blue suits; we based the colours of the flowers and bridesmaids around this with all ivory and blush flowers. The bridesmaids were in different shades of purples and pinks, they chose their own dresses.
Our first dance was… You Are The Best Thing, by Ray LaMontagne.
What is your advice for other brides? Relax and enjoy it. All our guests commented on how much fun our wedding was, and I’m sure it was because we were so relaxed and having fun too. We also had a wedding planner Barbara Calo (from Infinity Weddings and Events). We couldn’t have done it without her! I would recommend to anyone getting married abroad to get a planner.
Our honeymoon was… To Sardinia after the wedding for 6 days, and are planning a 2 to 3 weeks trip to Vietnam in a few months.
Suppliers
Wedding Dress: Pronovias | Wedding Shoes: Debenhams | Wedding Suits: Next | Wedding Planners: Infinity Weddings and Events | Wedding Photographer: Domenico Costabile
