Teenage sweethearts Emily and Shane married in the beautiful setting of Lake Garda and let the majestical surroundings dictate the look and feel of their big day.
With a subtle colour palette of lilac-y greys, natural greens and whites – this wonderful Italian inspired wedding will take your breath away!
Words by Emily. Images by Nikki’s Moments.
The lace of my wedding dress had a classic Italian feel, while the mermaid shape felt really feminine and elegant. It was light for the summer weather but still had lots of drama with the low back and chapel-length train. The crystal straps and buttons added the little bit of sparkle I wanted.
I also opted for sandals to work with the outdoor venue and boat deck! I bought a lovely blush velvet pair from Dorothy Perkins of all places.
I have been visiting Lake Garda for family holidays since I was two years old so we chose Magnifica Patria Palace, Salo, Italy for the ceremony and La Torre di San Marco, Villa Fiordaliso, Gardone Riviera, for the reception. It is also the first holiday destination Shane and I went on together when we were 17. We have been back several times and both love the area. We loved the idea sharing a place that means so much to us with all our guests.
Wedding ceremonies in Italy must take place in the Town Hall and we decided on the one in Salo as it close to the area of the Lake we always stay. It also just happened to be a beautiful old building, right on the lakeside.
The bridesmaid dresses were from the ASOS Summer 2016 collection. I actually got them before my dress! I was looking for a soft grey and the slight lilac tone sat really well with the whites and greens. The pleated design is something I love and they were super light and flowing for the warm weather.
Everyone wore their own gold or silver sandals. Super relaxed and perfect for the outdoor venue.
We hired a boat to pick up guests from a couple of ports around the bay. The groom and groomsmen travelled with them to the ceremony venue. After the ceremony, we all got the boat to the reception venue.
The Lake Garda scenery really is it the most magical and beautiful when you experience it from the water.
My Dad gave me away. It was a lovely moment when he saw me in my dress for the first time at the villa before we left.
My cousin Ruby Sweetland played the piano and sung during the ceremony. She did a rendition of Snow Patrol’s chasing cars. That track came out when we first starting dating at sixteen, and will always be ‘our song’.
Working in design, getting the right photography backdrop was always important to me, even if that meant flying someone over to capture our day. I happened across Nikki during my search and instantly fell in love with her natural, light and relaxed style.
Our wedding images are beautiful and everything we wanted. We always be so grateful for Nikki taking on our booking, as she had her own wedding just over a week later!
The main person who helped us achieve our perfect abroad wedding was our wedding planner, Ginny Bevan. With only limited Italian, we knew we need someone to help us liaise with suppliers and also to translate parts of the legal wedding ceremony. Ginny is so lovely and we couldn’t have done it without her.
As the locations had so much of their own beauty and history we had to do very little to dress the venues. We had one floral display and some small arrangements to the back of the chairs during the ceremony. At the reception, apart from dressing the tables, we just added lanterns along the stone walls.
Shane and I have been together since we were 16. Even though we’ve lived in different cities at times, our love and commitment to each other has kept us going.
We moved in together in 2014 and got engaged on Christmas Day that year. Even though we had been together for 8 years, it was the first Christmas Day we had spent together. He proposed in front of all my family – they all burst into tears, but I was too shocked!
The cake was supplied by the chef at La Torre and was a light lemon mousse style to all the tiers. Lemon is one flavour we both love and connect with Italy.
We didn’t actually realise the size it was going to be until it was brought out on the night – it was huge! Only a few inches of each tier was cake though. We also had a buffet table of other desserts for guests to enjoy.
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wedding credits / photographer: nikki’s moments / wedding venue: la torre di san marco / wedding planner: weddings at lake garda / brides dress: enzoani blue via stars bridal outlet / grooms suit: moss bros / brides shoes: dorothy perkins / bridesmaid dresses: jojobride/ bridesmaid shoes: their own / hair & makeup: daniela pellini and hair dresser lynn matthews / florist: carla tobanelli / lace wigs: Niawigs/ entertainment: the carellaz
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Love how warm this whole wedding is, not just in the photography but in the people!
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