Wedding in Ascoli Piceno, Italy
Le Marche in Italy was the location for a wedding we coordinated and designed and is featured in the current UK issue of Condé Nast Brides. Unfortunately the credit for the hugely talented photographer Edoardo Agresti (who we just love working with!) is lost in the spine of the magazine so you cannot easily find it. But we felt this the perfect excuse to blog a few more images and give him the recognition he deserves!
The ceremony took place in the cathedral of San Emidio in Ascoli Piceno. It is so breathtakingly beautiful we decided with our florist Tuscany Flowers (think Sting and Ferregamo parties for the level of their expertise!) not to even try and compete with the interior: fresh pink peony arrangements were at each pew end to match the bridesmaids bouquets, and impactful large urns filled white hydrangeas were placed at the inside and outside entrances and at the altar to complement the bride's all-white bouquet of sweet peas, gardenia, lily of the valley and ranunculus.
In Italian style the bride and groom departed the church last: but instead of throwing rice (as the Italians do) we provided baskets of fresh rose petals.
The bride chose Phillipa Lepley (one of the experts featured in both my 'Wedding Bible' bridal books) to create her couture gown and cathedral length veil.
The reception was held at the stunning location of the groom's family winery among the hillside vineyards in Montefiore dell'Aso (a very challenging marquee build not helped by a landslide 3 months prior!).
Luxurious eats created by Galateo Ricevimenti (think post-Oscar parties in Hollywood: really, they are that good!) included foie gras lollipops and five kilos of caviar positioned at a vodka luge (everything from the shelving to the shot glasses was created from ice)!
Banqueting tables in the dining area were adorned with candles, crystal candelabras and a mix of low and tall arrangements of peonies, roses and hydrangeas.
Peggy Porschen bride and groom cookies with calligraphed name tags tied in cross-grain ribbon were used to indicate to guests where they were seated.
A 6 feet high, 10-tiered, 3 flavoured Peggy Porschen cake was flown in by private jet from London: Peggy taught me some sugar craft skills the week prior just in case! The cake and the 350 bride and groom cookies were packed around the bridal party by Peggy and her husband Bryn in the jet and the last two tiers were loaded in the doorway (they were too large to fit any further in the cabin!). Before take-off the pilot went through the safety procedure and stated: "in the event of an emergency ladies and gentlemen, you will need to eat your way out!".
The escort cards were presented beneath a bronze antique urn filled with willow to which individual bud vases of pink roses were attached.
Whilst the guests were dining we transformed the cocktail areas adjacent attaching nearly 100 Moorish lanterns above chill-out seating areas and styled an illuminated dessert buffet and bar overlooking an open terrace from where a 15-minute firework display was viewed.
The bride and groom led the dancing on a mirrored dance floor and following the live big band, London based international DJ Sam Young kept the party in full swing until dawn.
As those of you who regularly follow us will know, we do not do full reveals of our weddings or talk about our clients as we know that much of our reputation is built around respecting their privacy and not putting our own spin on their celebration. This is a rare break with tradition and we thank our lovely clients who, as they'd revealed all to Brides magazine, let us show a few more images here!
In the wedding planning business you are only as good as the people you hire: that's why we work with the best! Thank you to the entire team of over 120 suppliers and individuals who worked with us on this celebration: you are amazing...
© Sarah Haywood