Between the unreal views of the Duomo and the romantic, garden-inspired al fresco reception, Elizabeth and Rory’s wedding at Villa La Vedetta was basically an Italian destination fairytale come to life! Elizabeth, who owns Mighteor, put her artistic visual skills to full use with the help of the talented team at Nomad Republic International. Together, they created a romantic celebration inspired by the gardens and muted colors of the villa, complete with exquisite florals designed by Julie Guittard Fleuriste, a vintage gelato cart provided by Cassia Vetus, and a ride on a carousel to finish the night. In keeping with the soft and romantic Italian vibe, Elizabeth chose a blush gown from Monique Lhuillier that could not have looked more beautiful against the garden backdrop. Every single moment of this wedding day, from the first look to the couple’s self-solemnized ceremony, was picture perfect and wildly enchanting! Our day has been made by these stunning images Aberrazioni Cromatiche Studio captured!

The Couple:

Elizabeth and Rory

The Wedding:

Villa La Vedetta, Florence, Italy

The most important thing for both of us was making our wedding stress-free, fun and enjoyable for all our guests. Too many of our friends told us that their weddings were stressful, overwhelming, or caused tension. So we decided: let’s just have an adventure with the people we love! Let’s have fun. Let’s laugh. Let’s drink beautiful wine and eat unbelievable food. And, as a bonus, let’s get married during all that!

For the last 14 years, I have worked in video production and I know from my work that one of the most important things you can do to create beautiful visuals is to pick the right location. For us, Villa La Vedetta had every visual I could have dreamed up. The garden environment for our ceremony. The gorgeous views of Florence for dinner. The classic Italian architecture for our photos. Quick access to beautiful historical stops for more photos. It was an easy choice once we saw its location on the map.

We opted to self-solemnize, which means that we did not have an officiant for our ceremony. Instead, we crafted a ceremony that reflected how independent we both are as individuals. Rory welcomed everyone to the wedding and talked about how we got to this point in our lives — where we could be two people starting a new love story because of our parents. Our parents then each provided blessings and prayers. Their words still touch my heart in both what they chose to say and how they chose to say it. 

Probably the most special part of the day was when we “married ourselves” in lieu of an officiant performing the marriage tradition. When you self-solemnize, you can do what you want! So instead of someone asking us if we take one another as husband and wife, we proclaimed in front of everyone that we were choosing each other. Making that strong proclamation and choice in front of the people we love most felt really powerful!

And probably one of my favorite parts was we had a toast in the middle of our ceremony! After we signed our marriage certificate, I offered a toast to our guests. I thanked them for traveling so far to celebrate with us and toasted the love they have brought to our lives. I highly recommend a mid-ceremony toast!

We did two DIY projects. First, we printed photos of all our parents and grandparents on their wedding days and shared them at our photo station. It was so lovely to have our grandparents loves stories represented even though they have all passed. Second, I have had a rock collection for as long as I can remember. So, we used those agates and crystals as decor on our photo table and in our photos. To me, it was just another lovely, natural element amongst the greenery!

Processional – “Girl from the North Country” by Bob Dylan
Recessional – “The Circle Married the Line” by Feist
First Dance – “Take Care” by Beach House

If you are having an international wedding, just hire a planner. They are so much more equipped to deal with the challenges and will allow you to focus on the marriage instead of the wedding. My husband has a really dynamic job and I run my own company. We didn’t have the time or the desire to deal with contracts, vendor sourcing, and scheduling. Hiring Nomad Republic International was easily the best decision we made!

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Rory, and a big thanks to Junebug member Aberrazioni Cromatiche Studio for sharing this beautiful wedding at Villa La Vedetta! Want to see more destination wedding magic? This Dreams Tulum destination wedding will take your breath away with its neutral color palette!