Destination Wedding: A Relaxed Retro Celebration in San Miniato, Italy

Real Weddings

“He had been passing money over the fence to our neighbour so that she could sneak away to buy it!”
–  Bride Lucy on how husband Roger surprised her with her dream engagement ring

Length of engagement: 1 year | Wedding Date: 7th July 2012
Wedding location: San Miniato Town Hall and Villa Bucciano, San Miniato
Photographer: Domenico Costabile
Wedding Planner: Infinity Weddings & Events

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We met… I met Roger on my first day starting work in a new hospital. I had just moved from London and was being introduced to everyone in the hospital and he happened to work there.

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Our proposal… Roger had enlisted the help of our neighbour to buy me an engagement ring that I had fallen in love with. It’s an antique ring and was hidden away in a little shop. He had been passing money over the fence to our neighbour so that she could sneak away to buy it. He had then hidden it away in the shed! I went back to the shop for a look around and was devastated when I discovered that the ring I loved had been sold – little did I know!! Roger took me out for lunch one summer Sunday. We were sat in a beautiful garden surrounded by lavender. He told me to decide what I would like to eat, and then got down and one knee and told me I must also decide if I would be his wife!

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Our ceremony… was in San Miniato Town Hall, surrounded by beautiful frescos and wonderful people! It was a really upbeat and happy ceremony.

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Our wedding theme/colours… We wanted a relaxed, pretty, vintage feel to the day with soft colours. We settled on hints of pink, sage green and blue.

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My dress… I wore the dress ‘Eliza’ from Phase 8, it was quite heavily beaded and had a beautiful cut out detail on the back. It was the first and only one I tried on.

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We chose our venue because… Initially we saw it on the internet and fell in love with the photos – it matched what we had in mind perfectly. Later when we visited, we discovered that it was even more breath taking than we had expected. The scenery was beautiful, the accommodation was perfect for our needs, and our wedding planner Barbara (Infinity Weddings & Events) filled us with such confidence that we simply had to let her plan our big day! She instantly tuned in to our theme and really helped to expand our ideas.

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My favourite part of the wedding day… I loved every minute of it, but I especially loved seeing all the months of planning and worrying come together exactly as we wanted it to be. It was amazing to see how our vision had been realised by Barbara.

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My advice for other brides… Relax – everything will fall in to place and remember that your guests are all there to support you and to help you enjoy your day. Make sure you ask for help if you need it, and don’t take the weight of the whole day on your shoulders. Make sure you stop and look around every now and then to really take it all in, and make sure you sneak away with your spouse for a few minutes of quiet together time.

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Wedding Coordinator and Decor Designer: Barbara Calò of Infinity Weddings & Events