Picturesque Italian destination wedding with beautiful coastal views

Featured on Style Me Pretty

Capturing a picturesque Italian destination wedding in a hidden spot in Sicily was a dream assignment. I love destination events, fashion, and beautifully executed details. All of these factors came to light under the bright stars of this fall wedding in Italy.

The Origin Story

I originally met the beautiful couple Andrew and Rachel when I captured their engagement photos in Central Park and West Village in New York. Immediately, their bright aura and shared love for their dog, Riggins, shown through. She even made a guest appearance front and center in their West Village engagement.

When the couple began to look for a wedding venue, they knew they wanted it to be intimate and unique. “Our vision for the wedding centered around having a romantic, elegant wedding with elements that highlighted the natural beauty of the rocks and the ocean surrounding us.” Little did we know that they would find the place of their dreams on the island of Sicily. Laura from Laura Bravi Events did a fantastic job planning and seamlessly executing all the details for this picturesque Italian destination wedding.

The Venue and Decor

This picturesque Italian destination wedding was located at the dreamy hotel of Tonnara di Scopello in Sicily. In brief, the venue matched the couple’s exact desires: “We pictured a ceremony by the ocean, with natural florals surrounding us, while a string quartet played our favorite songs that defined us as a couple.” In a good way, everyone felt overwhelmed by the beauty of the white stucco walls, the blueness of the Mediterranean Sea, the crisp greens of the trees, and the browning of the nearby cliffs. Unquestionably, the natural color palette is every photographers’ dream come true. In addition, the stone grounds and the strings of overhead hanging lights set the perfect frame for this wondrous spot. Finally, the old world facade of the main building with its tiled roofs exude Italian coastal charm.

The Fashion

The bride had a clear vision for her wedding dress: “I knew I wanted to go to Berta to try on their beautiful intricately designed dresses. My gown was a form-fitted dress, with a corset-like top, beaded throughout, containing a sheer, low back, with white French lace, and a skirt that flared slightly past the knees, leading into a long train.” I celebrated all the moments capturing her beautiful dress under the Sicilian sun. I also recently had the pleasure of photographing the Berta spring collection on the Berta FW 24 runway, and it did not disappoint. There were intricate bead-work, lace appliqués, and hand-sewn embellishments to the nines on all their gowns. Rachel’s dress and the matching black tie ensembles of the wedding party provided a modern and elegant fashion focus.

The wedding was black-tie optional, with an emphasis on black-tie. The bridesmaids wore floor-length black gowns of their choice and the groomsmen wore black tuxedos. This sophisticated and elegant fashion choice added a modern, chic flair to this destination wedding.

The Food

No destination Italian wedding is complete without delicious food. As such, Pito Catering provided the guests with a line-up of authentic and scrumptious Italian foods. The couple has incorporated their dog Riggins by printing her face on the beer koozies served during cocktail hour. What a sweet detail! In addition, “to make sure the energy stayed high throughout the night we offered cocktails at all times consisting of a variety of spritzes, gin lemon cocktails, and, of course, unlimited shots of limoncello!” Their white sponge cake with wild berries had natural white flowers that matched the local flora perfectly. It was also a joy to capture the content faces at the dessert buffet comprised of typical Italian desserts such as tiramisu and pistachio tortes.

The Music

The couple focused on different aspects of live music for their wedding. “Throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour, we hired a string-quartet to play instrumental versions of contemporary music. I walked down the aisle to ‘Sky Full of Stars’ by Coldplay.” In fact, I pinched myself for capturing their reception literally under a sky full of stars.

When planning the wedding, the couple really wanted to blow people away with the dance floor setting. It certainly helped that the venue featured a dance cave, which opened onto the ocean. It was truly the most unique dance floor I’ve ever seen.

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