We loved being a part of Hannah and Sam's special day in the breathtaking landscapes of Umbria, Italy. The rolling hills and rustic romantic buildings were the perfect setting for this dream couple. Hannah was a vision in our Chloe Rose X MEEKA bridal pjs and robe, being the perfect set to get ready in, complementing the gorgeous Mediterranean surroundings. Let's see what Hannah loved from their idyllic Italian day!
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship?
Sam and I met at work, where he was an accountant (now a software engineer) and I worked in the employee communications team. His passion is coding, he thrives off of building new apps and technology and mine is people, content creation and storytelling. They might seem quite opposite but over the years I've realised coding is incredibly creative and this year, we've been able to combine our passions and skills and create our own little business together, which is very exciting!
Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details.
We got married in Umbria, Italy at the incredible Abbazia San Pietro in Valle. Italy holds a very a special place in our hearts and it felt like the perfect place for us to get married. I came across this venue purely by chance but as soon as I saw it I knew it was the one; it had the drama of the rugged rolling hills with the soft, rustic romance of the building. The drive from the main road up to the venue is even lined with Cyprus trees! Given it was a destination wedding, I worked with a planner to bring our vision to life. We didn't feel the venue needed much in the way of the decorating because it was already such a beautiful backdrop, and we wanted to lean into that so we opted for a rustic, romantic style of decor. We also stayed quite traditional with our menu and wedding cake, which was an Italian millefoglie. It's hard to pick out my favourite details because I was over the moon with it all and I'm eternally grateful for everything and everyone that made our day pure magic.
How did you spend the morning of your wedding? How did you deal with the nerves leading up to the wedding?
Our ceremony wasn't until 4:30pm and all of our guests were staying at the venue following our welcome dinner the night before, so Sam and I both had breakfast with everyone before the boys went off to explore some local hiking routes, leaving the girls to relax in the sun. It was lovely having some slow, quiet time ahead of the ceremony to take it all in. The adrenaline did start to creep in as I was getting ready but I had my wonderful bridesmaid, Jade and my mum there helping (as well as Migneon, our photographer who was amazing and somehow just knew exactly what I needed in each moment). By the time I was walking out to the aisle with my dad, any nerves had melted away and from the moment I reached Sam at the top of the aisle, we just had the best time!
Tell us about your main outfits of the wedding day
I was completely obsessed with the robe from the Meeka x Chloe Rose collab and knew I needed the whole set for my Italian wedding when I saw it. It's beautiful and the style was perfect for the venue, and practically, the set did a great job of keeping me cool in the 36 degree heat! My dress and veil were by Caroline Castigliano, a very special, British brand. I found the dress in my first round of fittings and couldn't stop thinking about it so I called the next day and reserved it! I adored the lace detail on the corset and I felt incredible in it on the day.
What items or services did you think were a waste of money? VS what are you so glad you splurged on?
Any advice you would like to give to future brides
I would just say don't get sucked into needing to have everything, do everything and be everything. This is yours and your soon to be husbands day and it should reflect you both as a couple. It's the atmosphere that makes it, not the 'stuff'. And the memories will last a lifetime, especially if you have a brilliant photographer and videographer!
photography: @pritti_migneonmarais
planning: @dreamonwedding
content creator: @joannamayphotography
venue: @abbaziasanpietroinvalle
videography: @threesecondsfilm
HMUA: @bridalmakeupandhairitaly
catering: @alloro_sanpietroinvalle
entertainment: @radiokingsband
dress: @carolinecastigliano
suit: @suitsupply