Fairy tale wedding in Florence, Italy? Yes please! This intimate and romantic destination wedding for 40 of Benita + Andy’s friends and family is absolutely swoon worthy…I love Benita’s Reem Acra ballerina inspired gown and how the majestic surroundings just seem to lend itself to today’s featured dress, The King and I. And although the bride lost her father very suddenly the year of the wedding, it warms my heart that Benita was able to keep her father close during the ceremony by including a locket with an image of him on her bouquet. Such a very special detail for an absolutely enchanting day…Cheers to the beautiful couple!
Benita + Andy | July 2, 2012 | Florence, Italy
The Ceremony
We wanted our wedding to be a memorable, intimate destination wedding! We picked Florence, Italy, as it’s a very romantic city with a beautiful hillside. The wedding ceremony took place in the garden at Castello di Vincigliata, located in the Tuscany hillside. The ceremony was intimate and casual. My dad passed away suddenly earlier this year due to a brain infection, so it was sad that he couldn’t make it to the wedding, but I included a picture of him on my bouquet. My Uncle Stanley, who is like a second dad to me, officiated the ceremony. We had a Christian ceremony for 40 guests, that included scripture reading, worship, communion and a stone ceremony, where everyone was given a piece of pebble that represents their blessing and they came up to drop it into a jar at the front while they took the bread and wine for the communion.
The Reception
After the ceremony, we took pictures with everyone and enjoyed an amazing selection of Italian hors d’oeuvres at the garden. The reception took place at the courtyard of the castle. We had homemade pasta and a very delicious BBQ buffet. We also played some pasta related games and listened to some funny and heartfelt speeches. After the reception, we had our first dance back at the garden and cut our cake. The cake was 5 times bigger than what I had envisioned. Our vendors were awesome and we had such a wonderful time!
Benita’s Dress Search
I started my dress search with a simple A-line dress in mind. I stumbled upon this Reem Acra dress and I fell in love with the embroidery and crystals on the dress! It’s intricate, yet simple.
How Benita Felt in Her Wedding Dress
I can only think of one word that best describes how I felt in my dress – pretty!
Why Benita Decided to Sell Her Wedding Dress
I love my dress, but I really have no use for it now and it’s taking up a lot of space in my closet, so I decided to sell it. I have enough beautiful pictures to remember it forever.
