The couple were living in London while planning their wedding, so Italy was the obvious choice for their intimate destination wedding. After a search of several months for the perfect venue, the bride found this renovated, 200-year old farm house where they could host the wedding and have all their guests staying nearby. The groom’s family loves to host beautiful meals to celebrate special occasions, and the couple knew that they wanted their wedding day to fall in line with that tradition: “Our aim was for the wedding day to feel more like a fabulous dinner party, rather than a wedding. We were very conscious not to have it evolve into something larger than we had originally wanted, so we kept it to 30ish people.”
The rural location provided many opportunities for guests to explore areas not familiar to tourists, enjoying local produce, truffle hunting, and frequenting tiny restaurants. On the wedding day, guests were able to enjoy “dinner-as-theatre,” as the bride describes it: the venue’s open kitchen allowed guests to view and smell their dishes being prepared.
Working with Ginny Au and Lesley Lau meant the bride didn’t need to worry about any of the logistical or aesthetic details. In keeping with the venue’s minimalist renovation, the event designers helped the couple to achieve that “fabulous dinner party” atmosphere, while bringing in chic design elements that would be expected at a wedding. Thick, textured paper with striking black calligraphy, simple olive branch arrangements and installations, and gauzy table linens elevated the aesthetic from the ordinary dinner to one that won’t soon be forgotten.
Creative Direction: Ginny Au + Lesley Lau | Styling: Lesley Lau | Venue: Casa Olivi | Photography: James Bennett | Paper: Script Merchant | Hair & Makeup: Amy Clark | Catering: Le Case
