Magnolia Ave. Brides

We got married at the historic 17th-century Villa Aurelia on Gianicolo hill in Rome, Italy. We are both of Italian descent, however Josh actually asked me to be his girlfriend on the cobblestreets of Rome back in 2016, so we have a special tie to the Ancient City. The villa was actually originally built for Cardinal Girolamo Farnese around 1650 and is surrounded by 3.8 acres of magnificent gardens. The day was progressive and explored multiple areas and spaces of the property, as we wanted our guests to experience all the venue had to offer. With a focus on the natural architecture of Villa Aurelia with a Baroque-inspired backdrop, our wedding was classically coloured, drawing on the fading grandeur of the Villa, its gardens and the surrounding nature. It truly was a dream come true! 

 

Highlight of the day? 

Gah, the whole 24 hours? Seeing each other down the aisle was definitely one. There was a moment mid-dinner where we looked at each other, looked around and realised that we were literally in ROME, surrounded by all of our favourite people in the whole world who travelled more than 24 hours to get to us. It was so surreal and so special. Another favourite moment was when Lizzie McGuire’s "What Dreams are Made Of” came on and every single person got up and made a make-shift dance floor to belt out the words and dance. Core memory!

 

Who designed your dress? 

We had quite a few events in the lead up to the big day being a destination wedding, so I got to have lots of fun with those. However come Wedding Day I wanted to keep things classic, timeless and comfortable. The extreme heat in Rome definitely led my dress direction, I wanted something that felt light-weight, breathable and was easy to move in. I really struggled with the dress process because of this, I felt like the market was very over-saturated in the “more is more” category and no one was really doing simplicity well. After a fateful work trip to Paris I somehow managed to score an appointment at Vivienne Westwood, and fell in love. We ended up landing on a classic VW shape, but added a few sprinkles of me, with clear swarovski crystals adorning the bodice which could only be seen in certain light. We also chopped the original cathedral veil to sit just above the bust, and I wore a white-gold and pave diamond Tiffany and Co Hardware choker, which really made the look feel like me. My hair was swept back (again, due to the heat), and my shoes were the Ferragamo Eva Pump in silver. It was the perfect amount of “just enough” considering the Baroque Villa backdrop.


I then changed into the "Caterina Gown" with was a bespoke Maelle gown we designed together, which was a "naked-style" sheer, high neck, low back, floor length lace gown. The thing that really brought that sheer-naked look to life, whilst still maintaining that Italian elegance we were going for, was by selecting small pieces of beaded lace and strategically placing them over the areas that needed to be properly covered. This was all appliqued by hand.  It was definitely a show-stopper and I had so much fun with it. I wore another pair of silver heels, this time a wrap around Rene Caovilla pair that matched perfectly.

 

In hindsight, what is something you would do differently next time?

 

What is your favourite Magnolia Ave. piece? 

The pearl choker I wore with my second Welcome Party look! It's such a simple, yet elevated piece that really makes any bridal look feel complete! Love, love, loved wearing it!