Melissa and Mark's Intimate Vintage Inspired Outdoor Italian Wedding by Nabis Photographers

Happy Friday everyone! How has your week been? Have you settled into January now? Just over 2 weeks to go and we will be in February and after that it is officially spring (well it is in my world)! This weekend I am very excited as I get to put my glad rags on and heading off to my friend’s surprise party. I haven’t been out for a while, so I’m looking forward to a night out and a chance to let my hair down! What about you? What do you have planned?
Today we are taking you off beautiful Italy for this gorgeous Italian wedding. Mark and Melissa chose an intimate celebration with 18 guests situated in the most stunning of locations. The backdrop is superb, the table decorations look wonderful and as for the photography by Nabis Photographers, absolutely stunning! all planned perfectly by Wed in Italy. The perfect way to end the week!

Fun & Nostaligic was our motto. Elegantly stylish, intimate, romantic, fun fuelled, our wedding was set in one of the most special venues close to our heart – Villa Bordoni.

Melissa and Mark's Intimate Vintage Inspired Outdoor Italain Wedding by Nabis Photographers

Mark and Melissa were married on the 9th July 2016 at in civil ceremony in the Town Hall, Greve, Chianti followed by a reception at Villa Bordoni. ‘We got engaged at Villa Bordoni during our holiday in Tuscany two years ago and chose to hold our reception there too. It was a small intimate affair with just 18 guests, and the wedding took 15 months to plan.’

How they met
We met through common friends about 4 years ago.

The Proposal
Among the olive groves at Villa Bordoni – simple but beautifully romantic

How did you allocate your budget?
We spent most of our budget on the venue and the catering.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We tried to be balanced when allocating the budget. Raffaella, our Wedding Planner, was very helpful in that sense and we shared a budget spreadsheet – keeping track of all the quotes/payments.

Why did you choose your photographer?
Nabis came highly recommended by Raffaella our wedding planner.

The Dress
It was my Grandmother’s dress – refitted by my best friend who is a designer, which made it even more special…it was a genuine vintage!

The Suit and Bridesmaids
As it was a small wedding I didn’t have any bridesmaids. Mark’s suit was tailor-made in Italy, of course!

Theme or Colour Scheme
There was quite obviously a Vintage style dominated the day – from the choice of my dress to the choice of a Citroen DS as our bridal car.

Flowers
We wanted to keep the flower decoration in keeping with the natural surroundings of Villa Bordoni. We chose flowers that were in season and Raffaella helped us to create a perfect rustic but elegant table decorations. She prepared a mood board for me suggesting options, which our florist, Nadia Stiatti, then brought it all to life. She did an amazing job, using garden roses, peonies and also wild flowers.

Decoration
Very Tuscan and rustic. The Villa itself had a lot of character, so we didn’t need to add a huge amount.

Food
Al fresco in the garden of Villa Bordoni – under a big oak decorated with glass bowl hanging lights. As we were no more than 20, our guests could all eat a la carte, so we all ate something different, it was delicious nonetheless, and typically Tuscan in style.

Wedding Cake
A deliciously light traditional Italian Millefeuille.

Entertainment
We just had background music – we wanted to focus our attention on our guests, we entertained ourselves that’s for sure!

Stationery
Designed by my family, the look and feel of our invite was very natural and rustic. Pulling in from the natural surroundings of the Tuscan villa and the vintage feel of the wedding, it was a perfect accompaniment that set the scene for the guests at the wedding.

Personal Touches
The stationary and of course my grandmother’s dress.

Special Moments or Highlights
The photo shoot in Montefioralle with Chiara and Massimiliano of Nabis – it was just so much fun.

Advice for other couples
Follow your heart and choose a venue that means something for you, if at all possible. The help of a wedding planner is essential and we certainly would have not been able to relax as much or enjoy our day if we didn’t have someone we trusted calling the shots.

Biggest Surprise
While everybody was fantastic during the wedding, a special mention also goes to our photographers Chiara and Massimiliano who made us feel very comfortable and at ease and were a lovely presence generally. Everybody in our party loved them….with some special looks directed towards Massimiliano by certain people!