I think this gorgeous bride and I need to be friends, because not only did she jet off to Italy with her adorable groom for a destination wedding to remember, but she also made the oh-so-fabulous decision to plan her entire day around a pair of sparkly Kate Spade heels, aka "the shoes of glory." Yep, she is awesome. And so is her wedding planner and BFF, Juli Vaughn, who took those Kate Spades and made some serious wedding dreams come true... from the beautiful florals to the sweet escort card display, the romance is literally pouring from every gorgeous image captured by Jack & Tina Fussell. And how's that for a Tuesday? Click here for more.
Italy Wedding by Juli Vaughn Designs
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From Juli Vaughn of Juli Vaughn Designs... Let me start by telling you that the bride, Ashley, wanted to plan her wedding around her shoes. All of her best girls and one best boy traveled to NYC for a weekend with the specific purpose of locating "the shoes of glory," as we called them. It was so fun! She tried on so many pairs, but when her toes slid in to these Kate Spades she just knew.
As her wedding planner and best friend, it was then my job to design the wedding around her style and the prized shoes. We knew the wedding would be in Italy, as her future in-laws had family connections with a charming and breathtaking hotel called King's Residence in Palinuro, a little town on the Amalfi Coast. We decided to go with a "gilded" theme and also to embrace the warmth of Italian romance. I crafted all of the cork board frames which served as place cards and favors for the guests to put a little snapshot of their Italian trip in once they got home. (They were also light enough to not cause problems with packing.) I also arranged all of the flowers (as well as gathering quite a few native plants via a "nature walk" early on the wedding day) and created the menus. Ashley and Juan's wedding was truly an international affair - Ashley grew up in California, but Juan is from Uruguay. They met in D.C. and their guest list included people from Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and the USA. Their ceremony was performed by their fathers, grandfathers and friends, all while overlooking the incredible views of the Amalfi Coast.
From the Bride... Our wedding day, July 16, 2011, was spent in the breathtaking little seaside village of Palinuro, in Italy, at the amazing King's Residence resort — a place situated on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. This is the place you think of while you're sitting in your office, wishing yourself away to a magical Italian paradise where gelato and capuccino are present at every meal and served by a dashing Italian waiter named Giovanni. This place was the stuff dreams are made of, perfectly fitting for a day in which I was to marry the man I had dreamed about all my life. Juan and I chose King's Residence, having never been to Italy in our lives, based on a recommendation from Juan's father. He was sure right about the place — it was absolutely perfect. Our day was shared with approximately 60 of our family and friends, who had come from all over the world to celebrate with us. As Juan and I walked to different tables during our reception, we found that almost every table was conversing in a different language! While some would consider our mini-United-Nations-of-a-wedding a little daunting, to us, it was incredibly special to have such an international flavor to our day. Our wedding ceremony was even conducted in both English and Spanish (saying my vows in Spanish was muy dificil!).
Wedding Photography: Jack & Tina Fussell / Wedding Event Design, Coordination + Flowers: Juli Vaughn Designs / Wedding Venue + Catering: King's Residence Hotel / Bride's Shoes: Kate Spade / Wedding Gown: David's Bridal / Bride's Pearl Hair Pins: Borrowed from a Friend / Gilded Picture Frames: Purchased at Michaels and Spray-Painted Gold