Romantic Outdoor Wedding in Ancient Rome
There is an old saying that all roads lead to Rome, and after scrolling through the gallery courtesy of Amy and Stuart I couldn't agree more. From their ancient cloister reception to the regally romantic ceremony, Italia Celebrations was on hand to make sure marital dreams became reality. Watch the entire day unfold and see every picturesque moment here!
From Italia Celebrations... Molly and Patrick were such a lovely couple and so much in love. They had a special relationship with Rome and so wanted to have their wedding there with their closest friends and family. Shortly after meeting them I took them to a special cloister in Rome that was closed to the public up until just months earlier. Although the cloister dates back to the Middle Ages, it currently houses the Institute for Ancient Roman Studies and the setting could not be more appropriate for this purpose. It was the first location that we saw together and it was love at first sight.
The entrance of the cloister was designed as an optical illusion so that the dome of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, although two miles away, fills the entire view. My only demand was that the couple let me fill the triple arches on the exterior of the building with three huge chandeliers. I always love chandeliers but this exterior was just begging for them. Happily the bride agreed. What I didn't the bride was that I had months of meetings and site inspections with our lighting specialists and up until the final installation we were still making engineering and electrical adjustments. But it all worked out perfectly.
Both the cloister for the reception and the church for the Catholic ceremony are set on one of the founding hills of Rome dating back almost three thousand years and just everything is ancient and historic. Their Catholic wedding took place in one of the very first Christian churches ever constructed, dating back to the year 425 A.D. and now home to the Dominican Order of Catholic priests. So important is this church that it is the first step in Catholic Rome for celebrating Lent on Palm Sunday. In the photos you can saw many Ancient Roman details that are a part of the church's architecture and decoration.
Once the ceremony concluded the guests were able to walk only 100 feet away to the ancient cloister for the reception to begin. There they were greeted with a vast assortment of Roman hors d'oeuvres both hot and cold. And it wouldn't be a true Italian wedding celebration without a whole prosciutto leg that is hand sliced upon request. The bride and groom made their entrance into the cloister to the cheers of the guests who had arrived there before them. From the inner cloister the group moved to the garden terrace with a spectacular view over Rome. The garden was divided into the dinner area on the right hand side and the the after dinner lounge and dancing area was set up on the left hand side. During the seated dinner they were entertained by a Supper Club Jazz Sextet.
Following the dinner was the cutting of the cake and the first dance. The cake was a classical Italian millefoglie with wild strawberries and pastry cream. Once the cake had been eaten and washed down with Italian bubbly it was time for everyone to kick off their heels in the after dinner lounge area where a DJ was waiting for them. They were also treated to an ample dessert buffet and an open bar.
The photographers are the super talented duo of Amy and Stuart who had flown over from California to shoot the wedding. In the plans was a second day of shooting around Rome with the bride and groom back in their wedding finery. Just have a look at the photos, it looks like a travelogue of Rome. The photos are just astonishing and Amy and Stuart did an amazing job.
The entrance of the cloister was designed as an optical illusion so that the dome of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, although two miles away, fills the entire view. My only demand was that the couple let me fill the triple arches on the exterior of the building with three huge chandeliers. I always love chandeliers but this exterior was just begging for them. Happily the bride agreed. What I didn't the bride was that I had months of meetings and site inspections with our lighting specialists and up until the final installation we were still making engineering and electrical adjustments. But it all worked out perfectly.
Both the cloister for the reception and the church for the Catholic ceremony are set on one of the founding hills of Rome dating back almost three thousand years and just everything is ancient and historic. Their Catholic wedding took place in one of the very first Christian churches ever constructed, dating back to the year 425 A.D. and now home to the Dominican Order of Catholic priests. So important is this church that it is the first step in Catholic Rome for celebrating Lent on Palm Sunday. In the photos you can saw many Ancient Roman details that are a part of the church's architecture and decoration.
Once the ceremony concluded the guests were able to walk only 100 feet away to the ancient cloister for the reception to begin. There they were greeted with a vast assortment of Roman hors d'oeuvres both hot and cold. And it wouldn't be a true Italian wedding celebration without a whole prosciutto leg that is hand sliced upon request. The bride and groom made their entrance into the cloister to the cheers of the guests who had arrived there before them. From the inner cloister the group moved to the garden terrace with a spectacular view over Rome. The garden was divided into the dinner area on the right hand side and the the after dinner lounge and dancing area was set up on the left hand side. During the seated dinner they were entertained by a Supper Club Jazz Sextet.
Following the dinner was the cutting of the cake and the first dance. The cake was a classical Italian millefoglie with wild strawberries and pastry cream. Once the cake had been eaten and washed down with Italian bubbly it was time for everyone to kick off their heels in the after dinner lounge area where a DJ was waiting for them. They were also treated to an ample dessert buffet and an open bar.
The photographers are the super talented duo of Amy and Stuart who had flown over from California to shoot the wedding. In the plans was a second day of shooting around Rome with the bride and groom back in their wedding finery. Just have a look at the photos, it looks like a travelogue of Rome. The photos are just astonishing and Amy and Stuart did an amazing job.