Enchanted Italian Countryside Wedding Bursting With Texture

I have traveled to Italy many times, and quickly fell in love with the country where my Grandparents grew up. I started looking up venues in Italy, and instantly fell in love with the Tuscan countryside and ultimately the venue we selected! La Foce was the first venue I looked into - after seeing it, nothing compared! Brad and I traveled to Italy last fall to meet with our wedding planner and see our venue! Being in Italy inspired me to keep with some Italian wedding traditions- during dinner we had an accordion player and we opted for a traditional Italian wedding cake instead of an American tiered cake (which was prepared live for all of our guests to see). The beauty of La Foce inspired me to keep my decor simple and minimal yet luxe with a touch of glam!

Brad and I met on dating app in January 2020, little did we know we only lived three miles apart! We quickly bonded over our mutual love of family and travel, and were even lucky enough to take a quick trip to New Orleans in the beginning of March 2020 - getting home just days before the stay-at-home order. We stayed apart for a few weeks, and our love only grew stronger! Over the next months we spent a lot of time with my big, Italian family as well as Brads amazing parents and siblings. In May of 2021, we went to Chicago for what I thought was a weekend away with some friends. Much to my surprise, he proposed on the Navy Pier with the beautiful water and skyline in the background! We came home to a nice engagement party with some of our family and friends.

My grandma owns a bridal shop Piera’s Bridal Couture that I help manage, and I have been working in bridal since I was 13 years old! I thought picking a wedding dress was going to be the most difficult part of planning a wedding, (thankfully) I was wrong! I have close relationships with many of the designers we carry in the store and was so excited when my friends from Justin Alexander invited me to try on dresses with them in their showroom in New Jersey! The Justin Alexander Luxury houses many brands (we carry 3 in our store). I worked with Teri Hilferty- the Chief of Design and Merchandising, who I have known for over 10 years. I first tried on a dress I had seen previously when I was buying for our store by Sincerity that I thought would be perfect for my welcome dinner- it was and that was it! Then we moved on to pulling wedding dresses! There was a dress hanging near the dressing room that caught my eye, but wasn’t really what I was looking for. Teri suggested I try it on anyway and it was the first dress I put on. As soon as I saw my reflection in the mirror I knew it was “the one”! I felt like the hundreds of brides I help that end up with something completely different than what they think. I tried on a handful of others but ended up saying “YES” to that first dress! It was a beautiful silk and tulle gown with handcrafted 3D flowers by Viktor & Rolf Mariage. We customized the dress a bit to make it just right for my destination wedding. The team made the long train removable and a custom veil to match the dress. I wore emerald green Christian Louboutins to match my diamond and emerald earrings and wedding band. I changed into a second gown (late night) by Eve of Milady.

All other bridal party attire was purchased through our store, Piera’s Bridal Couture. Mother of the Bride and Groom both wore dresses by Teri Jon, my matron-of-honor wore Jovani, and bridesmaids wore mis-matched dresses from designers; Watters & Watters, WTOO, Hayley Paige Occasions, and Sorella Vita.

The part of my wedding day I was most looking forward to was cocktail hour! That was my favorite part of the catering tasting - the finger foods and charcuterie sections were phenomenal and I loved the signature cocktails we selected! I couldn't wait to get to see and chat with all of my guests and celebrate with the best food and drinks around!!

We kept the florals soft and romantic to let the beauty of the venue speak for itself. We had blush and white roses, lisianthus, and baby's breath.

We opted for a traditional Italian wedding cake instead of an American-tiered cake. It was prepared by the chefs live for all of our guests to see.

Because my family owns a bridal shop and I currently work there (I started working in bridal when I was only 13), my dress was so special to me!

My venue and the views of beautiful Tuscany, along with the amazing food and signature cocktails were also some of my favorite wedding day details.

Ending the night by jumping in the pool was a fun memory too!