Summertime Garden Wedding at Villa Valentini Bonaparte

We got engaged in Madrid, Spain. When we visited Madrid for vacation together with our siblings, me (the bride) did not expect the proposal to take place during this vacation. As I was starting my master’s degree in Spain, we just wanted to explore the city together. At that day – it was me and my twin sister’s birthday – my husband took me to the botanical rose garden in Madrid and then proposed to me under the olive trees. As we are both Turkish, this felt perfect, as Olive Trees are also found everywhere in Türkiye. It was a perfect day – just the two of us.

The wedding dress was very dreamy, elegant and romantic. It was a A-Line dress, so that it was more ‘flowy’ when walking. The dress had many glitter, flower and lace applications on the top, which went down until the skirt. One of the layers of the dress included glitter lace, which made the dress shine in the sun. It had a long veil in the back which also included flower applications.

The dresses were in a sage green color, perfectly fitting the color palette of the scenery. They were quite long, which made them look very elegant. Every bridesmaid decided to wear the dress differently, as the dress had different options to tie it in the neck.

The groomsmen all wore black suits to look similar on pictures and give the wedding an elegant vibe. They were all told to choose the color black, as the groom wore a cream white suit. Black groomsmen suits were just the perfect complimentary for this.

The food was traditional Italian, as the couple wanted to incorporate the Italian Tuscany vibe into the food. From pasta dishes to fresh and grilled seafood, to Italian pastries and cookies…everything was well planned, fresh and delicious. The cocktail party offered a variety of cheese selections, which the guests remembered the most. Together with Italian red vine, it was the perfect combination.

The flowers followed the same color palette as the decoration - blush, sage/ olive green and cream. The flowers were mainly roses – the favorite flowers of the bride. All flowers did perfectly fit to each other. The ceremony included a huge flower arch and white rose petals were thrown across the aisle. The table setting incorporated handwritten and illustrated name and table cards from a local Italian illustrator. Each seat included the illustrated names of the guests, which added a personal touch to the whole scenery.

The wedding cake was huge, including chocolate and strawberry flavors. The cake was coated with a white vanilla frosting. To make the cake more magnificent, than it already was, the cake included 3D flowers from the top to the bottom.

The ceremony was one of the best parts of the wedding. The groom awaited the bride at the aisle. Before the bride’s entrance, each bridesmaid entered with a groomsman, one by one. After that, the bride entered with her father. The ceremony was packed with laughter and emotions. The ceremony speecher added a special touch to the whole ceremony. The music was played by a Turkish Live Band, which come from Germany. The band included a female vocal singer, a pianist, a guitarist and a saxophonist. They played a mix of Turkish, International Pop Music and some traditional Turkish music as well.

One special detail was the inclusion of traditional Turkish elements within the wedding decoration. The couple chose the blue evil eye (nazar boncuk) to be included within the table setting. This element is known to protect from bad energy and bad luck.

Between the wedding ceremony and the wedding dinner/ dancing, the couple organized a cocktail party in one of the backyard gardens of the villa. One special detail here was the delicious food and the live music, which was played by the live band, the couple has flown in from Germany. The saxophonist created a magical atmosphere perfectly complementing the cocktail party.

The couple chose six close family members and friends to hold speeches for the couple during the ceremony. All the speeches were emotional and added a huge nostalgic atmosphere to the ceremony. Every speech included different memories and gave the guests a glimpse into different experiences during childhood and their relationships with the family members and friends.