Tell us a little about yourselves!
Quinn and I met in middle school. He walked into my eighth grade first and second period language arts class and I was gobsmacked. I knew I loved him from that moment. We played a long game of will they/ won’t they through our adolescence and made it official about a month after we graduated high school. That was ten years ago. We’ve been inseparable ever since.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Where we got married was less important to us than when we got married. We waited a while to get engaged, and from the time Quinn proposed, we knew we wanted to hold our ceremony on our ten year anniversary. Because that day already held such a significance to the two of us, we didn’t really want to include anyone else. That really opened the door to holding our ceremony anywhere.
We celebrated a decade of partnership with a holiday in Europe and debated for a while between holding our ceremony in the French countryside or somewhere around the lakes in Northern Italy. We came across the most beautiful villa, Villa Carminati Resta, when researching and knew it had to be there.
How many guests did you have?
Zero. It was just the two of us surrounded by strangers on the streets of Como. No one else existed.
Tell us about your outfits.
When it came to styling our outfits, it was important to each of us that we really felt like ourselves on our wedding day.
Quinn wanted to be in something slim fitting, as he usually is. He pieced together a suit between Ralph Lauren and Zara and accessorized with vintage cufflinks. I wanted something classically beautiful that didn’t feel over the top. When I put on the La Lune dress from Shona Joy, it just felt right, and the rest fell into place from there.
I paired my dress with Baroque pearl earrings from Christie Nicolaides and an angular, pointed heel from Marc Fisher.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
While we definitely spent time planning certain details, we liked the idea of a piecemeal wedding. I bought a bouquet of baby's breath from across the street that morning. We ran out together and picked up pizza after the ceremony. We decided against a wedding cake and got sweets from a local patisserie at the last minute. We didn’t want to get hung up on the details. We wanted to focus on each other.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
A picnic, an homage to Quinn’s sweet proposal. Handwritten vows. A piece in the script from Quinn’s mother. Film photography. Letters of love from friends and family.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Do exactly what you want to do and don’t worry about anything else.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Because we put so many of the details together at the eleventh hour, and because it was just the two of us, most of our vendors were local businesses within a five block radius of our venue.
Our three most prominent vendors were our photographer Emily Barbarita, our celebrant Fabio Albonico, and the hosts of our venue. By the end of our wedding day, they all felt like family.
Emily Barbarita and her team flew from our hometown in the Midwest to capture our day. Because we live across the country, we hadn’t actually met her prior to the day-of, but we felt comfortable with her as soon as she walked in our room. We’ve since become good friends.
Our celebrant, Fabio Albonico, made a point to get to know us before the ceremony. He wrote a personalized script for us based on our story. He drove to Milan to meet us for coffee the week before, he passed me tissues when I cried during my vows, and he even coordinated with Quinn’s mom to include a written piece from her as a surprise. He made our day feel so special.
Gabriella from Villa Carminati Resta was sweet, kind, and allowed us to christen her family’s villa as their first wedding. They were accommodating, recommended local vendors, and were truly happy to have us in their space.
Another notable vendor is Kinn Studio, who crafted my wedding and engagement ring. I love their company’s story and values. My engagement ring was inspired by the wedding ring of the founder’s mother, and it truly feels like a family heirloom.
Photographer : Emily Barbarita @emilybarbaritaphoto | Ceremony + Reception Location : Villa Carminati Resta @villacarminatiresta | Celebrant : Fabio Albonico @comolakecelebrant | Entertainment : Self-made playlist | Flora : Figli Dei Fiori @figlideifioricomo | Catering + Beverages : L’ideale Como @ristorante__idealecomo | Patisserie : Pasticceria Dolciamo @dolciamo | Breanna's Dress : Shona Joy @shonajoy | Quinn's Suit : Ralph Lauren @ralphlauren | Engagement Ring : Kinn Studio @kinnstudio | Wedding Rings : Kinn Studio (Breanna) + Miansai (Quinn) @miansai | Shoes : Marc Fisher @marc.fisher (Breanna) + Aldo (Quinn) @aldo_shoes | Earrings : Christie Nicolaides @christienicolaides | Makeup : Ilia @iliabeauty | Quinn's Watch : MVMT @mvmt | Cufflinks : Vintage from Etsy @etsy