Tell us a little about yourselves!
We are Carol and Spencer! We have been together for seven years and tied the knot this summer in Tuscany. We live Richmond, VA with our Pit bull, Dezzy.
We were from separate sides of the country, each with our own lives and paths laid out before us. And was 1,000 little decisions that brought us together by chance on the first day of grad school assigned to the same group project. From there, it’s history.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Carol visited Italy when she was young and it’s never left her mind since. What’s not to love? The incredible food, the sense of family and community, and of course, the wine.
We wanted a small wedding and to spend more time with our guests throughout the weekend. There’s no better way than to travel to Italy together and rent a villa to celebrate for 3 days.
How many guests did you have?
45 guests.
What was your budget?
$75,000 for the whole weekend.
Tell us about your outfits.
This is one of our favorite parts. Spencer was inspired by Harry Shum Jr.’s 2023 Oscars red carpet look and had a custom tux designed with an outer belt.
I wanted something chic and comfortable but also needed drama. Varca’s Joy dress was everything. The column dress has a detachable train and bow made out of a subtly textured jacquard and was the perfect blend of minimalist and maximalist. Oh, and the bow is also sleeves so what more could a girl want!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted to spend as much time as possible with our guests. Wedding weekends tend to fly by so we wanted more time to celebrate and be in the moment.
We rented a villa and had almost all of our 45 guests stay onsite for the weekend. With that came planning the whole weekend for the guests instead of just the day. We did an incredible cooking class where we learned how to make ravioli, a pizza party for our rehearsal dinner, chilled by the pool and soaked in the Tuscan sun and scenery. It was like a big group vacation with all of our family and friends and we couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
I (Carol) am a graphic designer and often design wedding stationary for friends and family on the side. It was only fitting that I do my own as well! It was an absolute dream to make, incorporating Spencer and I’s personalities and the location into the designs. The invites went out 6 months before the wedding so I wanted to emulate the feeling of summer in Tuscany and the joy and warmth of the weekend to give out guests something to look forward to. We ended up with lots of illustration, color, and funky shapes: a designers dream!
Any tips for couples getting married?
Plan as much as you can before but once you’re there, just be in the moment, don’t worry about your guests or family (they’re fine, they’re having a great time!). Enjoy it and don’t let the unexpected hiccups ruffle your feathers. There is so much joy to be found in the surprises of the day even if you think you know exactly what will happen, you don’t. And that is a good thing!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our wedding planners, For Love of Love, were incredible. We truly couldn’t have accomplished this without them (at least not with our sanity and relationship still in tact). Their coordination and sourcing of all of our vendors was seamless. Their handling of guests needs, anxieties, and logistics was outstanding. They did not miss a single detail. We’re so grateful to Lauren and Ellie!
Stefano Santucci was a big hit for us! He is not only and incredible photographer, but a kind and generous person. Spencer and I were quite selective about photography because of our art backgrounds. We were looking for the perfect blend of editorial and documentarian artistry and Stefano more than delivered.
Our officiant, Liz from Have Lover Will Travel , stepped in at the last minute with the most beautiful ceremony when our original guest/officiant could not longer make it. She wove our relationship and lives into the most beautiful love story. Afterwards, every guest came up to us to tell us how lovely it was. I think Spencer would agree as he spent most of the ceremony bawling. She also planned an incredible honeymoon road trip for us in the South, hitting off-the-beaten-track gems.
Photographer: Stefano Santucci @photosantucci | Planning: For Love of Love @forloveoflove | Flora: Rebel Rebel Italia @rebelrebelitalia | Ceremony & Reception Location: Villa Catureglio @villacatureglio | Celebrant: Have Lover Will Travel @haveloverwilltravel | Hire: Preludio Divisione Noleggio @preludiodivisionenoleggio | HMUA: Bridal Luxury Backstage Service @blbsmanagement | Catering & Beverages: Le Cirque @lecirquefirenze | Cake: Le Cirque @lecirquefirenze | Stationery: by Carol | Entertainment: Sweet Piano Cello @sweetpianocello, Trio Italiano Show @trio_italiano_show & DJ Ed Gillum @edgillumdj | Dress: Varca @varca.bridal from The Sentimentalist @thesentimentalistatl | Suit: 707 @707rva | Engagement Ring: Family Heirloom | Wedding Rings: Nine Roses @nineroses & Barb & Wire Co. @barbandwireco | Shoes: Badgley Mischka @badgleymischka | Custom Necklace: Mother Daughter Co. @motherdaughterco | Wedding Party Attire: Their own tuxes