Real Wedding | Scarlett & Dylan

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met as neighbours over 7 years ago, we were briefly introduced when I moved in but that was it at the start.

Dylan had a beautiful Border Collie, Jet, who would stick his head through our adjoining fence. At the time my own dog, Max, was living at home with my mum and I missed him terribly. So I spent a lot of time playing fetch over the fence with Jet, who was affectionately known as ‘fence dog’.

About 8 months after I moved in, I came home one night after a party, and went to see Jet outside and he ended up getting through the fence. I messaged the number on the collar. Dylan, who was out with friends, was very apologetic and said he’d rush home. We ended up chatting for hours, in which I mentioned I missed my dog Max a lot and offered to start walking Jet when he wasn’t able to.

It was maybe a week-ish after I started walking Jet and after a few drinks with some friends I messaged Dylan asking “If it's not too forward, would you like to get coffee sometime?”. And the rest is history, I ended up moving Max in with me, and he and Jet got on so well, it was amazing. Unfortunately Jet isn’t with us anymore, but his legacy lives on through being the catalyst for our relationship.

Dylan is a Project Manager and Scarlett is a Designer/Illustrator. We live in Wollongong with Max and our other dog Bobby.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Our elopement kicked off a big five week trip around Europe. We loved the idea of just being able to flow right into the honeymoon afterwards. We were starting our trip in Italy and it made the most sense to get married somewhere there.

We actually chose our photographer first, the wonderful Stefano Santucci, and because he was based in Tuscany we started looking for a venue there. We were spoilt for choice because it's all so beautiful over there, but ended up choosing Monteverdi Tuscany, the hotel is absolutely breathtaking!

How many guests did you have?

Just the two of us!

What was your budget?

We didn’t have a particular budget just for the elopement as it was combined with a five week holiday around Europe.

We prioritised spending money on a photographer we loved. We splurged on a few things here and there since it was just the two of us, but we were able to keep the actual costs for the day quite low.

Tell us about your outfits.

I tried on a few dresses at a couple of stores, but I was struggling to find something I loved and nothing really felt like me.

After some hunting I was so lucky to find the incredibly talented Breeanna Maree! She made me such a beautiful custom dress that was exactly what I imagined, it fit me perfectly and I felt so beautiful in it. Bree is such a lovely person and her designing and sewing is absolutely flawless! I loved the whole process and seeing the dress come to life. I cannot recommend Bree enough!

Dylan also got the custom treatment and had an amazing suit made by Zink & Sons, and now has a great fitting suit he can wear forever.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

To keep everything relaxed and easy, and most importantly a day that felt like us. We talked about all the different styles of weddings we could have and started getting excited about it all, once we started talking about eloping.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Delicious food! We had the most amazing five course meal prepared by Chef Giancarla Bodoni. She absolutely blew us both away, her stuffed gnocchi was to die for and the wine pairings were spot on! She also made us a beautiful tiramisu for our cake, it was perfect.

Any tips for couples getting married?

There can be a lot of pressure to have these incredibly extravagant day(s), so prioritise what is most important to both of you, the day's focus should be the love you share.

We both cannot recommend eloping enough, it was us through and through. The planning was so relaxed, not only did the day bring us beautiful memories to last a lifetime, eloping allowed us to spend five amazing weeks creating memories around Europe.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Yes! Firstly our photographer Stefano Santucci, he has an impeccable eye for detail and absolutely left us speechless when we saw our photos. He is a true artist and has such a deep passion and understanding of his craft. On top of that he is just such a wonderful person who helped Dylan and I feel very comfortable in front of the camera. The photos he captured mean everything to us and are a truly precious gift that will keep on giving.

Iryna and Vita, who did my hair and makeup. I straight up burst into tears when I saw myself, I have never felt more beautiful. They are both so lovely and extremely talented. My hair and makeup looked amazing all day and night, it was a shame to take it all off. Their work is absolutely flawless! They also took plenty of videos and photos of the process, which I treasure now also.

To all the staff at Monteverdi, thank you so much for your amazing hospitality and unfaltering kindness. The hotel is stunning but the staff are the true beauty of the place. From the moment we got there, we were so warmly welcomed and knew we had made the right choice for our elopement. A massive thank you to Pietro & Lucia who helped organise and facilitate our elopement via email and on the day. We are so appreciative of your help, from liasoning with Chef Giancarla Bodoni, offering to organise a beautiful bouquet for me, from the wonderful florist Costanza, and everything in between. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making the day so special.