Tell us a little about yourselves!
We’ve been together 10 years and marriage had never previously been high on our list of priorities. However, a few years ago we started discussing how fun a party would be to celebrate the relationship and Martin surprised me by popping the question on a holiday in South Africa. We ended up getting married almost exactly on our 10-year anniversary.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We love to travel and knew a UK wedding wasn’t for us. We love Italy, but Sicily especially. For us the atmosphere is relaxed and less formal than other areas of Italy, which is exactly what we wanted our wedding to feel like.
As our guests were flying over from the UK, we held 3 days of celebrations in Ortigia. Our guests arrived via Ape Calessino’s to sunset drinks the night before the wedding, and the day after the wedding we held a beach party with access direct into the sea so everyone could swim away the cobwebs.
How many guests did you have?
Around 90.
What was your budget?
We didn’t plan with a strict number in mind, as we didn’t know how much things would cost. But we made cost efficiencies wherever we could and prioritised spending money on where we thought it would make an impact for our guests. For example, free flowing cocktails were a must, but I went against expensive shoes, which I knew I’d ruin dancing.
We’re very lucky to be surrounded by a lot of creative friends, who were able to help us to pull together a lot of the details of the day. Two of my bridesmaids designed the wedding stationary which included hand drawn illustrations.
Tell us about your outfits.
My dress was from the incredible The Own Studio. It was made up of a silk satin bustier, skirt, overlay and sleeves. Which meant I could keep switching up my look throughout the day.
My last look of the day was the bustier and a mini skirt designed by my talented friend Jen who currently designs with Srvc Studio.
By bouquet was designed to emulate the one my Mum had. It included Singapore Orchid’s, as my dad was born in Singapore.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted to prioritise personal touches and our guests having fun over anything else! Our close friend being the celebrant, is one of the best decisions we made. The whole ceremony was light-hearted and funny and super personal.
Our friend Georgia is a singer and sang ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ during the aperitif, once my mum started crying, everyone else followed.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We fell in love with our venue because of its many areas. It meant for each part of the wedding we could move our guests to a new location they hadn’t seen before. We wanted to surprise them with entertainment, food and drinks round every corner and keep them guessing.
The biggest surprise element was at the end of the night, where we had a brass band lead our guests through the gardens and into a secret party in the olive trees.
We’re big Glastonbury fans, so when we saw the olive trees at the back of the venue we knew it was the perfect spot to hold our party. Once the lights and disco ball were up it felt exactly like being at a festival.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Don’t stress over the small things, the actual day is so amazing that you honestly won’t mind if something small is out of place. And wear comfy shoes!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Our photographer Elisa Rinaldi was amazing, we asked her to get as many candid shots as possible as we wanted to avoid anything overly staged. She really took the time to speak with us and understand the style we liked, and we’re so happy with the result.
And Damien at Radio Kings, we had an extensive call with him to go over our music preferences. He then assembled a bespoke band of musicians for the event. Such a lovely person to work with, and he worked to accommodate our requests around our friend singing, and the band surprising everyone with the party in the olive trees.
Photographer: Elisa Rinaldi @elisarinaldiphoto | Planning: by the Bride | Flora: INTRECCI di fiori e d’arte
@intrecci_difioriedarte | Videographer: Angelo Bruno @angelobruno_vdo | Ceremony & Reception Location: Commenda Di San Calogero @commendadisancalogero | Celebrant: Will Andrews (one of our closest friends) | HMUA: Chess Thornton @chessthornton | Catering & Beverages: Commenda Di San Calogero and drinks by Ciccio CoCo Eventi @commendadisancalogero @cicciococoeventi |
Entertainment: Radio Kings @radiokingsband & couple's friend Gerogia @callmeloop | Dress: The Own Studio @theownstudio | Suit: M&S | Veil: borrowed from a friend | Engagement Ring: Berganza Antique & Vintage Jewellers @berganzalondon | Wedding Rings: Hatton Garden