We loved the spaces we chose for our wedding very much
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We met at the Marangoni photography school in Florence and from that moment we never separated; we managed to build a career together as photographers, later specializing in destination weddings; we love simple things that keep taking us around the world, both for work and for pleasure; the constant search for humanity in people made us fall in love with what we do and, as a result, with who we are.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
As we said, we met at photography school; our first impression was love at first sight, sparked by one particular detail (a real photographer thing): we were shooting with the same camera brand.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
We loved the spaces we chose for our wedding very much; in fact, it took place mostly in public settings. The historic character and unmistakable style of the Tuscan city of Lucca meant we didn’t need anything else.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
The hardest but at the same time most fun part of the planning process was seriously reflecting on our real needs; scaling everything to fit your own measure is the biggest challenge; the “no’s,” even though it might sound paradoxical, are the ones that cost the most!
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
Our photographer (Justine Oset) was the only vendor we truly chose with our hearts, for her incredible sensitivity in interpreting the vibrations of our souls! It’s something that goes far beyond simply “buying a service” — it’s pure love! It’s the bond that forms between subject and photographer, and without love, there’s no result.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
The groom bought his Valentino suit (an Italian brand) in a French secondhand shop (Carcassonne), completely by chance; it simply appeared to him. The bride’s dress was chosen with quite a bit of difficulty, since the prices of certain dresses are rather out of control; as we said before, the hardest thing isn’t affording what you want, but calibrating what you spend to what you’re actually buying.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
We don’t have any wedding rings, since we agreed to keep seeing ourselves as a couple who are engaged, so much so that we don’t use the words “husband” and “wife” and we ask others to simply call us Giulia and Matteo; this is very important to us because we don’t want, in any way, to think of a relationship as two separate phases; for us, marriage isn’t a next phase but simply something legal that protects the couple; really, it’s as if we had always been married! 🙂
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
As we said, marriage isn’t about being able to afford more, but a very deep personal reflection.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
The most beautiful moments were:
- When we arrived at the ceremony venue and saw all the people we had invited smiling at us with expressions we had never seen before, and hearing them all there, all together, even though they belonged to different groups and moments of our lives, gave us a feeling of love so strong that we had never felt it anywhere else.
- When we read our vows in front of everyone, those vows we pulled from the depths of our souls with such force that we nearly fainted.
What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?
The ritual we’ve applied from the very beginning is consistency: don’t fall into marketing traps, don’t dress according to a trend or the market but only according to your own personal taste, do and organize things the way you truly like them without accepting outside pressure (relatives, vendors, etc.), try to reflect your own ideal of marriage, and give yourselves the human time to truly live the moments — and above all, the people.
CEREMONY LOCATION Town Hall in the centre of Lucca RECEPTION LOCATION Ristorante San Colombano, @sancolombano_ristorante BRIDE Giulia, @giulia_delsorbophotographer GROOM Matteo, @matteolodolo_ph PHOTOGRAPHER Justine Oset, @justineoset VIDEOGRAPHER Jam Dagostino of Unknown Films, @unknown__films HIRE Ristorante San Colombano, @sancolombano_ristorante GROOM’S SUIT Valentino, @maisonvalentino
