Alice + Frankie by Jason Mark Harris

We wanted our wedding to feel like a little corner of Sicily

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We love exploring the world together, especially anywhere that combines incredible food with beautiful landscapes and scenery. We’re writing this from our honeymoon – a three and a half month adventure through South Korea, Japan and Bali – and, unsurprisingly, we’ve spent as much time planning our meals as our sightseeing!

Frankie works in advertising, but his real love is cooking and enjoying good food with our family and friends. We are both huge foodies, and I am very lucky to enjoy Frankie’s cooking often!

I love everything wellness and after several years working as a lawyer, this year I’m taking the leap into launching my own life and mindset coaching business, Awaken with Alice (@awaken.with.alice). It’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time and feels completely aligned with this next chapter.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met early into starting university at Nottingham. I was in accommodation with one of Frankie’s close friends (and later a groomsman!). Frankie knocked on my door to borrow face paint before a Halloween night out.

We became close friends first, and somewhere along the way the friendship turned into something much more. I honestly think being friends first was the best foundation, and we still are best friends. More than a decade later, we’ve grown up side by side, supporting each other through every chapter.

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 wanted our wedding to feel like a little corner of Sicily, where Frankie’s family are from, so we had cues of that throughout the wedding. Including LOTS of lemons (over 200 in total!) woven through the florals and tables, a yellow Vespa and my uncle’s old Fiat 500 parked up for photos. But honestly, the most special part was being able to get married at my family’s home on the Isle of Wight and sharing a place so special to both of us with our loved ones. The house sits high on a hill overlooking the Solent, so it felt like the perfect place to bring our vision to life. It really was the best of both worlds – bringing Sicily to the UK!

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Honestly, doing it together and working as a real team was the best part. It really was a joint effort, of course with the help of our amazing planners, Wed & Propser. We naturally divided things between us, but every big decision was made together, which meant the day genuinely felt like a reflection of us both. In the final few weeks, our families completely rallied around us too and helped bring everything together.

Our biggest piece of advice would be to enjoy the planning as a process and to embrace it as something fun to do together. It’s easy to get caught up in the logistics, but you’re creating a day that celebrates your love and brings together all of your favourite people. Then, once the wedding comes, let go. Trust the people around you, be present and soak up every moment. One of my bridesmaids surprised me with a short guided meditation that she led on the morning of the wedding, and it completely grounded me. Looking back, I think that’s one of the reasons I remember the day so vividly and was able to be truly present throughout.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

We feel incredibly lucky with every supplier we chose. They were all amazing, but we have to give a special mention to a few.

Our planners and stylists, Wed & Prosper, were our creative partners from beginning to end. They understood exactly what we were trying to create – a relaxed Sicilian summer celebration in the middle of the Isle of Wight – and somehow made every idea feel even better than we’d imagined. They brought our vision to life in ways that surpassed anything we’d imagined.

Jason and Sarah Harris captured the day beautifully and with such honesty. We never wanted anything overly posed or performative, just genuine moments and the feeling of the day. Looking back through the photographs and film instantly transports us back there, which is the greatest gift.

Our Girl G deserves a special mention too. She somehow read the room perfectly and kept the dance floor full from the first song until the very last. She created an energy that our friends are still talking about a year on.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

I’ve loved fashion since making clothes at school, so having my outfits made bespoke by Sigita at Jan Si Studios was a real dream come true. I genuinely cannot recommend her enough – the process was just as special as the dresses themselves.

For my ceremony dress, I wanted something elegant and flowing, inspired by the sea and the beautiful surroundings of the Isle of Wight. I knew I didn’t want a large structured gown – it had to feel like me and suit the relaxed atmosphere of the day. Inside the lining on the left side, Sigita hand-stitched Frankie’s handwriting in baby blue with “I adore you” – the title of our first dance song – that was my something blue, and my favourite hidden detail. My earrings were vintage, a pair of diamond hoops with a pearl drop that I found in a second-hand store in London – which became my something old. I also wore a bespoke veil with a delicate lace trim, designed by Sigita. It felt like a subtle nod to Frankie’s Italian heritage and provided the perfect contrast to the clean, modern lines of my dress.

For the evening, Sigita repurposed the dress I’d worn to our civil ceremony at Islington Town Hall in London a month earlier, adding a full sequin layer. I loved the thread of continuity in that and the fact that I could wear the dress again. I also changed into a pair of pearl Jimmy Choos that I had been utterly obsessed with throughout the planning process. Somehow, I managed to dance all night in them!

Frankie’s outfit ended up being rather memorable too. Just two days before our legal ceremony, he tore his Achilles, meaning he spent the ceremony wearing a large orthopaedic boot with his suit. Thankfully, he chose a beautiful Italian-inspired beige linen suit, which somehow still looked effortlessly stylish despite the circumstances. Credit also has to go to our photographer, who became an expert at finding exactly the right angles!

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

My engagement ring is the most meaningful piece of jewellery I own. At its centre is a diamond that belonged to Frankie’s grandmother – his mum passed it to him to use for the proposal. It’s surrounded by smaller diamonds in the shape of a flower, which we designed together at a jeweller’s in Hatton Garden in London (Eric Ross).

The proposal itself was so thoughtful. In 2023 Frankie proposed on a holiday to Canada using the stone set simply in a silver band, specifically so that we could go and design the proper ring together afterwards. He knows me well. I love jewellery and knew I’d want something completely unique, so being part of that process was such a special experience.

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?).

Music was high on our priority list from the very start – we wanted the energy of the day to feel a certain way and knew it was worth investing in by having both a band and DJ.

Given the Italian theme, an Italian band played throughout dinner and into the early evening, which set the most beautiful atmosphere and honoured our theme and Italian guests. Although the band only played during dinner and early evening, it was worth every penny. They created exactly the atmosphere we’d imagined and made our Italian guests feel right at home.

Our Girl G then took over and absolutely delivered with an insane evening DJ set. The transition between the two was everything we’d hoped for, and we really did have all the guests on the dance floor all evening.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

We honestly loved every single moment of the day, but there is one memory that stands out to us both. Between the band and DJ switching over, we got everyone outside the marquee to watch the sunset over the Solent. We’d had a cocktail made especially – an Italian Sour – presented beautifully with blue ribbon bows around the glasses on the outdoor bar. The weather was perfect, and the sunset was stunning. It was the first moment all day that everything slowed down. Just the two of us, watching the sun set with everyone we love gathered around us. Looking back, it feels like the moment we were finally able to take it all in. The photos that Jason, our photographer, captured from this moment are some of our favourites from the day.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

We’d been together for so long that we honestly didn’t think marriage would feel very different, but it really has. It’s difficult to explain, but there’s a quiet sense of certainty now – a feeling of having chosen each other in a new way, while also bringing our two families together. In our vows, we both spoke about being a calming and steady presence for one another, finding love not only in life’s biggest moments but in the ordinary days too.

The Isle of Wight has always felt special to us, but now it holds one of our happiest memories too. We know we’ll keep returning there throughout our lives, and hopefully one day we’ll be able to share the place and the story of our wedding with our own family.

And perhaps our favourite little reminder of it all is that, while on our honeymoon, we both got lemon tattoos as a small tribute to our wedding, to Frankie’s Sicilian roots, and to the beginning of this next chapter together.