Chloe + Jack by Lena Ruschke Photo

I wanted simplicity, and the kind of romantic evening only Italy can offer.

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

We’re two people who love good food, hard workouts, time with family, and being authentically ourselves. We live in Charlotte, North Carolina, with our dog Boscoe, in a home we just bought with a big backyard we’re already filling with cookouts. Cooking together is one of our favourite things. We make homemade meals from all over the world and treat food as our love language. We’ve explored a good chunk of the world, from getting engaged in Taiwan to skiing the Swiss Alps. We’re also hopeless nerds at heart, always down for a good movie, an anime marathon, or a night of gaming. Weekends are for the lake, time outside, and good times with friends. We’re both into fitness and lifting; the gym is just part of our routine. I read constantly, and I’m an artist at heart in everything I do, from drawing to putting together an outfit. Jack studies languages for fun; he speaks Mandarin and Japanese. Our faith is central to who we are as a couple, and going to Mass together every Sunday is one of our favourite things. I work in content creation for brands, and Jack works in technology and sourcing, writing long, boring contracts that no one ever reads.

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

We met at Furman University, where we both played lacrosse, a classic case of the boys’ and girls’ teams crossing paths at mandatory study hall. Those library sessions became Jack’s excuse to hover around, pretending to ask my friends questions he clearly already knew the answers to. Jack’s told me since that he thought I was way out of his league, cooler and better looking than him, and he figured the best way to find out if I was secretly a nerd too was to test the waters. Turns out, thankfully, I am. One night he texted and asked if I wanted to get pizza. I asked, “Just us?” completely thrown off, since he hadn’t framed it as a date at all. He said “uh yeah,” and I almost didn’t go. My roommate practically pushed me out the door. Best date of my life, and we’ve been together ever since. We went long distance during COVID, and both transferred schools, but made it work until we graduated and moved to Charlotte together.

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).

It was the venue and the beauty of Italian culture that spoke to me before anything else. I wanted simplicity, and the kind of romantic evening only Italy can offer. I never had strong opinions about florals, signage, or tablescape, though Jennifer captured my natural, go-with-the-flow personality beautifully. The setting speaks for itself, with the old stone hotel and umbrella pines framing everything and the Umbrian hills rolling out below. Jack had one request after seeing what the venue offered: a long, winding table with all our loved ones at it, framed by those hills. So we did exactly that. Seeing it come together, gold chandeliers glowing above it under the trees, is the moment that actually made me cry. I hadn’t let myself picture it until it was real. The church was everything too. Standing beneath its dome, I wanted the day to centre on the altar, where the sacrament of marriage would take place. Italian churches hold a kind of beauty that’s hard to put into words. My job was just to let it exist, and to stand inside it.

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

Honestly, my favourite part of planning wasn’t a decision or a detail; it was the time and excitement it gave us as a couple. Some of our best days were spent discussing how amazing the night would be as our first step into a lifetime together. My advice for couples starting out: let go of needing an opinion on everything and trust your planner and vendors’ professional, creative opinions. I didn’t have strong feelings about florals or signage or tablescapes, and that ended up being a gift, not a gap. It let me trust the people around me, especially our planner Jennifer, to build something more beautiful than anything I could’ve designed myself. Pick the one or two things that actually matter to you, know how to articulate your vision, and let some things be a surprise.

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

Sorry to be corny… It’s everyone. Jennifer, our planner, crushed it and deserved a medal for it. She took me on right after working with my very Type A sister and got the complete opposite with me: a low-maintenance, go-with-the-flow girl who never really thought about a wedding until I had to plan one. Somehow she still pulled every piece together, then flew to Italy to make sure it all went perfectly in person. Lena, our photographer, executed exactly what I wanted down to the smallest detail. I’m particular about photography given my own creativity and my job, so that mattered more to me than almost anything else. She was the standout of standouts. Guests kept coming up to tell me how incredible she was, and now nobody will stop talking about the photos. And then there’s the food. Hotel Bramante fed us like royalty. All I wanted was classic Italian food and long, unhurried meals that just kept coming, and every bite delivered. My guests raved about it all weekend, and honestly, so did I.

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

My dress was the first one I tried on. Simple, but with a structure to it that reminded me of an old Italian Renaissance statue, something classic and with understated sculptural details. Because we got married in June, in that thick Italian heat, I needed something that wouldn’t feel heavy and could travel well. My whole look came together easily, and the one personal touch that felt unique that we added was my great-grandmother’s watch. Jack’s outfit was the fun one. Entirely custom made, right down to the lining inside his jacket, which is printed with Italian landmarks. We went with a double-breasted cut because it matches his personality: a little quirky, a little unexpected. It needed to fit him well since he’s fit, and made from a lighter fabric so he wouldn’t be miserable in the heat. Between the two of us, our outfits told a pretty accurate story of who we actually are, and catered well to the environment.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

My engagement ring has a natural yellow diamond at the centre, perfect since yellow’s always been my favourite colour. Jack designed it with El Paseo Jewelers out of Palm Springs. For the wedding bands, we went with Perry’s Jewelry. I couldn’t decide between something very simple, just gold, or one with diamonds, so naturally I got both, and wear them together. Jack kept his classic: a plain gold band, no debate needed, because that’s exactly who he is.

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?).

Food and photography. Neither of those was a place to cut corners for us. I wanted classic Italian food done right, long meals that kept coming course after course, and Hotel Bramante delivered every single time. If you’re going to fly people across an ocean, the least you can do is feed them well. Photography was the other one. Given my job and how much I care about visual storytelling, it was never going to be an afterthought. I knew Lena wouldn’t just document the day; she’d capture the emotion and story of the day. Food (honourable mention to the bar as well) and photography are things you live with after the wedding is over, whether it’s the memory of a meal or a photo you’ll look at for the rest of your life.

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

Two moments stand out. The first was at the altar. Because we faced the priest instead of our guests, it felt very intimate, almost like it was just the two of us in that entire church. We could whisper to each other, laugh, cry, and none of it felt like it was on display. It was ours. The second was the cake cutting. We popped champagne, cut the cake, and then fireworks went off right as we walked straight into dancing. It happened so fast it felt like watching a montage you’d expect in a movie, not something actually happening to you. I couldn’t stop jumping around and smiling, and looking out and seeing our guests having the time of their lives made it feel less like a wedding and more like a dream.

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

To us, marriage is the sacrament we entered into in the Catholic faith, and we take that very seriously. One of our favourite routines is simple: Mass together every Sunday, then coming home to make espresso and a big brunch with Boscoe. Jack likes to say I’m his rib, a nod to the book of Genesis, and we come back to that idea a lot, of being one flesh. Being married means staying together when things get hard, and never backing down from a fight until we’ve actually made up. It means being a unit, a force, pushing each other to become better versions of ourselves, but also knowing when to slow down and be soft and gentle with one another. Some days that looks like ambition; other days it looks like comfort. Both matter equally. Mostly, it means treating every single day like a new chance to do something with love, whether that’s cooking a new meal together, laughing over something stupid, or chasing a new adventure. We don’t take a single one of those days for granted.