We always wanted a small, cosy, and personal wedding.
VALERIA —— We live in London, but we’re originally from Russia and Ukraine, with childhoods spent between Russia, Spain and Greece. I spent 10 years in finance before launching my own luxury travel agency, Amaterra, specialising in hidden-gem nature escapes. Artem also works in finance.
I first saw Artem over 10 years ago at midnight in Mykonos Airport. We never spoke. I was in a relationship at the time, but I remember spotting this cute guy. Five years later, I saw him again on a dating app. I still remembered him! We had our first date in Green Park in London, and by our next date in Hyde Park, we had fallen in love.
We always wanted a small, cosy, and personal wedding — a big, loud table, homemade Italian food, and only our closest friends.
Why Rome? Call it serendipity: months before the wedding, our flights kept getting diverted to the Eternal City, leading to many unexpected and unforgettable nights there. When we visited Villa Aurelia, it was love at first sight. A 1650 Baroque villa once owned by the Pope, surrounded by endless gardens, with one of the most beautiful trees we’d ever seen, all overlooking the magic of Rome. We didn’t visit or consider another venue.
Our biggest wedding planning tip? Have a glass (or two) of wine before any call related to planning! Maybe that’s how we managed to plan everything in just six months. We were happy to splurge on the venue. Because it was so grand, it needed no additional decor.
And we invested in food and wine, so our guests had the best Italian meal possible. We flew our DJ in from Colombia and chose our favourite Spanish photographers, who captured the day like an old romantic movie.
Three days before the wedding, thunderstorms and torrential rain were forecast. We nearly cancelled our rooftop drinks, but then we heard about an Italian legend — if you bring dozens of eggs to Santa Chiara Monastery, the nuns will pray for good weather.
With 60 eggs in hand, we ran across Rome, searching for an open monastery. We finally reached a monastery on Via Vitella and rang the bell. No answer. Just as we were about to walk away, we heard a faint voice over the intercom — a sweet Spanish nun welcomed us in. She smiled the entire time, blessed us, and promised to pray extra hard.
The night before our wedding, the weather changed. The ceremony was perfect. Only after dinner, as we started our first dance to Sting’s “Fields of Gold”, did the first raindrops begin to fall. It was so romantic, so magical, like something out of a movie.
LOCATION Villa Aurelia, Rome PHOTOGRAPHER La Dichosa, @ladichosa BRIDE Valeria, @valeriastva CELEBRANT Best friend, Will Park, @willwpark CEREMONY GOWN AND VEIL Peter Langner, @peterlangner BRIDE’S CEREMONY SHOES Jimmy Choo, @jimmychoo GROOM’S TUXEDO Sartoria Silvio Zanella, @sartoriasilviozanella GROOM’S SHOES Crockett & Jones, @crockettandjones_official GROOM’S STYLING Grooms’ Counsel, @groomscounsel GROOM’S WATCH Patek Philippe, @patekphilippe RINGS G. Collins & Sons, @gcollinsandsons BRIDE’S RECEPTION DRESS ILA, @ilathebrandbridal BRIDE’S RECEPTION SHOES Gianvito Rossi, @gianvitorossi BRIDE’S RECEPTION BAG Clio Peppiatt, @cliopeppiatt BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Celine, @celine VIDEOGRAPHER Les Vaques lesvaques.com, @lesvaques PLANNER Confetti a Colazione, @confettiacolazione FLORIST Ilprofumo Dei Fiori, @ilprofumodeifiori ENTERTAINMENT Fabi Hernandez, @fabihernandezmusic; Marko Milicevic, @bonafide__music; The Ambassadors, @theambassadors_live_show OTHER JEWELS Bulgari, @bvlgari; Patek Philippe, @patekphilippe MAKEUP Melania Mariano, @melania.mariano HIRE Preludio Group, @preludiodivisionenoleggio STATIONERY Papyros, @papyros.studio BRIDE’S DINNER GOWN Danielle Frankel, @daniellefrankelstudio BRIDE’S DINNER SHOES Gianvito Rossi, @gianvitorossi CATERING & CAKE Alfonso Muzzi, @alfonsomuzziricevimenti BRIDE’S DANCEFLOOR JUMP SUIT Galvan London, @galvanlondon BRIDE’S DANCEFLOOR SHOES Gianvito Rossi, @gianvitorossi BRIDES LATE NIGHT DRESS Retrofete, @retrofete BRIDE’S LATE NIGHT SHOES Gianvito Rossi, @gianvitorossi BRIDE’S RECOVERY DAY DRESS Rebecca Vallance, @rebeccavallance BRIDE’S RECOVERY DAY BAG Loeffler Randall, @loefflerrandall BRIDE’S RECOVERY DAY SUNGLASSES The Row, @therow BRIDE’S RECOVERY DAY SHOES Amina Muaddi, @aminamuaddiofficial
