Archive for May, 2010

Colour and glass passion on your table!

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Glass, glass, glass! One of the most difficult-to-choose items we had in our wedding list were the glasses indeed! We were shown so many different styles, models and colours that we didn’t even remember all of them!
In the end, considering we chose simple white plates and ceramics, we made the decision to have a little bit of colour on our table so it gives some exotic touch to our lunches and dinners even after a hard day of work or during dark winter days!
That’s what we chose: here we are with Alter Ego, an Italian designer glasses from Verona.

Alter Ego has a great choice of glass models and colours – from the classic transparent ones to the more glossy dark ones which would really stand out in a modern and glam interior.

Gianluca and I went for the Nadia range of glasses and jugs which have a simple and modern designer shape. In order to make the whole thing fancier, we chose different colour of glasses: having red, green, blue, yellow or orange glasses standing one next to the others gives an excellent visual impact on your table cloth!

I like the smooth and round shaped lines of the Nadia jug you can see on the picture below. What I like as well about the jug and the glasses is their thick bottom, which gives the object an excellent stability in both your hands and on the table! So play with your creativity and don’t be afraid about colour!

So retro!

Friday, May 28th, 2010

I’ve always thought to go for a ’20s style for my wedding gown.
So you can imagine how I felt when I came across these gorgeous photo shoots published in Vogue Italia last January! OMG!!! A collection of pictures from some of the most important Italian dressmakers which I took off the magazine waiting for the right time to post them. So here is a selection of them…
  Dalin wedding dresses low cut at the back
Fairytale fishtail
Design by Dalin, this is the kind of white vintage dress I would choose for my wedding! I love the sensual and intriguing low cut at the back and the elegant strass net which enlights the back. What about the French lacework which holds tight hips, bottom and an airy fishtail? Simply gorgeous!

Flower power
Inspired by the countryside theme, these gowns by Le spose di Gio have a simple line which is enriched by precious enbroidery and tulle. I also like the little ribbon around the neck…it gives a contemporary twist to the dress! (more…)

Basics about a civil wedding ceremony in Italy

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Where shall we start with the description of the burocracy related to a marriage in Italy? There’s so much to say around certificate of non-impediment, nulla osta, civil code, interpreters, number of witnesses permitted that it’s indeed a true challenge to sum up the whole thing in some tens rows of a blog article.

Maybe a good way to start is to give you an idea of the way a civil ceremony is performed in Italy (by the way, this is a nice picture of Sylvie and Gianluca just outside the town hall, after the civil cerimony).

Italian civil weddings can be celebrated in hundreds of different places – romantic villas, medieval castles, ancient city halls, public gardens – with the only condition that those places are approved by the Italian authorities.

The ceremony takes around twenty minutes and it is performed in Italian either by the city mayor or by one of his/her civil officers.

In Italy, two witnesses are needed to sign all the legal paperwork (although it’s more and more common and fashionable to have four witnesses, but only two of them can sign the legal paperwork).

The civil ceremony consists in the combination of the lecture of fondamental civil codes articles and on the traditional marriage vows which we have translated into English and French. You can download the Italian-English lecture of fondamental civil codes articles and the Italian-French lecture of fondamental civil codes articles(more…)

Your glam and designer must-have furniture

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Your wedding is approaching, and it’s time for you to think about your wedding list…Why not putting onto your list an Italian designer piece of furniture that would astonish people around you? Here we are with Cantori, an Italian designer furniture company I’ve recently came across thanks to my brother who has just ordered a couple of armchairs I just find fantastic! Here they are:

Italian wedding list

I wish my brother had introduced me to Cantori before I got married last year! Cantori armchair Miss Croma model is simply glam and gorgeous, and the chromed armchair iron frame gives a fabulous light into your interior!

Needless to say my brother has driven me crazy with these armchairs; they usually cost of fortune in France, and in the end, we managed to find them at a design furniture retailer in Italy, which are arranging them to be shipped to France in the next weeks (fingers crossed!). There was a little bit of coordination, but we eventually  saved 30% off the French price! Well done, isn’t it? Think about it when listing up your wedding list: you better want to have it done abroad to have your guests saving money!

Italian wedding list

Miss Croma Poltrona cushions are available in different colours and luxury types of fabrics. That is the perfect contemporary and versatile high-quality design item that would stand in your house entrance, or in your living room. Alternativaly to the armchair, you may want to look for the chair models as well. I really like the black cushions chair model below associated with the black glossy table!

Italian wedding list

Delicious ice-cream ideas!

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Why not indulging your guests with a luxurious blackberry and raspberry ice cream during a hot Italian summer?
Leda’s recipy published in her blog Gustosa…Mente has given me the idea of posting something about a wedding ice-cream dessert. Why not?
I love her pictures! Not only does the ice-cream look delicious, but it also is so spot on in those pinky cups decorated with an elegant touch of golden colour…a very English vintage style! And have you noticed that little silver biscuit-holder duck, isn’t it gorgeous?
I think it could be a really original and refreshing idea for your reception, instead of the traditional wedding cake, which might be too creamy and heavy for the summer…

Weddin Ice-cream Dessert

If you are more traditional and you don’t want to disappoint your guests who have come to your wedding to get stuffed with your wedding cake, you can go for an ice-cream cake.

Wedding Ice-cream cakes

For the brave ones I would like to suggest a traditional Italian summer refreshment, the granita, which is made of iced juice (mint, lemon, caffè and many different flavours).  Sometimes they are also topped with wipped cream…really light! ;-)

Wedding Granita Dessert

Pictures courtesy of Leda Crippa and Pausa & Caffè


Wedding maps: key to have and nice to keep

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

What if your brother-in-law loses the flight and your bridesmaid has to pick him up just a couple of minutes before the wedding, while driving to the town hall? It’s not fiction, but what happened at my Italian wedding! I can have a laugh now, but that day I was furious.
That’s why I thought to write something about creative wedding maps…no excuses to get lost or be late! 

The artist behind this gorgeous map is Laura Hooper, a calligraphy designer based in California, specialized in hand-made stationery. These maps give your guests directions to reach the reception or the town hall locations, but they can also become original and chic gifts to bring back home, definitely much better than a simple holiday postcard! (more…)

Charming wall paintings to embrace your love!

Monday, May 17th, 2010

I’ve already talked about Danilo’s wedding pictures a while ago, but I can’t stop dreaming in front of them. There is another series of wedding shoots I completely felt in love with!
This colourful yellow and orange background wall makes me feel at home and think of my sunny Italy – especially in this period of the year: it’s May but it is still freezing here in Lincoln and I can’t believe I’m still wearing my coat!
Anyway, this is the inside of Villa Corner della Regina, an elegant Palladian villa in Treviso, which was choosen by this nice Italian couple.

Here below you can give another glance at the internal rooms, which is probably the best part of the building…

But not the only one… (more…)

A chocolate jewel is not for ever…

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Some weeks ago I wrote you about Peratoner’s chocolate, made by the Pordenone best known chocolate atelier. Today I feel like writing about other bespoke chocolate products they make to satisfy their customers requests…chocolate jewellery!

Yes indeed! A corner of the shop is entirely dedicated to jewels, and your eyes could not believe it. They look as glossy and real as true jewels! My husband might have better gone for a chocolate praline ring when choosing my engagement ring two years ago…They are so beautiful, nicely wrapped in their small red or black box, as elegant as real jewels… (more…)

Italian wedding burocracy…what a pain!

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

What worst than realizing a few days before your wedding abroad that your nulla osta has not been properly issued or that your marriage certificates are not completed?
These are the most popular bride-to-be nightmares, expecially among the brides  who had the crazy idea to get married in Italy! 

For this reason we have thought of a new section called Burocracy, that’s amore! which could be a discussion area on the subject…at least we hope none will end up screaming of like our two friends below!  


Italian burocracy is well-known for being a nightmare, including all sort of simple things which theoretically should be pretty easy to handle while plannig your marriage in Italy!

Over the next weeks we would like to illustrate a few real brides’ stories which have no pretention for being the exact response to what you may want to read, but at least they could be a good base for further discussion and questions! We hope you like the idea and you will follow us!

Picture courtesy of Jackie Baisa

Little details from your everyday life

Monday, May 10th, 2010

What’s wrong with a nice pair of patterned red socks? Have you noticed them? I don’t know if they are the groom’s lucky charm for the big day, but I found them quite funny.

I really like those photographers who can represent your day with elegance, but also with an unusual touch of “reality”, without spending hours telling you how to pose, how many degrees you have to incline your head, how big your smile should be…

I came across Danilo’s pictures by chance and I got stuck in front of his “real life” shoots. He is a free-lance photographer in the Venice area and in these are a couple of shoots from Daniela and Stefano’s wedding which took place in Treviso.
This is the picture I like most: the simplicity and the romance of a pair of socks and a kiss!

A part from this funny detail, I love Daniela’s wonderful creamy wedding dress with its nice wavy and gathered fabric. Here you can better see the detail of the skirt.

Daniela’s wedding dress was bought in Treviso, in a local wedding dress atelier.
Thank you Danilo for these nice shoots!

Photos courtesy of Danilo Maraschi