Olivia and Marcel hosted a three-day destination wedding celebration in Verona, Italy, and “magical” doesn’t even begin to describe it. The decision to marry away from home came naturally, as Marcel is from Germany and the couple resides in the UK. Choosing Italy specifically had a little more nuance to it. 

“My husband and I looked at many venues in the UK, and although they were all beautiful, they lacked the special magic we were looking for,” Olivia tells us.

Italy had a magical draw to it already since both the bride and groom traveled there frequently, and Marcel actually studied there as well. The couple’s first planner recommended they check out a venue in Verona, Italy called Villa Mosconti. 

“When we drove up to Villa Mosconi it immediately clicked, and we knew this was our venue,” the couple says.

Although advising the fabulous venue was great, Olivia and Marcel quickly realized she had taken the idea from a planner online and actually had little to no experience planning weddings. 

“After we found this out, we had already fallen in love with Villa Mosconi and booked our date. Speaking no Italian, I was a frantic mess. My husband, however, found Palazzo Eventi, and they were amazing and took over straight away,” the bride says. 

The couple and Olivia’s family ended up taking a trip out to Milan and Verona with the new planning team to do food and wine tastings and meet with vendors. The couple laid out their wedding vision: an event with the classic elegance of a traditional English wedding set in a vineyard and palatial villa. 

Details came together over the year leading up to the wedding, giving Olivia fun, creative aspects to incorporate into the special day. For example, she wore two Sassi Holford dresses, the first which she actually custom configured with the designer herself. In addition, Marcel wore a custom Mullen & Mullen suit, designed with love by his beautiful bride. 

While planning, the couple kept in mind one thing: “we wanted to create a special story and journey for our wedding.”

When the day arrived, the attention and care that went into every day didn’t go unnoticed by guests. The ceremony took place inside a beautiful hall with painted frescoes and a wedding arch made from fresh flowers. Following the ceremony, delicious canapés and drinks were shared in the gated garden for cocktail hour. The final part of the wedding, Olivia and Marcel kept as a surprise. 

“The guests could not see from the gated garden that we had erected a marquee,” the couple explains.

Lit with fairy lights inside, the reception marquee was surrounded by the lake on one side and the vineyard on the other. Everyone sat down to a formal seven-course dinner served with champagne and the couple’s custom cocktail, ‘The Dirty Dammann’– the perfect drink to get guests ready to dance late into the night.

In the end, Olivia and Marcel’s Italy wedding created a magical and memorable journey for both them and their guests.

Vendors: Photographer: Nastia Vesna; Wedding Planner: Palazzo Eventi in collaboration with Masha My Venice Events; Ceremony/Reception Site: Villa Mosconi Bertani; Florist: Alessandro Piacenza; Stationery: The Sloane Candle Company; Caterer: Papillon 1990; Hair & Makeup: Yasmin Schwitzer; Gown Designer: Sassi Holford; Groom’s Clothing Designer: Mullen & Mullen; Bridesmaids Clothing Designer: Needle & Thread