A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

Set amongst a scenic vine covered Italian villa scattered with summer-inspired florals

Katherine and Matt’s destination wedding in Umbria, Italy, was the perfect balance of timeless romance and modern design. Hosted at a stunning boutique hotel nestled in the Italian countryside, their celebration unfolded over several days, allowing family and friends to fully immerse themselves in the experience. From the intimate ceremony to the dreamy reception, every moment reflected thoughtful planning and intentional design. With expert guidance from our members, LaLindi, the couple’s vision came to life through bold, stylish choices. A chic, draped chartreuse ceremony backdrop danced in the wind, creating a striking contrast against the villa’s rustic stone walls. Sculptural ikebana-style floral arrangements adorned the long reception tables, weaving together modern artistry and organic elegance. Katherine was ethereal in her Danielle Frankel gown, sourced through LOHO Bride, our fashion-forward member.

A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

Our Love Story

^{The Day We Met}

In all honesty, neither one of us really remembers the moment we met… It was the fall of 2014 at a random frat party when I was a freshman and he was a junior. We had a lot of mutual friends through his fraternity and often found ourselves in the same places, but we always stayed acquaintances—distant friends at best. Fast forward to December of 2019: Matt randomly popped up on my Instagram feed after not talking to, much less thinking of, each other for four years. I shot him a cheeky comment, slid into his DMs, and sure enough, two weeks later I was hopping on a flight to LA to spend a long weekend with him! Our first date was the best date of my life. We spent the weekend partying, laughing, getting to know each other, and—while it sounds crazy—falling in love!

^{The Proposal}

Once I had the ring in hand, everything came easy. I had known that I wanted to marry Katherine for two years, but I was waiting for the right moment, when I felt financially ready. On Saturday, I told her to pack a bag because we were getting out of town for the weekend. I picked Santa Barbara because we had spent our first anniversary there, and on that trip began to envision our future together. We checked into Palihouse, our favorite hotel, I surprised Katherine with a beautiful white dress she had been eyeing, and we took off to watch the sunset at the beach.

I hired a planner to set up a picnic on the beach with our favorite treats—sweet potatoes, because I call her my Yam—and dozens of white roses embedded in the sand. As soon as we got out of the car, she started crying in anticipation. I couldn’t even tell you what I said to her—we both blacked out! All that mattered was that she said yes, with our dog, Bean, as our witness. Little did Katherine know, the surprises would keep coming. We left the beach for dinner, where our family and friends were gathered, waiting to congratulate us—that was the second time Katherine cried that night.

^{The Engagement Ring}

The engagement ring was everything. As someone who rarely wears jewelry, I knew that my ring had to be something I truly loved and would want to wear every day for the rest of my life. I only had three requirements for the stone: I wanted it to be natural (because I find value in something that has stood the test of time, buried in the dirt, waiting to be found), vintage/antique or at least ethically sourced, and NOT a white diamond. After visiting every jeweler and vintage store in Los Angeles, we landed on Porter Gulch in Sausalito. They had an amazing selection of ethically sourced gemstones available online. We selected our favorite five stones to see in person—an assortment of blue/green-toned sapphires, a brown emerald-cut diamond that was a bit out of budget, and the gray-green 3.14 ct pear-cut diamond that would eventually become mine.

The latter of the selection was our least favorite going into the appointment, but we both instantly fell in love with her. We went in thinking it would be the first of many appointments and ultimately walked out right then and there with a stone in hand! I sent Matt a few inspo pics of what I wanted my band to look like and let him take it from there. Safe to say, he (and the ladies of Porter Gulch) absolutely crushed it. It’s my favorite thing to wear every day, and I hope to one day be able to pass it on to our future daughter, the same way my mom passed her wedding band on to me.

Our Wedding

^{The Vision}

We ultimately decided to host our wedding in Italy because we wanted to keep it as intimate as possible. We envisioned a small, multi-day gathering—a time to celebrate not only our love, but also the immense love we have for the life we’ve built together, surrounded by our closest friends and family who all play such a crucial role in that. Of course, we wanted it to be an effortlessly cool yet chic affair.

^{Our Team of Vendors}

Our vendors were so amazing! It all started with Valentina from La Lindi—she and her team were very detail-oriented from the beginning, making sure to prompt us with the right questions in order to learn about our vibe as quickly as possible. We locked in our photographer, Silvia, and our florist, Maria, very soon after. Both Maria and Silvia have such a joy for life, love, and, of course, their passions. We made such genuine connections with Maria, Silvia, and Amber (our content creator) throughout the day.

A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

^{The Location}

I randomly discovered Vocabolo Moscatelli on my Explore page on Instagram shortly after we got engaged. Although we had never been to Umbria prior to the wedding, we fell in love with the location—nestled in the heart of the countryside—and the design of the hotel, strictly based on photos alone! We immediately reached out to the venue to see if they hosted weddings/events, and luckily they did!

It was such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to book out an entire boutique hotel so we could enjoy our wedding festivities with our friends and family in a private setting. Vocabolo Moscatelli served as the perfect backdrop for our wedding, with its rustic, ancient exterior and serene surroundings.

^{The Ceremony}

The ceremony took place in the heart of the venue near the fountain, with the main villa as the backdrop, partially hidden by beautiful chartreuse drapery that moved with the wind and flowed down the aisle like water. It was a bold move to go with a green backdrop instead of the classic white, but when Valentina presented that fabric to us, we fell in love! The color made both of our outfits pop and paired perfectly with the deeper hues of our color scheme.

Prior to the ceremony, we had our first look where we shared our vows privately. This is when it all began to feel real! We had a string duet playing our favorite songs for each part of the ceremony—songs that mean a lot to us and tell our story. Matt was walked down the aisle by his mom, followed shortly by his dad and Bean. I met him at the altar with my mom and dad on either side of me. It was a family affair, with Kaity, Matt’s sister, acting as our celebrant. Her speech was perfection, and Matt will now be officiating her wedding this fall!

A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

^{The Cocktail Hour}

Ahh, the cocktail hour—our first second to breathe! We curated our own three-hour playlist prior to the wedding, and the vibes were immaculate. As soon as we finished taking couple portraits post-ceremony, Tony, the mixologist at VocMos, immediately appeared out of thin air with our signature cocktails on a silver platter: a “Matteo Collins” (a play on a Tom Collins) for Matt, a dirty vodka martini with extra olives for me, and Bean even had his own signature cocktail—the Espresso Bean! During this time, we were able to walk around, socialize with our loved ones, and take a few photos while the sun began to set.

^{The Reception}

Our reception took place under a wisteria-covered pergola. Unfortunately, the wisteria had bloomed just before we arrived, but the vines were lush and green nonetheless! The tablescape was amazing. Our florist, Maria, and her team truly outdid themselves. They reused pieces from our ceremony at the ends of the table and created stunning ikebana-style arrangements for the tabletop.

I nearly cried when I saw what they had created—as a florist, I have such deep admiration for the masterpiece Maria designed. As the sun set, we enjoyed a four-course meal, and with bellies full of delicious food, we prepared to dance the night away in the chapel!

A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

^{The Special Touches}

Matt had a huge surprise for me before we cut our cake—something he had been planning for months! He put together his favorite video memories of me and serenaded me with one of his favorite country songs, She’s Everything by Brad Paisley. Each clip he used aligned with the lyrics of the song, so I know it took a ton of effort and time.

He traveled from LA to NY, NY to Milan, and all throughout Italy with a projector in his luggage, and I never had a single inkling! On top of that, he enlisted all of our wedding guests and made sure they were prepared with the lyrics on their phones so they could sing along if they wanted. It was so, so special.

A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

^{Our Favorite Moment}

Our favorite part of the entire wedding was seeing our parents enjoy themselves. We have never seen them so relaxed, peaceful, and happy. Last winter, we thought it would be a great idea to spend the holidays in Hawaii with both sets of parents so they weren’t walking into the wedding as strangers. It was the best idea we’ve ever had, and by the time we were all together in Italy, it truly already felt like we were one big, happy family.

Our parents were so comfortable with each other and kept raving about how great it is that we are all family now. We also brought our dog, Bean, with us to Hawaii on that same trip to prepare him for the impending flight to Italy. Having him with us was a non-negotiable, especially after his unexpected back surgery for IVDD just a few months prior to the wedding. He is so precious to us, and it meant the world to have him walk down the aisle and travel across the world with us.

A Bold Destination Wedding in Umbria with Chartreuse Drapery & a Surprise Movie Moment

Our Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

For our welcome dinner, I wore a vintage Roberto Cavalli silk bias-cut dress sourced from a local vintage store down the street from our house in LA. For the wedding, I wore Danielle Frankel’s Noa, a dress I found during Covid, and from then on envisioned myself wearing at my wedding years before Matt even thought of proposing. I really wanted to max out my wear of the wedding gown because realistically, you only get to wear your dress once, but I knew I would need something more comfortable to slip into after dinner. For the after-party, I wore a vintage Dolce & Gabbana mini dress, really playing into the essence of Italia.

^{The Groom Looks}

Contrary to my wife (and my ancestry), I went full Americana for my wedding looks. For our welcome dinner, I wore a Polo by Ralph Lauren double-breasted suit. For the wedding, I wanted to avoid being overly formal, considering how lax we wanted our wedding to feel, so I opted for an all-white, double-breasted suit from Ralph Lauren Purple Label, paired with casual, comfy Ralph Lauren loafers.

Our Advice

^{For the Planning Process}

You don’t realize how much time, work, and effort go into planning a wedding until you’re planning your wedding. Once we decided on having a destination wedding, we knew it would be extremely beneficial to hire a wedding planner who was local to the area and had connections with local vendors. It is so important to find a wedding planner you can trust, whose past work embodies the vibe you’re trying to curate, and who has a communication style similar to yours.

^{For On The Day}

The best advice we can give for the day of your wedding is to relax and really be present in the moment. It’s nearly impossible not to stress out—after all, it’s supposed to be one of the most important days of your lives! Although our guests would attest to the fact that we were both very level-headed and easygoing on the wedding day, we’ll admit that at certain times it felt a bit overwhelming and we found ourselves getting lost in the details and the “schedule.” By “we,” I really mean I, because Matt is always cool, calm, and collected.

^{For Post-Wedding}

After the wedding, take time for yourselves to celebrate your love and your life together privately. Since we had a destination wedding, we obviously wanted to spend as much time with our family and friends as possible—because when else are you traveling with all your favorite people? That being said, we also took the time to have a mini-moon right after the wedding to soak up the moment and reminisce on our travels and the wedding.