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A Romantic Wedding Amidst the Rolling Hills of Umbria

A Romantic Wedding Amidst the Rolling Hills of Umbria

Flickering candles, rustic florals and bespoke bridal between the walls of an ancient abbey in the Italian countryside

A Romantic Celebration Amidst the Rolling Hills of Umbria

Charlotte and Jay's wedding was nothing short of magical – an intimate celebration with family and friends in the breathtaking Italian countryside. Nestled in the serene beauty of Umbria, their venue, the historic Abbazia San Pietro in Valle, provided an extraordinary backdrop. The couple exchanged vows on a lawn overlooking the valley, where the rolling hills and natural splendor spoke for themselves. To add a personal touch to the day, Charlotte brought a bit of Californian charm to Italy with palm leaves and elegant candles adorning the tables, creating a romantic and intimate atmosphere. The bride looked stunning in a bespoke silk drop waist gown, expertly crafted to exude chic sophistication. Welcome to Charlotte and Jay's extraordinary day – a celebration as stunning as the love it honors.

A Romantic Celebration Amidst the Rolling Hills of Umbria

Our Love Story

^{The Day We Met}

Jay and I met through my cousin Ramsey. We met at one of our favorite bars in East London called Pamela’s, and we just really hit it off and became quite close as friends. When I moved to London, he helped me settle in the UK, along with helping me get my UK citizenship. I remember he went off on a date with someone, and that's when I got jealous and realized I had feelings for him. We instantly moved in once I told him, and then COVID hit.

^{The Proposal}

After my 30th birthday, we went away to the West Country and got a cute little shepherd's hut that looked over the valley near Bath. I had no idea this was coming. We went into the city and did some exploring, and I did notice he was acting strange. He never takes pictures. All of a sudden, he wanted to take photos everywhere we went—loads of selfies, and he even asked people to take photos of us. I thought all of that was just weird. Anyways, I was quite sick from my birthday as it was so cold that day and I had an awful cough. We got to our shepherd's hut, and he asked me to come back outside while the sun was setting. I kept saying no as I was freezing, but he insisted. When I got outside, that's when he was down on his knees and proposed.

^{The Engagement Ring}

We would occasionally talk about what kind of ring I would want if I ever got married, and I’m not a big jewelry person or very flashy. To be honest, I wanted something super simple, like a band or something super delicate with a tiny diamond on it. When I saw my ring, it was so beautiful and delicate. Very subtle but with a few tiny diamonds along the side and a marquise diamond in the middle. He did good!

Our Wedding

^{The Vision}

We wanted something not too big and not too flashy but that was beautiful and very "us," celebrating such a special moment with our family and friends. I wanted to bring a little bit of my California vibe into it, as that's where I grew up, so that's why we had the palm leaves involved. Also, I’m obsessed with candles, so I wanted to try and use them as the main decorations on the table. Also, we’re country kind of people (even though I was brought up in the city), and the venue scenery just captured what we really wanted. The area is so beautiful—there’s a lot of nature involved, and it just really called out to us. We love Umbria, the region, too. We didn’t have to do much as the venue and scenery spoke for itself. We wanted that to shine most importantly and have it speak for itself.

^{Our Team of Vendors}

We hired Roberta from Alfresco’s Wedding, who was our wedding planner. She was incredible, let me tell you. We felt so at ease with the whole process because of her. I honestly think I was never stressed out because she was just so on top of it. Thank you, Roberta! And Leandro Flowers, who brought it to life, and Light N Sound, who got the music and lights going! Also, Maria Cristina from Alloro Catering—the food and drinks were divine!

^{The Location}

Abbazia San Pietro in Valle in Italy. It is the perfect place to get married.

A Romantic Celebration Amidst the Rolling Hills of Umbria

^{The Ceremony}

The ceremony took place outside of the monastery on the grassy area with views of the valley. Our close friend Edward Hartly was our celebrant, followed by Arthur Forbes as the Master of Ceremony.

My mom is Batak from Indonesia, and she also married us in a traditional Batak way by putting what we call an “Ulos” around us to celebrate and bless our love. That was very special to me, as I remembered my Opung doing that at her wedding.

^{The Reception}

After the wedding, we had aperitifs in the garden followed by some music and speeches. Jay and I ran off with Carlos from NousNous, who took photos of us, and we were so happy to have him because I’ve been following his work for a while, so I’m thrilled! We then went to one of the rooms of the Abbazia to check in on our 3-month-old daughter and do an outfit change for the evening.

^{The Special Touches}

The special touches were the little palm plants we had, the ribbons with everyone’s names embroidered on them, and the band The Balimaya Project! We love their music, and we were so thrilled they could be a part of our wedding. Also, our close friend Myles, who's an incredible DJ, DJed our wedding and brought all the best vibes that night! It all made it that much more special.

^{Our Favorite Moment}

Our favorite moment was probably the speeches, the band, and the dancing. Also, we had that one break before dinner where we went to one of the rooms and spent a quick moment with our daughter, Rio.

Our Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

Before I got pregnant, I had a very simple dress in mind, but that changed after I found out I was pregnant, as I didn’t know how my body would look after having a baby 12 weeks before the wedding. My best friend, Oscar (Olima Studio), who’s a designer and who designed my dress, had a few ideas. So, we collaborated on what we loved and felt was best and ended up with a corset top and a petticoat bottom half. We went fabric shopping together to buy the silk for the dress in Los Angeles, and he made the corset himself! He also designed my prom dress 15 years ago, so this was really special to me. His grandmother, who I call Abuelita too, helped him sew it all together, and his assistant and friend (Taylor & Joe) helped him. Also, we would FaceTime every week to get the exact measurements up until 6 weeks before the wedding to set the corset. It fit so perfectly.

We decided on shoes and jewelry after we finalized the dress and went with vintage Manolo Blahniks for the ceremony and Jil Sander sandals for the party. We love Alexis Bittar, so we chose their Pansy Petite Earrings as they’re delicate and beautiful for the ceremony look and a pair of their Solamales Crystal Double Drop earrings. For the party dress, I wanted a simple slip dress and something slightly sparkly, so we found a fabric that is a little translucent and sparkly in the light.

Oscar also helped me with ideas for hair and makeup, and we had a last-minute hair change. As a model, I always have my hair slicked back, and I wanted something different. So, we went for this 1920s, almost Gatsby-inspired hair look tied back. The makeup was very minimal but added a pop around the eyes, and it just all came together. I really appreciate everyone’s hard work. They did such an incredible job!

^{The Groom Looks}

He actually asked me what I would like, and I told him an all-black look would be nice on him. So, we went to Suit Supply and got a suit custom-made. I wanted his shirt to also be a little relaxed, so it was unbuttoned at the top to pair with a nice black suit. He was groomed by Mikey Caputo, who is my Maid of Honour’s fiancé, and Jessica also did some makeup/skincare on his face as he got ready. He looked very good.

^{Our Groomsmen’s & Bridesmaid’s Looks}

I wanted a brown-orange color to contrast with the green background of the valley. So, we got these open, relaxed, but almost sophisticated shirts, as I didn’t want it to be too formal. Also, it was very hot. I also wanted my bridesmaids to wear brown-orange tones to match the groomsmen and because I thought it looked pretty with the colors of the monastery. A Romantic Celebration Amidst the Rolling Hills of Umbria

Our Advice

^{For The Planning Process}

Our advice for the planning process is to get yourself a really good wedding planner, especially if it’s a wedding abroad. One that’s great at communicating with all vendors and meeting your needs as well. We felt that because of this, we didn’t really stress at all.

^{For On The Day}

Make sure you take some time to be with your close ones on the day of your wedding while getting ready and to have the in-between breaks with your partner. Also, try and let go—I know it’s easier said than done. I was really trying to be in the moment because it goes by so fast!

^{For Post-Wedding}

We didn’t have a honeymoon due to having a newborn, but I think it’s important to definitely keep that wedding energy going because you definitely get the wedding blues! We were so busy afterward that it was hard to talk about it until later on.