Meet Rebecca and Russell
Mark Raffan from Valentina Weddings had a feast of wedding celebrations in store for him in the Spring of 2013… yet another fabulous trip back to Sorrento for a glorious yellow & coral inspired wedding in Italy. Listed among the Italian National Monuments, the Villa Fondi is an 18th century example of regional villas, situated atop dramatic cliff with breathtaking view of the bay. Secular trees shade the wide and beautiful garden. The colours of this wedding, surrounding countryside and this stunning coastline are just outstanding.
He was also honoured to photograph their fabulously styled Wedding Reception at Crow Hill in West Yorkshire, with their travels as a perfect theme for this Blessing and Reception. Take a close look at Rebecca’s Wedding Dress and Coat courtesy of Pronovias and Alan Hannah… truly beautiful and perfect for both weddings both Home and Abroad.
Rebecca kindly agreed to be interviewed and here’s what she had to say… congratulations from The Wedding Affair by the way, we do hope you’ve had a fabulous life together so far and had two trips back to Italy for your anniversaries! We’re very jealous, the scenery is just breathtaking and we love the way you’ve captured your travels together so perfectly… thanks for sharing!
Bride & Groom: Rebecca Leah & Russell Humphreys
Wedding Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Wedding Ceremony Venue/Church: Villa Fondi, Piano Di Sorrento, Italy
Wedding Reception Venue: Castore, Sorrento, Italy & Crow Hill, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Tell us a little bit about how you both met and how long you’ve been together. What made you fall in love?:-
We had known each other for many years as friends until we became a couple, and have now been together for 5 years.
How was the inevitable question popped, where and who by:-
Russell organised a surprise trip to Rome as I had always dreamed of going there. We went out for a lovely dinner and took an evening stroll to do some sightseeing.
He had planned to propose at the Trevi Fountain but it was so busy! Instead he popped the question on our balcony overlooking the moonlit city, timing it to the same time as we had our first kiss. It was beautiful!
What excited you about getting married and the planning process, what was the first thing you booked?:-
We were both very excited about getting married abroad and set out to get lots of destination wedding brochures.
After much thought we decided that it seemed fitting for us to exchange vows in Italy, because of its beautiful architecture and breathtaking scenery, and our special Rome engagement, so firstly we booked our wedding package, hotel and flights!
How did you plan your wedding, what parts of the wedding were more important to you and why:-
Although we wanted to have a destination wedding, having a Church blessing was important to us so we decided to have an intimate Italian wedding with a few guests and have a blessing and reception when we returned home, which meant planning two wedding days! and took almost two years in the making.
Firstly we planned a budget for each day and what we wanted to incorporate and I began researching wedding venues and suppliers and making bookings. Although there was a language barrier I loved the planning and researching all of the pretty places and Italian traditions.
Photography was very important to us within our planning to capture all of the special places and moments in both Italy and the UK and our photographer Mark of Valentina Weddings did not disappoint! He was amazing and captured all of the shots that we wanted and created a wonderful album as a keepsake.
I enjoyed planning our wedding so much that I have now studied a Diploma in Wedding Planning, Styling and Design and I am now starting my own wedding planning business.
Tell our readers about your wedding venue, where is it and why you chose it?
We chose Castore as it was nestled up in the hills of Sorrento and offered the most breathtaking views and gardens, and the food was spectacular!
For our UK reception we chose Crow Hill, a beautiful country house because of its unique setting and tranquil Marsden moor surroundings. The exclusive two day use of the estate meant that we could relax with our guests before the big day. Images shown at the end of this blog…
Can you tell us about your Day, did you have a theme and what made it so special?
Our wedding ceremony was held at Villa Fondi in Sorrento, an 18th century villa overlooking the bay. It beautiful gardens were a perfect setting for photographs. I wanted our guests to enjoy the stunning scenery and see some of the stunning sights that the coast has to offer, so after the ceremony I organised transport to take us all along the Amalfi Coast to take in the views and make a few stops in Amalfi and Ravello for some wonderful photo opportunities (and gelato!). Afterwards we enjoyed a lovely wedding reception at Castore, where we all enjoyed apertif on the terrace looking down on the bay whilst listening to traditional guitar and mandolin players. We then dined in a room with panoramic views and watched as the sun set over the island of Capri. It was magical.
For our UK blessing we planned a traditional wedding day, which was held Saddleworth Church where my step-grandfather, the vicar of the church, performed the ceremony. Afterwards we had our wedding reception at Crow Hill where we was served a delicious wedding breakfast in the house and later we had our evening reception in the marquee. We wanted to have a lot of D.I.Y features to personalise our day and I enjoyed making our invitations, decor and embellished bouquets! As we did not have a wedding cake in Italy we chose a three tier bespoke cake from Choccywoccydoodah, filled with roses and cherubs in fitting with our theme.
Our theme was “Rome, Roses and Romance” with a Pastel peach, gold, and champagne colour theme. Tables were named after special landmarks in the city and decorated with candelabra centrepieces filled with cream roses and pearls. We also incorporated renaissance elements to represent the art and sculpture we visited in Rome.
Where did you get your wedding dress and why did you choose that designer or style? Tell us more about the bridesmaids, groom and usher outfits and what brought them all together?
With getting married abroad I wanted a light and airy dress in an A line style. I must have tried on over 50 dresses! however I fell in love with the “Jenny” gown by YOU by Pronovias when i tried it on and knew it was the one. I wanted an Italian look so I paired it with the “Victoria” coat by Alan Hannah, a layered lace coat covered in sequins and crystals that shimmered in the sunlight. To complete the look I chose a cathedral veil with an embellished lace scalloped edge, jewellery by Alan Hannah and a tiara from Sweetheart Vintage.
Russell looked so dashing in his silver morning suit! with its stylish jacquard waistcoat and pastel peach cravat.
Our bridesmaids wore delicate chiffon dresses in a pastel peach and our groomsmen wore charcoal morning suits with cream and gold waistcoats and pastel peach cravats, which tied in our theme colours beautifully.
If you had the chance to do it all again and you could change one thing, what would it be and why?:-
We had the most perfect day(s!)…filled of lots of happy memories that we will treasure forever. We would not change a thing!
If you were to give other Brides and Grooms three top tips, what would they be and why?
1. Stick to your budget! Wedding costs can spiral easily so create a spreadsheet to help you keep on top of things.
2. Get lots of inspiration from websites, blogs and magazines and keep a scrapbook of all of your wedding ideas and notes. It is also a lovely keepsake to look back at afterwards.
3. Savor and enjoy every moment of your special day because it goes so quickly!
Can you please list the suppliers you chose to help you plan your Big Day?:-
Italian Wedding Reception Venue: Castore – www.castoreventi.com
Photographer: Mark Raffan – Valentina Weddings -www.valentinaweddings.co.uk
Wedding Dress: Wedding World – www.weddingworldshropshire.co.uk
Accessories: Sweetheart Vintage – www.sweetheartvintage.co.uk
Alan Hannah – www.alanhannah.co.uk
Groom and Groomsmen Suits: Martin David – www.martin-david.co.uk
Cake: Choccywoccydoodah: www.choccywoccydoodah.com
UK Wedding Reception: Crow Hill – www.crowhillcottages.co.uk
Videography: Lancashire Wedding Video – www.lancashireweddingvideo.co.uk
Transportation: High Style Wedding Cars – www.highstylecars.co.uk
We wish Rebecca and Russel all the love in the World and thank you for sharing your Wedding Day with our Readers. Congratulations again from The Wedding Affair team…
Stunning images Mark, what a treat!
VALENTINA WEDDINGS
Lifestyle & Destination Wedding Photography
www.valentinaweddings.co.uk
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Real Wedding: Italian & West Yorkshire Celebrations...