Italian Inspiration

A magical forest setting and an English/Italian love story were the inspiration for this amazing alfresco wedding scene. Romantic and highly detailed with a touch of whimsy, we are officially swooning! 

FLORAL NOTES from Nicole, Stem Design 

The floral theme for this shoot was all things feminine with a touch of whimsy. Delicate pinks combined with soft lemon yellows were a contrast to the earthy forest background, and the soft, full posy look worked beautifully with the chiffon fabrics – creating that romantic yet whimsical feel. 

For the bridal bouquet, I went for something quite decadent: lots of different flower varieties in similar shades of pink. For the bridesmaids bouquets, I kept to an all-white palette with a touch of silver grey. 

Hairpieces were delicate and simple, just a floral highlight to add balance to the girls’ corsages. Featured flowers on the day included soft pink roses, pink spray roses, stocks, pink parrot tulips, ranunculus, hyacinth, sweet peas, jasmine and pieris andromeda, with grey gum and green artichokes adding real contrast. 

STATIONERY NOTES from Cara, Invitation Station 

Focusing on a love story that started abroad in Italy (which we showcased in the invitation wording), we brought in a theme of love, travel and food. Invitations were concertina fold with a 3-D map heart on the front. English and Italian were used throughout and told a story, rather than the traditional line by line of an invite.  

We then created spiral-bound recipe books with ‘Nonna’s’ recipes for the bomboniere, along with small bottles of sugo, porcini rice and other Italian bottled goodies. Table names focused on specific ingredients used in Italian cooking and ‘travel love notes’ were provided for guests to write notes to the bride and groom and pop into the glass atrium. 

Mini three-fold order of service (in Italian and English) matched the concertina invitations. We used an assortment of deli goodies, and made signage for the Limoncello, sangria and food stations. Instructions on how to play the game bocce were added to a frame accompanied by balls for the game itself. 

HAIR & BEAUTY NOTES from Kim Snare

A lot of current wedding hair styling is very soft. While technically this requires styling tools and products to achieve, brides aren’t wanting a ‘done’ look. The starchy up-do style is taking a back seat at the moment. 

The lovely girls we worked with here each have long hair which has been curled and placed to show off three different red carpet-inspired styles. As the hair wears through the day it becomes even softer and falls and moves in its own way. 

Make-up is soft with a minimum of fuss. Bringing out the bone structure and the individual’s best features is still my main goal. Pretty pink lips and detailed eyes (as seen here) are currently the most popular requests from my brides. 

STYLING NOTES from Brendan & Cara, Styled Events 

The ambience was achieved with a canopy of festoon lighting complete with latte and cream rice paper lanterns. The timeless elegance of the black tiffany chair was complemented by the eclectic use of coloured and textured cushions to bring through an earthy feel, while also continuing the theme with an elegant structure. The natural architecture of the pine forest created the perfect aisle for the ceremony.

A distressed timber table and cabinet provided the perfect foundation to hold the food, travel notes and sangria drinks, while a classical soho dry bar was home for the Limoncello station. 

The billowing soft organza backdrop was the perfect contrast of softness to the magnificent pine trees, while a mix of cafe-style chairs and tables were used for small intimate gatherings of a few guests. 

The strong lines of the forest were replicated through the various-sized clear glass candlesticks and the cut glass crystal votives. Custom linen such as neutral organza and lace overlays, and tea-stained napkins all added to the textural feel of the settings and complemented the stationery. 

Concept: Invitation Station and Styled Events 

Stationery: Invitation Station.  

Styling: Styled Events. styledevents.com.au 

Photography: Marcus Bell, Studio Impressions  

Flowers: Stem Design 

Hair and Make-up: Kim Snare  

Gowns: Casar Elegance (nude gowns); BellaDonna Bridesmaids & Formal (pale pink gowns) 

Jewellery: Hollywood Style  

Models: Joanna, Bridget & Ruby / all Viviens 

QB x

P.S You can see more of this stunning inspiration in the current issue of QB which you can grab here.

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