How They Met
We met on Veggly, a vegan dating app, at a time when it was my last-ditch effort at dating. Ale was my first match. It was lockdown, so we met in a park. We were both freezing and there were no shops open, but we decided to keep seeing each other, and we just never stopped.
The Proposal
It was the day after Christmas in Caorle, a charming seaside village in Italy that Ale used to visit with his family as a child. The sun was setting beautifully, and he asked me to step up onto one of the rocks by the sea to film it. As I turned towards him, he popped the question, in front of his family, who caught the whole thing on video.
Their Wedding Vision
Something intimate and meaningful to us as a couple, non-traditional, and with time outdoors.
Finding the Dress at London Bride
I had already ordered about three wedding dresses online and was unhappy with all of them, so I decided not to buy a dress until I had actually tried them on. I was looking for sale dresses, and London Bride had a few dates open for its sale. It was only the second shop I'd been to, and I had another appointment booked for the next day, so I didn't expect to buy anything. But when I tried on 'the dress', I absolutely loved how it looked on me. It was a tiered wedding dress, very affordable in the sale, and the price was going back up the next day, so I decided this was the one. I paid for it there and then and cancelled my other appointment.
The Moment She Knew
I loved that it was a combination of elegant and simple, but also whimsical and playful. The bodice was very simple, with no beads or sparkle, which isn't me, and a small, bold V at the front that showed a little skin but not too much. The skirt was what made me fall in love: waterfall tiers of asymmetrical layers that made it dramatic and extra beautiful.
The Wedding Day
It was magical. The days leading up to it were very stressful, but when the day came, all the stress was worth it.
We had only 16 guests at our ceremony in the Hall of Mirrors at Palazzo Sturm, and each of them contributed something to make the day a success. A violinist played, and as I walked in, everyone stood and clapped. I was moved to tears because it was finally happening after months of planning. Our officiant was my husband's godmother, who watched him grow up. She spoke in Italian, and my husband's cousin translated into English. Our wedding rings travelled round every guest on a golden string to be blessed before they came to us, one of the Italian and Philippine traditions we mixed with a few new ones of our own.
After the ceremony we danced to the violin, and I performed songs I had written for my husband. Our guests walked to the oldest grapperia in Italy, overlooking the Brenta river by Palladio's Ponte Vecchio, for mezzo e mezzo, the traditional aperitivo of the area. Then we had a simple but elegant vegan lunch at a local restaurant, with confetti made from flowers from my London garden, a game, cake cutting and gift bags for our guests.
We ended the day on Ponte della Vittoria, a bridge over Lago del Corlo, reading each other letters about the things we love about each other. That gave us the time outdoors we really wanted.
Advice for Future Brides
Try them on! I don't recommend buying anything without trying it on first. Have a vision of what you want, but trying on different dresses will really help you work out what you like and don't like. It was only from trying them on that I realised I don't like sparkly dresses or beads, and preferred a cleaner look with a statement skirt, which is exactly what I got.
