Get ready to be wowed by the fabulous Jewish wedding of Marta and Nick. We see lots of gorgeous weddings here at Smashing The Glass, but this one truly looks like it could’ve stepped out of the pages of Vogue.
It doesn’t hurt that Marta and Nick chose to wed at Villa Sola Cabiati on Lake Como – one of the world’s most stunning locales – which they picked not only for its beauty and history but also because it was a central spot for gathering their friends and family from all over the world.
With such an incredible venue, it was only natural to let the setting set the theme, and indeed Marta and Nick opted to keep their day timeless and traditional, in shades of ivory with occasional pops of blue. We’re totally and completely obsessed with their wonderful floral chuppah – don’t miss it in the exquisite editorial-style photos from Roman Ivanov.
And then there’s the dress – Marta had visions of Grace Kelly vibes, and that’s exactly what she found in the Emilia gown by Monique Lhuillier Bride. With long sleeves, a high neck, and lace all over, Marta couldn’t have looked more elegant. We’ll turn you over to her for all the rest about the big day…
How we Met
Marta, the bride: We met the old fashioned way – online.
A Wedding in Italy
From the moment we started planning our big day, we both knew we wanted it to be an intimate but beautiful affair with our closest friends and family beside us. My family (bride) is spread out all over the world,- USA, Israel, Germany, Former Soviet Union countries. To make it easier for everyone to gather, we knew we had to get married abroad. We visited Italy together a year prior to getting engaged and fell in love with its architectural and natural beauty, delicious cuisine and rich history. Naturally, it was an easy choice for our wedding.
We considered four different Villas on Lake Como, but Villa Sola Cabiati simply took our breath away. Built in 15th century it frequently hosted Napoleon, and his bed, several personal items as well as Josephine’s gowns are still kept in one of the bedrooms. We stayed at the villa throughout our one week in Tremezzo and the staff made our experience seamless and unforgettable and made us feel like royalty too. We hosted our rehearsal dinner and day after wedding farewell dinner at the Villa as well.
Timeless and Traditional
We worked with Ilaria and Zaira from I do in Lake Como and Sicily. Our venue largely dictated the theme – timeless and traditional, however, that’s how I always envisioned our wedding anyway. The color scheme was ivory with occasional pops of blue.
Our main wedding day was preceded by a rehearsal dinner at Villa Sola Cabiati with Grand Hotel Tremezzo catering and followed by a Day After pizza brunch at Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Candlelit Farewell dinner at Villa Sola Cabiati, catered by Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
Invitations / stationery
Shuler Studio created s custom crest from our first name initials and we used it throughout our wedding stationery.
A Monique Lhuillier Dress
One of the most exciting parts of planning the wedding for me was, of course, dress shopping. I had a vision of a long sleeve, high neck all lace gown, reminiscent of Grace Kelly. I wanted my dress to be timeless, yet flattering, modest, yet grand, traditional, yet fashionable. Emilia by Monique Lhuillier Bride checked all of these boxes.
I tried more than a dozen gowns prior, but as soon as I put on mine, I knew it was the one. For reception, I chose a simpler, but no less elegant dress by Solace London and paired it with a set of sheer tulle opera length gloves. Nick changed into a white dinner jacket by ESQ and a pair of black velvet Christian Louboutin loafers.
Hair + Make-up
I did my own make up, but left my hair styling to Federico Serinelly of The Studio Como. I had two looks – a sleek bun for the ceremony and dinner and an Old Hollywood wavy do for the cake cutting and dancing. Federica stayed all day with us, making sure my hair remained picture perfect throughout the celebration. She also did my mom’s and my daughter’s hair.
Accessories & Shoes
My something old was my 99-year old grandmother’s brooch that I pinned to my bridal bouquet. My something borrowed was a set of my mother’s pearl and diamond Tiffany’s earrings that I wore during the ceremony. And for something new, a pair of white satin Manolo Blahnik Hangisi heels.
Bridesmaids
I did not have bridesmaids. My 14 year old daughter, Adriana was my maid of honor. She wore a blue and red high low taffeta gown with floral pattern. Very fitting for the location.
Ceremony and Chuppah
Imagiflora Designs created the most stunning and lush floral chuppah for our ceremony as well as beautiful centerpieces for our dinner setting and my bridal bouquet. Whites mixed with occasional blues (my favorite color) dominated the color theme. Flowers weren’t the only blue element in the wedding,- there is a hidden blue sapphire nestled underneath the center diamond of my engagement ring.
Following the ceremony, Nick and I took a boat ride along the beautiful glass-like waters of Lake Como. Although our wedding was in October, we were blessed with the most perfect weather. The locals kept telling us that it is usually never this warm and sunny in late October. A true Mitzvah, no less!
Ketubah
Happy Project Shop from Etsy made our ketubah. They were so easy to work with and helped us create the wording and design that was perfect for us. It turned out absolutely beautiful and fit well into our modern interior. It is truly a work of art that we are both so proud to display in our home.
Our Music Choice
Our planner recommended a wonderful string quartet for our ceremony and cocktail hour. I chose ‘Only You’ by The Platters for my processional, while Nick walked down the aisle to ‘Fly me to the Moon’, an ode to our mutual love of travel. For our recessional we chose ‘Hevenu Shalom Aleichem’ to both, honor our heritage, and get everyone in the mood to celebrate.
Flowers
Imagiflora did our floral décor and absolutely exceeded our expectations. I had two main requests,-a lush, floral chuppah and a predominantly white color scheme with some blues incorporated throughout. They did just that, but in a way that I could have never even dreamed of. They used a wide variety of blooms, including several types of roses, orchids, blue hydrangeas and several others. I was at loss of words when I saw our dinner table centerpieces for the first time. Truly stunning!
My original choice for a bridal bouquet was a simple bunch of Lilly of the Valley stems, but due to them not being in season in October, Marina suggested Bouvardias instead and I loved the look just as much.
Photographer and videographer
One of the most important planning items for me was that we get it properly documented by a high quality photographer and videographer. I really appreciate high fashion photography and editorial style, so I took to Instagram in search of a professional that would suit my extremely picky eye. I spent hours looking through hundreds of wedding photographs until I stumbled upon Roman Ivanov’s page.
His style was precisely what we were hoping our wedding photos would look like,-crisp, elegant, timeless, editorial, Vogue-worthy. There is a reason why his work is frequently featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Tatler, Brides and now Smashing the Glass. As an added bonus he is an absolute pleasure and so much fun to work with!
I used a similar approach when selecting a videographer as well. I mean it when I say that I am extremely picky. Alberto Daria’s work speaks for itself. While we are still waiting to see our wedding videos, I have not the slightest doubt that we will be blown away in he best way.
Food and Cake
For our wedding cake, we opted for a traditional Italian mille feuille with berries and pomegranates (my favorite fruit since I was a little girl). Accompanied by champagne tower, it was a true celebration of Dolce Vita, both literally and figuratively. Class Eventi caterered a four course dinner, that incorporated local delicacies, such as black truffles, Italian cheeses, local fish and meat fillets.
Extra details
One of the most important parts of the wedding for me as a bride was to have my family with me and to have both of my parents lead me down the aisle. We encountered quite a few hiccups while planning, such as not knowing whether my Dad would get his Italian Visa on time, if my Mom’s passport will get renewed quickly enough and planning a wedding the afternoon of Simchat Torah. Thankfully we were able to resolve all of them just in time.
Rabbi Barbara Aiello flew in from Calabria to officiate our wedding and was able to get back to her congregation just in time for the celebration. Rabbi Barbara truly gave us the ceremony of our dreams. I still get teary-eyes thinking about how beautiful it was. She incorporated both Ashkenazi Jewish and ancient Italian traditions in the most organic and graceful way. It made the service exciting, moving and intimate all at once.
My 99 year old grandmother couldn’t travel to Italy due to health reasons. To honour her on my big day, I had her brooch pinned to my bouquet. Serendipitously so, it was not only a sentimental touch, but also completely tied my entire ceremony look together. Clearly, I take after my bubbie when it comes to the love of fashion!
My father gave an eloquent and heartfelt speech fully in English, despite not being a fluent English speaker. The love and affection we received from our family that day was truly remarkable and is felt to this day.
Honeymoon
We are going on a Safari in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. This has been a dream trip of ours for some time and we are so excited to finally experience it together. Since we couldn’t go on a honeymoon right away due to a rain season (Nov-late December), we did a mini moon in St. Barth’s, our favorite island.
Advice to other couples planning their wedding
Do it your way. This is the day you’ve been waiting for for so long. Remember that it’s first and foremost about you, your partner and the love you share. The rest is secondary. Enjoy it to the fullest and really soak it all in. These memories will last a lifetime.
MARTA & NICK’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography – Roman Ivanov
Videography – Alberto Daria
Wedding planner – I do in Lake Como and Sicily
Venue – Villa Sola Cabiati
Bride’s dress – Monique Lhuillier Bride
Bride’s reception dress – Solace London
Bride’s shoes – Manolo Blahnik
Hair – The Studio Como
Flowers – Imagiflora
DJ – TM Records
Catering – Class Eventi
Ketubah – Happy Project Shop
Stationery/Invitation – Shuler Studio
Rabbi – Rabbi Barbara Aiello
Smash The Glass Pouch – Smashing The Glass Etsy Shop {or join Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club and get one for free!}
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