Daniela & Marco

September 1, 2018 — Daniela & Marco

Elegant Italian wedding in the Aegean sea

It's not easy to have a bride who has a clear vision of her wedding, from the color palette to the overall style of the event. It's even more difficult to be on the same page for the design of arrangements and the flower selection, as well as for the kind of decorations or the layout of stationery. Working with Daniela was a real pleasure for Pietro Siffi: everything was discussed in the smallest details and she always demonstrated to let the designer free to create a unique décor, entrusting his creativity and his experience.

Daniela and Marco are a couple from Rome: sometimes what in Italy may look normal - even for a luxury event - in Greece is quite complicate to achieve. And even more hard in an island of the Aegean sea. But the final result was impressive, an it was emphasized by the gorgeous pictures by Vangelis Photography, one of the most reputated wedding photographers working in Santorini.

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An elegant combination of classic and modern, in which the delicate tones of white and blue of flower arrangements are perfectly combined with the golden reflections of the decorations.

The event started with a rehearsal dinner in a traditional village in Imerovigli, Agios Artemios, still preserving the original structure of this historical setting of the 15th century. The old caves, which used to be rooms for the pilgrims, a winery and stables have been restored and converted to attractive apartments. The combination of the well preserved church and the white walls of the vaulted rooms in its courtyard create a peaceful meditative monastic feel and the serene atmosphere is an oasis of relaxation.

Marco and Daniela offered their guests a Greek party, to let them enter the carefree and festive atmosphere of the event. Traditional musicians and dancers have involved the couple and friends, allowing them to be the protagonists of a typical Greek party in the light of torches. The sound of bouzouki and baglamadaki (ancient local instruments), as well as the traditional costumes of the dancers, were a perfect start to their stay in Santorini.

Both the bride and the groom did not want to give up, however, a very elegant event where you could feel the attention to detail characteristic of Italian couples. «It is always a pleasure - says Pietro Siffi - to be part of an Italian wedding abroad. Especially when the style of our country blends perfectly with the beauty of the Aegean landscape, bringing Italy and Greece together in the great Mediterranean soul».

And the breathtaking beauty of Daniela - which could easily be one of the models that we see on the catwalks of fashion events in Milan - seemed made for the two sumptuous dresses of Rosa Clarà and Valentino, accompanied by handmade jewelry made by Anthea Gioielli and shoes by Jimmy Choo. Makeup and hair-styling by Stefano Bongarzone, a famous professional from Rome, completed the bride's look with a commendable result.

Groom's attire, of course, was an example of the elegance that distinguishes an Italian gentleman: Marco asked Antonio Spalma - a skilled tailor from Caserta who realizes unique creations, completely hand-made, according to the great Italian tradition - to create a blue suit in cool wool with sartorial finishes, silk lining and mother-of-pearl buttons, accompanied by a shirt in double-twisted yarn with embroidered monograms and a beautiful silk tie with polka dot pattern.

Designer accessories, like anchor-shaped cufflinks, and a beautiful Dalvey pocket watch. Another typical touch of Italian taste was the ring with lapis lazuli by Calabritto 28. Shoes and belt were made by Il Gergo; this family atelier from Morrovalle (close to Macerata, in southern Italy), has the the merit of having launched in 2015 the first School of Handmade Shoes, a training project for young people who wants to learn an art which is disappearing, because of mass production imposed by the multinationals.

«Our company - says Pietro Siffi - is honored to offer a complete service to its customers, with particular attention to the enhancement of the professional skills that still survive thanks to the passion for their work and the commitment of every day. For this reason, we recommend our customers to prefer the quality provided by our partners, in order to have something unique, tailored, which at the same time demonstrates the excellence of small family businesses». It must be admitted that choosing a suit or accessory that responds to your taste is certainly preferable to buying something that everyone can have and that, for this reason, must necessarily be anonymous and impersonal.

The ceremony

Let’s talk now about the decoration of the event. The concept was an elegant combination of classic and modern, in which the delicate tones of white and blue of flower arrangements were perfectly combined with the golden reflections of the decorations.

For the ceremony, our partner Fabio Zardi designed a long festoon for the gazebo, accompanied by two floral arrangements to keep the curtains open and four arrangements on pedestal in gilded vase. These floral arrangements were made of hydrangeas, Patience garden roses, White Lady tros roses, Avalanche roses, Akito roses and delphinium Ballkleid. Prism lanterns with gold profiles of different models completed the ceremony setting, along with a crystal chandelier for the ceiling of the gazebo. At the entrance to the venue we placed a gold-leaf frame with a welcome sign, made with a bespoke layout.

Daniela brought from Italy nice paper bags, decorated of a light blue lace pattern and a silk ribbon, for the welcome gifts for the guests. The Management of Le Ciel provided lace sun umbrellas, to allow ladies to have a bit of shade in the hot afternoon of early September.

The wedding table and guest tables were decorated of gilded candelabra with rich spherical floral arrangements on the top and large flower wreaths underneath. Also in this case our partner Fabio Zardi chose the same selection of flowers from the ceremony, characterized by the combination of hydrangeas, roses and delphinium. Table setting was enriched with elegant crystal glasses with gold rim, charger plates with gold rim, and gilded cutlery, elegantly arranged on écru linen tablecloths and white tabò overlays with hemstitching. Table names and placeholders were in gold, while the menus were handwritten by an Italian calligrapher. The seating chart was made on a mirror, with a rich frame of flowers in the same selection of the overall decoration.

The seating chart was made on a mirror, with a rich frame of flowers in the same selection of the overall decoration.

For the sweet table Pietro Siffi designed a very modern decoration, made of small crystal boxes for sugared almonds, charger plates for biscuits and cupcakes, and gilded prisms. Two cones of macaroons - that in Italy are more romantically called «baci di dama» («lady kisses») - completed the table, taking up the geometric pattern of the decoration.

Last but not least, we made two huge flower letters, M and D, the initials of the couple, Marco and Daniela. They were completely done of white hydrangeas and garden roses, for a total height of 170 cm.

«Fake flowers betray the authentic meaning of the wedding...»

Of course, all our flowers were real, delivered to Santorini by flight from the Dutch market just a couple of days before the wedding. «We don't provide artificial flower - says Pietro - not only because they look clearly fake, but mainly because we don't think that they are appropriate for a wedding, since they should symbolize the true love between a man and a woman: inaugurating a marriage with something fake is certainly not a good omen. Fake flowers betray the authentic meaning of the wedding».

Thanks to the staff of Le Ciel, especially to Mara, Themis and Alexandros, for the extremely professional service, the hospitality and the high quality of the menu. And of course to Vangelis Belzenitsis, who took these wonderful photos.

Credits

Photo: Vangelis Photography
Video: Wedvisions Studio
Design, decoration & florals: Fabio Zardi
Music, violin: Anastasia Miliori
Music, harp: Evangelia Kiosoglou
Rehearsal venue: Agios Arthemios
Ceremony and reception venue: Le Ciel Santorini

Credits

First dress of the Bride: Rosa Clarà
Second dress of the Bride: Valentino
Shoes of the Bride: Jimmy Choo
Jewels: Anthea Gioielli, Naples
Make-up and hair-styling: Stefano Bongarzone
Groom's attire: Antonio Spalma, Caserta
Groom's ring: Calabritto 28, Naples
Groom's shoes & belt: Il Gergo