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Castello di Montalto in all its glory. The authentic thousand-year-old medieval castle is still family owned and rich with history, surrounded by woods, farmland, and charming neighboring towns. There’s even a friendly castle dog, Ariel, who made an appearance at the end of the night, licking up the crumbs.
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Ilaria Lanini was the ideal hair and makeup artist to get me wedding-ready—she had the best sense of humor and lightened the pre-wedding mood.
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I love that my grandmother’s vintage watch made it into some photos. It was important to me to wear something to represent my family history.
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I knew if I ever got married, it would be in a field. It felt right to spend the entire wedding outdoors, surrounded by natural beauty.
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The local florist from Castelnuovo Berardenga, Chiara, did all the gorgeous floral arrangements and pieces for our wedding. This was one of the boutonnieres worn by Geordie and both of our dads.
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Before the ceremony, Geordie went for a walk out in the olive orchards on the castle grounds.
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A quick hello, pre-wedding in the olive orchards.
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We both felt so comfortable and at ease in this moment, being surrounded by family and friends. Everyone exuded happiness.
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The sun was setting, and the light was just perfect, as we walked the castle grounds. One of our favorite photos and memories.
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Before the ceremony, our photographer, Silvia, took us out amongst the olive trees, and we got to spend a quick moment together before the festivities got underway.
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The castle had many beautiful wings and walking paths. This was a secluded area in front of the original entrance to Castello di Montalto built in the 16th century.
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The fresco on the tower that was also our charming apartment where we stayed during the wedding weekend depicts Saint Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar. The tower looked out onto the entrance to the castle as well as the upstairs and main courtyards.
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I have so much love for my parents and how they embraced our outside-the-box idea to get married in Tuscany. We took some shots before the ceremony with my mom and dad on the small patio in the woods outside their apartment at the castle — what was once the old school house.
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Geord, as the guests were arriving for the ceremony.
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Chiara created the most beautiful bouquet—a mix of roses and rich oranges with eucalyptus, as an ode to Geordie’s Australian roots.
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Almost time for the ceremony! Just moments before we left my parents' apartment to walk down the aisle. The incredible Chiara, who runs the venue, piled us into the back of her SUV. I stayed hidden, while she off-roaded through the olive orchard to drop us behind some trees. It was hilarious.
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We loved that we were each walked down the aisle by both our parents. We felt so much love and so lucky to have them all there. Australians are always up for a traveling adventure. Geordie's entire family made the trip to Italy, including his amazing grandmother.
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My cousin, Julie, lead our short and sweet ceremony on the castle lawn. The backdrop was surreal! For those who could not make the big trip, we were able to stream the ceremony live.
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The sun hit just right during the ceremony. It rained lightly the night before and stormed a bit the following day, and we could not have had more gorgeous weather for our wedding day.
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We were both so at ease and present during the ceremony.
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Laughing at Julie’s excellent sense of humor. There’s nothing better than a light-hearted ceremony, incorporating traditions, while keeping things upbeat. It was important to include some of my family’s Jewish traditions like the breaking of the glass, along with a special reading by Geordie’s mum. We did not want a traditionally religious ceremony and instead wanted to emphasize love and our families.
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Pure bliss! We picked the George Harrison song “What is Life” to kick off the kiss and recession down the aisle. Geordie embraced my lifelong Beatles obsession and desire to replace traditional wedding processional music with "Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Something."
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We did it! We never thought we would have a traditional ceremony, so I think we felt some relief that it went so well and felt authentic to us.
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Our families tossed dried flowers, as we walked back down the aisle. So much fun! These were a super last-minute addition that traveled all the way from Australia with Geordie’s parents.
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Giddy and ready for the party to start. It's wonderful seeing so many of our closest family and friends in these photos and sharing these memories with them.
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We felt so much love and joy from all our nearest and dearest who made the journey to Italy to celebrate. There was a spirit of adventure.
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Kiss me, you fool!
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Another favorite of ours. Our incredible photographer, Silvia Galora, captured us walking through ancient corridors during the Aperitivo. All of our 45 guests stayed for three nights in the villas and apartments of the castle. It made the event even more intimate, as we had the entire estate to ourselves.
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The climbing vines and the train of my Grace Loves Lace dress created a romantic feel.
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Although we didn’t get married in the small church on the castle grounds, we posed for some photos in front of the stunning exterior.
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Geordie looking handsome and relaxed post ceremony.
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Bringing the drama under the vines.
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There was something so peaceful and relaxed about capturing these moments in nature outside the venue.
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My happy place, amongst the olive trees, taking it all in.
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To break up the more serious shots, Silvia asked us to dance. The spirit of fun was present throughout the night.
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Our photographer was such an artist, playing with light and capturing the Tuscan sunset upstaging our kiss.
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Flower power. I loved wearing these floral, statement earrings and adding flowers in my hair. The lace pattern on my dress, The Rosa, by Grace Loves Lace was also roses.
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Not a bad view! Walking back to the courtyard post-ceremony and sunset photos. One of the reasons I gravitated toward the Grace Loves Lace gown, aside from it being ridiculously comfortable was the gorgeous train.
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The main courtyard at Castello di Montalto was made for intimate, starry-sky gatherings…and possibly the best meal of our lives.
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Our magical table setting. We wanted something rustic and ethereal, nothing too polished, but fitting of the authentic castle location.
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We loved all the different nooks and areas around the grounds. Everywhere you looked was like a postcard.
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Geordie’s super talented sister, Tess, runs her own graphic design business in Sydney. She designed our menus, place cards, and invitations to match our florals. They were simple, elegant, and personal.
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We kept things simple with wooden tables and chairs, string lights, and a candle-lit spread for our alfresco celebration.
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Our first dance was to Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World." Geord loves '80s music, and the feel of this song just stuck with us. Not to mention, it’s the theme for one of my favorite shows ever The OA.
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We broke up the serious first dance with the oldie “The Nitty Gritty” by Shirley Ellis and got everyone dancing. We tried to cram in learning the dance moves a couple weeks before, but improvised a bit in the moment!
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My parents stole the show with their speech in the form of a song to the tune of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”—my husband’s last name.
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This photo truly captures the feeling from the night and is another one of my favorites. Our intimate dinner in the courtyard. You can spot Geordie’s sister, Tess, with our niece Dylan.
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Two cakes! We had a traditional Italian wedding cake, but because I am gluten intolerant, the caterers made a special second cake which was equally delicious!
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It’s not a Jewish wedding without the Hora!
