Tell us a little about yourselves!
Lilian is German but grew up in Northern Italy, Alexis is Canadian, from Toronto. We met in Toronto in 2016, two months before Lilian left Canada to study in Denmark. We didn’t expect things to happen this way, but we couldn’t stop talking to each other, so a two year long distance relationship with many in-between visits followed. During this time we also started our YouTube channel Alexis + Lilian as a joint project while we were apart, on which we documented our long distance relationship, shared advice, and ended up having a bit of a following that was rooting for us. We moved to Berlin together in 2018 and lived our dream of finally having a shared home and life, and in September 2022, after having lived in three different countries and having traveled all around the globe - including a proposal on the Lofoten Islands in Norway - we finally tied the knot in Tuscany in the presence of only our closest family and friends.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
We chose Italy because Tuscany is the perfect destination wedding location - it’s gorgeous, peaceful, slow paced, has great food and wine, and has so many beautiful authentic Tuscan villas, including our venue Villa il Noceto, that could host our wedding ceremony and reception, while also accommodating our wedding guests overnight. Italy also feels like home to Lilian and her speaking Italian made the whole planning process a lot easier. Also - it doesn’t take much convincing to get your guests to travel to Italy!
How many guests did you have?
35.
What was your budget?
18.000 €
Tell us about your outfits.
Alexis chose an off-white dress from Kamperett. She didn’t want a classic wedding dress cut and chose a cut that would feel more authentic to herself. She chose Kamperett because it is a women-owned brand that focuses on sustainability and ethically sourced materials.
Choosing a black dress felt natural to Lilian, as she wears mostly black in her day-to-day life and it felt like the right aesthetic choice to compliment Alexis’ white dress and adding some contrast to the mix.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Making it an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. We knew this would likely be the only time we would have our friends from all over the globe united in one place, so we chose a venue where we could enjoy the post-wedding buzz with our closest friends in a relaxed setting. We hosted a pizza dinner the night prior to the wedding so all guests could get acquainted before the big day already.
We also had a specific vision of a low-key, yet elegant wedding, that we knew we could make happen on a smaller budget. The venue we chose was actually an AirBnB rental, and the decorations, florals etc. were all arranged by Alexis (she used dried floral arrangements and antique finds she collected over the year) with help from our friends. Having only essential vendors involved made it all feel more laid-back and personal. Italy is also a very conservative and religious country that unfortunately isn’t very progressive yet when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, so we had to make sure each vendor was queer positive and wouldn’t bring any unpleasant feelings into the planning process or worse, on the big day. Each of our vendors had done LGBTQ+ weddings before and made it clear they weren’t only comfortable, but also excited to have been chosen for a same-sex wedding.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We wanted our wedding to be not just a celebration of our love, but also an appreciation for our close friends who we chose to spend this special time with, so making them feel that love was important to us - we wrote a letter to each of our guests that they discovered at their spot before dinner. It was a very special moment to see everyone quiet down and getting emotional while reading the words we chose to share with them. Another fun little aspect we chose to incorporate was the “midnight pasta” - a pasta station that served fresh “aglio e olio” pasta at midnight, when guests where getting hungry again after dancing. It was a big hit!
Music is also a big part of our lives and we chose a DJ (DJ Koel Wilder) that had a good understanding of our more alternative taste - which isn’t easy to find in Italy! We walked down the aisle to Aphex Twin - Avril 14th and our first dance was to The Doors - Indian Summer.
Another aspect of significance was Alexis’ wedding ring, which was given to her by her late grandmother, but customised into a more contemporary design.
Any tips for couples getting married?
This is your day, your celebration. Don’t let yourself feel pressured into doing something that doesn’t feel right. There are so many rules and conventions around weddings, don’t be afraid to bend those and do something different.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We chose Brjánn and Ryanne of 3B Photography as our photographers because we’d done photoshoots together before and we’ve since become friends, so they made having our pictures taken feel effortless and were able to capture the day in their unique style, using both film and digital, without being intrusive.
Our wedding video by Karma Wedding Video, including our personal vows, can be seen here.
Photographer : Brjánn and Ryanne of 3B Photography @3bphotography @ryannehollies | Videographer : Karma Wedding Video @ikarma_wedding_video | Ceremony + Reception Location : Villa il Noceto, Montalcinello | Celebrant : Two @tuscan_wedding_officiant | Entertainment : DJ Koel Wilder @koel_wilder | Catering, Cake + Beverages : I Vecchi Amici | Alexis' Dress : Kamperett @kamperett | Lilian's Dress : Bridalgarden Studio | Engagement Rings : Solitude the Label + Patina | Wedding Rings : Heirloom
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