Real Wedding | Rachel + Chuck

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We live in London UK, and met each other here in 2015. We got married in September 2023 after getting engaged during the Christmas festive period of 2021.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Chuck has family and friends all over the world while most of mine were in the UK. Because of this we didn’t feel like there was an obvious place to have the wedding and that most guests were going to have to travel long distances no matter where we held it. This led us to thinking about how do we turn this travel into a holiday for our guests and where we do love to holiday. The answer was Italy! We also knew we wanted the location to be near or in a city so that it would be as convenient as possible after a long haul flight. I had never been to Venice before but a number of our friends had been and said how magical it was, it felt like a really special place to hold a special occasion. One of our guests even got engaged here a number of years ago so we knew it already had a special connection and memories to our friends. Once we saw the Aman specifically we knew it was the perfect place for us.

How many guests did you have?

We had 27 guests – 29 including us. We knew from the very beginning we wanted a small intimate wedding with only our immediate friends and family.

Tell us about your outfits.

I chose a fully embellished dress from Chosen by Kyha which I found at the Ellie Sanderson Boutique near Oxford UK. I knew from the very beginning that I didn’t want to be a very traditional bride. I wanted something that felt like a beautiful evening dress that I would wear to a special dinner or evening event. I also wanted something that could easily be repurposed after the event into a more wearable special occasion dress. Other than that I wasn’t sure what shape, designer or fabric I wanted. The team at Ellie Sanderson were amazing, they showed me lots of different options and encouraged me to try a whole variety of styles. The dress I eventually chose was hanging on display and had been catching my eye throughout the entire appointment, one of the team encouraged me to try it on even though it felt way too glamorous for me. As soon as I tried it on I knew it was the one and paid the deposit the same day. The rest of my accessories were borrowed jewellery pieces from my mother in law and best friend which was a lovely way to feel connected to them on the day.

Chuck wore a Tagliatore  tuxedo which he had bought a few years prior but had never actually worn. It was a very deep midnight blue which was the perfect colour for the setting. It was the perfect outfit so it felt silly to buy another brand new tuxedo. It was also nice that it was an Italian brand for our Italian wedding.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We wanted the day to feel like a really intimate dinner party so getting the right venue to create that atmosphere and the food and drink were very important. The Aman was great because we had private access to the entire top floor which had a number of smaller rooms we could use throughout the day. It felt like we had our own private apartment overlooking the grand canal which created the intimate dinner party vibe we wanted. The Aman also has incredible food and an extensive wine list so it was perfect! We were able to incorporate lots of local wine and in season produce to our menu which helped make the dinner feel more authentic to Venice. 

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We wanted to have an informal gathering the day before the wedding with our guests, we knew a lot of them would have been sightseeing and exploring throughout the day so thought it would be a good idea to have a simple late afternoon aperitif where people could come and go as they please. In Venice there are lots of Cicchetti bars serving small snacks and spritz. We chose a Cicchetti bar opposite a beautiful gondola repair workshop on a small side canal which was the perfect informal way of relaxing and catching up with friends before the wedding day. Ultimately, we just wanted the whole weekend to feel really relaxing for our guests and not be too regimented to timelines with a hundred different events to show up for. I think we got the balance!

Any tips for couples getting married?

Try to block out as much of the noise as you can. Everyone is going to have an opinion on your choices but ultimately it is about you and your partner creating a day that is special for you. Also don’t feel like you have to do something because it is what you see in a lot of other weddings, doing it your way might even make it more special and memorable for you and your guests! 

Also pay for as much as you can in advance, it is surprising how many small additional expenses crop up as you get closer to the day. If you already have a lot of the bigger items fully paid for it can help to make those last minute additions feel less stressful to budget for!

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Valeria D’Angelo, our photographer, was absolutely amazing. Where possible we wanted to choose local vendors and it was just perfect that we loved Valerias unique style and that she was local to Venice. Not only did she capture the day in the most beautiful way she also helped me with a lot of local knowledge and other vendor recommendations. She also arranged our water taxi for the photos we did around Venice which was above and beyond what we could have expected from her. Nothing was too much, and we can’t thank her enough for all that she did for our wedding. 

Giuliana from The Aman was also excellent. I didn’t have a wedding planner as I was organising it all myself, Giuliana was our event manager at The Aman and she really helped go the extra mile on the smaller things that a wedding planner would have traditionally picked up which really helped me, given I was trying to organise everything from London!

Photographer: Valeria D’Angelo @valeriadangeloph | Ceremony + Reception Location: The Aman Venice  @aman_venice | Entertainment: Beautiful Day Band @beautifuldayliveband | Flora: Munaretto Flowers @munarettoflowers | Makeup: Roberta Marchiori @roberta_marchiori_mua | Hair: Luigi Marchiori Luigi Marchiori @luigimarchiori | Catering + Beverages: Aman Venice @aman_venice

Wedding Dress: Chosen by Kyha @chosenbykyha from Ellie Sanderson Boutique @elliesandersonbridal | Grooms Suit: Tagliatore @tagliatoreofficial | Engagement Ring: Bespoke from a local jeweller | Wedding Rings: Smith & Green Jewellers @smithgreenjewellers 

Brides Heels: Emmy London @emmylondonofficial | Grooms Shoes: Doucal’s @doucals