Wedding | Bianca & Alex

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We are both from Cranston, Rhode Island in the US and we have been together for almost 11 years. We actually went to the same middle school and high school but didn’t meet until after the fact! We just got married in October 2025 a few days shy of our 10 year anniversary which made it feel that much more special. We both work within the film industry and that is actually how we met! Alex was directing a short film in college for the film school he attended and hired me (Bianca) as the film’s makeup artist- and that was it! 11 years later we are still working together writing, producing, and directing and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Working together is more than work for us, we are teammates and partners and that carries over into our personal life. It makes us such strong life partners as well. Aside from working in film, Bianca also has a wedding makeup business here in Rhode Island. We have a 7 year old chocolate lab named Tito who is everything to us. We are BIG foodies and love trying new dinner spots for dates and new coffee shops wherever we go.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

In 2021 I got hired by a bride to fly out to Italy to do her destination wedding makeup. We decided that if I was going to travel there we might as well extend the trip after I finished working and stay in Italy a bit longer. We ended up falling absolutely in love with Italy and especially once we saw that bride’s wedding and what the Italian wedding industry had to offer. After that, we always said “when we get married, we are doing it in Italy”. I have worked in the wedding industry for over 10 years and felt that nothing compared to Italy and having a destination wedding. When comparing costs as well it was a no brainer- a multi day celebration in Italy was equivalent to the cost of one night at a venue here in New England. We knew we wanted something small and intimate as well. Given the length of time we have been together, we were the last of our friends to get married. Most of them are already having kids and starting the next chapters of their lives so we wanted this to be a celebration of our love of course, but also of our friends, our chosen family.

How many guests did you have?

36 including us!

What was your budget?

Around 50k for the entire wedding, which included staying at the villa all 4 days with room and board for each guest.

Tell us about your outfits.

The dress that I wore the morning of our wedding to get ready in is the most special thing I’ve ever worn and is one of my prized possessions now. My mom, Marie, passed away suddenly in June of 2016 so of course she wasn’t going to be able to see me get married or be there on the day physically. Alex’s mom, Sharon, wanted to do something special for me to have my mom with me on the wedding day. Sharon, who is very talented at sewing, surprised me with a handmade getting ready dress she made out of my mother’s wedding dress and pieces of her own wedding dress as well. She traced the beading pattern on my mom’s dress and hand beaded them back onto my getting ready dress, she also took the lace from her own wedding dress and placed it at the waist-line of mine to “give me a hug” the morning of. Wearing something physically on my body that was my mom’s meant so much to me. It brought me an immense sense of comfort and really did feel like a hug. It was the most thoughtful gift that I will always cherish.

When it came to my actual wedding dress I knew I wanted something a little bit unique, that I haven’t seen before. Working in the wedding industry and having worked with hundreds of brides throughout my career I felt I had seen it all. I wanted my dress to feel modern, romantic, feminine, and a bit sculptural- like a piece of wearable art. I was drawing a lot of inspiration from renaissance era references given the history of Villa Pozzolo. I stumbled upon an image online or somewhere on Pinterest of a dress made by SAINT and I remember being mesmerized by their gowns. So, I started researching boutiques near me that carried the collection. There were only a few but I ultimately purchased my Salomé gown by SAINT BRIDAL from Everthine Bride in Connecticut. I had the best experience there! I also knew that I wanted a veil, because I love the drama ha! But, I didn’t decide that I wanted a blusher until the last minute. I worked with a Boston based designer, Bremelia, to do my gown alterations and she custom made my veil. We went SUPER long to really add to the drama and romance! I paired my wedding dress with a pair of light blue Christian Louboutin ginko heels from The Real Real.

Alex also had a clear vision in mind for his tuxedo. He wanted a very classic white tuxedo jacket with a bowtie and black tuxedo pants. He typically doesn’t have the best luck with getting ready to wear suits and wanted his wedding tux to feel special. So, he decided on going custom for his tuxedo with a local suit maker, Aldo’s House of Formals. Funnily enough, when we were looking through photo albums we found out that both of his grandfathers wore a white tuxedo jacket on their wedding day as well so it felt like it was carrying on an unspoken tradition in a way! He paired the white tuxedo jacket with his grandfathers’ ruby red cuff links which matched our wedding color scheme perfectly. We incorporated red, burgundy, and wine tones!

Vintage, thrifting, and second hand shopping has always been something I love. I grew up with my parents and sister’s antique and vintage shopping every weekend so it holds a sentimental value to me. I knew I wanted to implement any thrifted or second hand pieces into our wedding day when possible! I went to New York and attended A Current Affair’s vintage expo in Brooklyn, which showcases over 70 vintage retailers from all over- which was heaven. I ended up sourcing a vintage silk Nicole Miller gown for my rehearsal dinner from a retailer called Shop Gossamer! Aside from my rehearsal dinner dress being second hand, my wedding shoes were previously owned Louboutin’s which I scored online. In lieu of a boutonniere we sourced vintage pins for Alex’s tux. I also wore a pearl choker with my second reception dress that I bought at an estate sale as a “this might come in handy someday” piece. It definitely did! When I showed my mother in law the choker, she ran to her room and showed me the earrings she wore over 30 years ago on her wedding night and they were an identical match to the choker! It was meant to be. She also hand made me an ostrich feather boa to pair with my second reception dress.

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

When planning our wedding the guest experience and not having to source/coordinate multiple vendors in a different country for ease of planning were most important to us. With it being a destination wedding, we wanted it to be an easy and unforgettable experience for all of our guests. Throughout the entire planning process we kept the most important people to us in mind, and put their best interests first. The 4 days we had at the villa to celebrate wasn’t only about us- but about all of our friends and family. It did not go unnoticed to us the time and sacrifice it takes to travel so far for a wedding, taking time from work or leaving kids at home.

Most of our friends and family were also traveling to Europe for the first time so we really wanted to make sure this was an incredible experience for them! We are also very sentimental people and were realistic that it is very rare to have every person you love in one place, under one roof, together for 4 days to celebrate with us. So we didn’t want to miss a second and wanted to spend as much time as possible with each person! We also wanted to be mindful of budget, so when planning the wedding it was important that the venue had on-site accommodations for everyone that we could absorb the cost of for our guests.

We wanted a venue that was all inclusive and handled almost everything and had their own vendors. When we started researching venues in Italy we quickly found ourselves getting overwhelmed by the thought of having to either find vendors based in Italy or coordinate bringing all US based vendors over with us. Both felt like a large task that we weren’t sure how to go about. So, when we found Villa Pozzolo on a late night doom scroll and saw that they were all-inclusive and in a stunning 10th century villa; we were sold! Villa Pozzolo handled every single thing for not only the wedding day but all 4 days of our stay. They handled all food and drinks; alcohol included, band, DJ, florals, tablescape, the wedding cake, decor, activities for us and our guests, arranging transportation and shuttles and more. The only vendors that we chose to bring in were our own photo, video, content creation and hair & makeup! We also opted to bring in our planner Carissa Corsi Events to help bring our vision to life.

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

As mentioned, we met on the set of Alex’s short film, and filmmaking and our love of cinema continues to be a major part of our lives. We wanted to incorporate elements of filmmaking wherever we could and immerse our guests in a little bit of our world. For our save the dates, we had a dear friend and incredible director Manya, shoot a short film of us set to Cento Giorni by Caternia Caselli. I created a “movie poster” that we sent out as the physical save the date card with a QR code to watch the short film. When it came time to send the invites, we handmade custom DVD cases that said “You’re Invited!” and inside where the disc would be had a faux DVD and code to watch the full length movie set to Nessuno by Mina which was also our reception entrance song to bring it full circle! We had so much fun making the short film and putting all of our love into creating the movie poster and the DVD cases together. And before we left for Italy we met with our videography team Paola and Jesse (Salt & Pine Films) and we shot another short film with them. We surprised all of our guests at the rehearsal dinner with a screening of it projected onto the wall as we ate dinner! It was so much fun to see everyone’s reactions.

When it came to decor and the tablescapes we knew we didn’t want to have florals as centerpieces. We wanted to really lean into the romantic Italian feel and what was natural to the villa and the land the property sits on. We decided to incorporate all fresh fruits & veggies for centerpieces that the villa either grows themselves or sourced right in town from local vendors in Montaione! Lots and lots of candles everywhere to light the space.

Going back to family, it was also really important to us to incorporate elements of my mom so it felt like she was there. We had a reserved seat at the ceremony with a handmade silk banner that had her name, Marie, on it. We had a tray of her favorite white roses for each guest to grab and place on her seat at the ceremony. I also carried a photo on my bouquet down the aisle. I also brought and wore her last bottle of her favorite Chanel perfume that my sister kept over the last ten years so I could smell her around me on the wedding day. Also, Alex’s brother Kyle, is neurodivergent so keeping him in mind and how we could make the experience the most accommodating for him was extremely important. Villa Pozzolo was nothing short of amazing at making sure Kyle had everything he needed and how they could best help him. Throughout the planning process, the villa’s team always had Kyle in mind with our decisions and in every conversation we had to make sure he would be taken care of. Having that type of consideration and thought process was so important to us.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Try not to get caught up or lost in what social media says is “trending” or “cool” for weddings. It’s easier said than done but, it is your wedding at the end of the day. Do whatever you both want! Don’t get sweat the small things and try to remember what is most important. It goes by so quickly whether you have one night or 4 days like we did, it is over in a flash, so take it all in. And remember that you are a team and you make decisions together so it is important to keep good communication flowing always, throughout the planning process but in the rest of your lives too.

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

To be honest, all of our vendors were incredible and have truly become friends. I can’t say enough good things about everyone we worked with and how they played such a big part in making our wedding dreams come true. So thank you to all of our vendors from the bottom of our hearts!

I do want to mention our planner Carissa (Carissa Corsi Events) and how much of a help she was along the way. At first, when we booked Villa Pozzolo, with it being an all-inclusive venue that handles everything we weren’t sure if another planner was needed or how she would fit in if I’m being honest. But, we were wrong. Having Carissa throughout the planning process to just bounce ideas off of, send inspo photos to, talk things through. Not only that, but when it came to some of the time consuming tasks that you don’t think of or feel overwhelmed with when planning a wedding; like the seating chart and packing lists for the guests and scheduling meetings with the villa. Carissa took charge and eased our stress! She came to Italy from the US to be there in person with us for all 4 days to make sure everything was going as planned. I can’t express enough how helpful it was to have someone there on the wedding day that was strictly there for you and you only. You don’t think or realize how many little things pop up on the wedding day and if we didn’t have Carissa to help and delegate tasks to I don’t know what we would have done! Having a planner that has your vision in mind and your best interest at heart and will advocate for you is so important. Having Carissa allowed us to enjoy our wedding day fully while she handled everything and made decisions knowing exactly what we wanted. We cannot thank Carissa enough!

I also want to talk about our content creator Sierra (Socials By Si). I am lucky enough to call her one of my best friends but also incredibly lucky that she is a talented wedding content creator. Content creation within the wedding industry is absolutely becoming a more known thing but I think some people still don’t realize the importance and difference of content creation vs videography. We also had an INCREDIBLE video team who we love dearly. But, having Sierra there to capture everything for us and then have that instant gratification is so different and both are necessary in our opinion. We were able to leave the villa after the 4 days and start our honeymoon for the next two weeks in Italy and look through the folder of hundreds of videos and clips Sierra captured of our wedding. We were able to instantly watch and re-live every moment and keep the feeling going for a bit longer! I can’t say enough how much I think everyone should have a content creator and video team at their wedding if you can. You won’t regret it for a second.

Lastly, my hair and makeup artist Miranda (Miranda Lynn Hair and Beauty), she went so above and beyond for our wedding. She is such a master of her craft when it comes to hair and makeup but is also just a wonderful person and energy to have around you on such an important day. As a professional wedding makeup artist myself; it was so important to me to have someone that not only resonated with me in their makeup style but also in their personality. I know what it is like to be that calming presence for your bride on their wedding day and I knew when I got engaged that Miranda was who I wanted to be that for me. Your hair and makeup artist is usually the first person you see on the morning of your wedding and you spend a lot of one on one time with them. Especially during some of the most busy and hectic minutes that lead up to walking down the aisle. They truly help set the tone for the entire day! It is so important to choose wisely for not only their skillset but also the energy they bring to the day. Miranda made my makeup dreams come true, kept me calm and relaxed when things got busy, she also helped with so many other tasks outside of hair and makeup. Thank you Miranda.

Photographer: Lauren Knuckey Photography @laurenknuckeyphotography | Planning: Carissa Corsi Events @carissacorsievents | Flora: Villa Pozzolo @villa_pozzolo | Videographer: Salt & Pine Films @saltandpinefilms | Ceremony Location: Villa Pozzolo @villa_pozzolo | Reception Location: Villa Pozzolo @villa_pozzolo | Celebrant: Family friend | HMUA: Miranda Lynn Hair and Beauty @miranda

lynn_hairandbeauty | Catering, Cake & Beverages: Villa Pozzolo @villa_pozzolo | Stationery: by the bride; place cards painted by Lemoie Creative @lemoiecreative | Content Creator: Social By Si @social.bysi | Getting Ready Dress: custom made by her mother in law from bride’s late mother’s wedding dress | Wedding Dress: SAINT BRIDAL @saintbridal from Everthine Bride @everthinbridal | Reception Dress: Mare Mare at Anthropologie @shopmaremare | Wedding Tuxedo: custom Aldo’s House of Formals @aldos_formals | Veil: Custom Bremelia @bremelia | Feather Boa: handmade by mother in law | Engagement & Wedding Rings: DeLuca Diamonds @delucadiamonds | Shoes: Christian Louboutin from The Real Real @therealreal @christianlouboutin | Cufflinks: Grooms grandfathers | Earrings: Olive and Piper @oliveandpiper | Custom Embroidered Napkins: Marissa Turcotte @marissa_turcotte