Wedding | Kirsten & Jake

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

We met online — Jake was working a contract job in Hawaii while I was living in NC. After months of FaceTiming, I decided to fly to Hawaii to meet him in person for the first time. I ended up extending my stay because we just didn’t want our time together to end. 

After I got back to NC, Jake moved back to Portland, OR where he was from. A few weeks later, I flew out to see him, and on that trip we decided I was going to move to Portland and move in with him (this was literally only the second time we had seen each other in person!). 

We’ve been together ever since, and now we’re expecting twins via surrogate next month! Our souls definitely recognized each other the moment we met, and it’s been history from there.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

We wanted a mix of lakefront villa vibes in Italy with a little Italian Catholic inspo, which is why we chose Villa Pizzo for our ceremony and then a wedding blessing at the Chiesa Anglicana dell’Ascensione. 

From the start, we knew we wanted it to just be us. There’s something so peaceful and romantic about saying your vows with no one else around—just focusing on each other. That said, we didn’t miss out on celebrating with family and friends! The week before, we had our legal ceremony and a small celebration in Charleston, SC, so we really got the best of both worlds.

Lake Como was honestly the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, and it was the perfect backdrop for our elopement. It couldn’t have been more “us”.

Tell us about your outfits. 

I knew I wanted to wear Floure Studio because their designs are so unique and definitely my vibe. I absolutely loved the Lyn—which is the dress I ended up wearing. It was everything I wanted: dramatic yet classic. I also knew from the start that I wanted a long, dramatic veil with a blusher to really bring the look together.

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

For it to feel entirely like us.

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Have fun with the planning! It can become very overwhelming but grounding yourself back to why this is all happening helps.

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

All our vendors, including our photographer Georgia Grace Photography, were amazing and I would use them over and over again.

Photographer: Georgia Grace Photography @georgiagraceephotography | Flora: Ekaterina Malofeeva @fiorigraphia | Ceremony Location: Villa Pizzo @villapizzo | Celebrant: La Bottega Della Musica Event Factory @bdm.weddings | HMUA: Oriana Curti @weddingbyjob | Church: Chiesa Anglicana dell’Ascensione @church_on_lake_como | Dress: Floure Studio @flourestudio | Veil: 

Alexandra Grecco @alexandragrecco