Wedding | Peta & Michael

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We've been together for 5 years!

Michael is the Creative Director and part-owner of Gelato Messina. Peta is an Executive Officer in Public Policy, and a wedding singer/guitarist on the side.

We live in Enmore, NSW and have two teenage (in cat years) rescue cats, Maeve and Evie, who love each other possibly more than they love us.

We come from big families. Peta's parents are both 1 of 7 siblings who had children... who then had children, and Michael comes from a blended family with 5 half-siblings, stepparents, and stepsiblings.

We seriously considered eloping out of fear that our wedding would be a circus, but we opted for an intimate destination wedding instead.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

As a wedding musician, Peta has played most venues in NSW many times. It was important to us that the location feel completely removed from work. In equal measure, we wanted our guests to feel transported to a romantic, otherworldly atmosphere where they could unplug from work too!

Our first overseas trip together was to Rome in 2023, and when we visualised our wedding, we saw it there. We were taken aback by how the city balances traditional and modern elements in its architecture, art and lifestyle. We liked that tension. Villa Aurelia is so classically Roman, and the surrounding gardens are a breath of fresh air amid bustling, urban Rome.

How many guests did you have?

50 guests, half family and half friends.

What was your budget?

150,000 AUD.

Tell us about your outfits.

For the ceremony and dinner, I wore 'Before Sunrise', a raw silk ivory gown and veil by Australian designer Mia Atelier (based in Melbourne). I tried on so many dresses and felt a bit like I was wearing a costume. I ended up picking this dress because it made me feel like myself (just an elevated version).

I wore the dress with satin mules by Jimmy Choo. My jewellery was a custom-made sapphire bracelet lent to me by my mother. The bracelet was a gift from my dad when I was born, making it my something borrowed and something blue.

For the reception, I swapped her veil for mesh opera gloves by Magda Butrym. For the cake cutting and after-party, I wore the Nile dress by KYHA and metallic silver heels by SENSO.

Michael wore a custom suit by Australian tailor, P Johnson, with vintage lapel pins and a chain brooch.

Michael: I never saw myself as a tie guy on my wedding day. I wanted something timeless and structured with a bit of flair still. The lapel pins are traditionally worn on a shirt collar (Country Western style), but I felt like they looked cooler on my jacket, along with the chain brooch by Latelita. I also wore chunky loafers by Grenson.

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

On a personal note, it was important to us that our relationship was the north star throughout the planning process. It's so easy to get swept up in the day of the wedding only for the marriage to become an afterthought, and the logistics really can be overwhelming. We committed to refocusing on each other and our 'why' in periods of high stress, always trying to have as much fun with the planning as possible without gripping too tightly to perfection. The day is not a carbon copy of your imagination - luckily, in our case, it was even better!

With the wedding itself, our priorities were the venue and the catering. The venue did a lot of the heavy lifting visually, and we actually felt like less was more when it came to styling.

We are big foodies and wanted everyone to be well-fed and have plenty to drink! The aesthetics don't matter if everyone is starving. Our caterers delivered in true Italian style with a cheese station, cured meat station, bread station, fried food and roaming canapes, 3x course dinner, cake, and unlimited wine and cocktails.

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

Styling and theme: We wanted our wedding to honour our perception of Rome. We tried to balance the tension between hard and soft, modern and traditional. For the ceremony, we opted for romantic red roses as a statement, offset by soft pink and white roses and green foliage. We had dramatic ivory draping over a sharp lateral structure and flowing down the aisle. Peta's dress and Michael's suit were both quite structured, modern takes on classic styles.

For aperitif, lace was the star, incorporated in our table draping and smaller details, like lace covers on the cocktails.

For the reception, we had single-stem roses in red and bordeaux, silver charger plates under soft white bowls. The dining room is dripping in gorgeous gold features, so we felt the minimal but intentional styling grounded us in the space.

Personal sentiments: It was an intimate wedding by design, and we wanted to celebrate our community as much as they celebrated us.

We didn't have a bridal party, so Michael's mother walked him down the aisle, followed by Peta's brother and mum, and finally Peta and her dad. Peta's best friend, Carley, is a writer, so she read an original poem at the ceremony. Michael's childhood best friends, Josh and Brandon, were our ring bearers. Our long-time friend Jess makes her own clothes and textiles, so she made us cute little 'reserved' signs for the ceremony seats with soft lace edges. Michael designed our wedding invitations and menus.

Our friends and family have played an active role in our love story, so it was lovely to weave their unique contributions into our wedding day.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Peta: Prioritise your mental health. There's more pressure than ever to look 'perfect' and have a 'perfect' wedding, and that can really create a dissonance. Perfection is sterile, and your partner is marrying you because they love you for you. Your guests are showing up with open hearts, ready to enjoy themselves. Invest in therapy or other forms of self-care if you're a perfectionist like me, so that you can show up to your relationship and the planning process in a meaningful and authentic way.

Michael: Everybody told us the day would go fast, and I can confirm it was the quickest day of our lives. Our wedding would have needed to last 3+ months to even compete with the time we spent envisioning and planning. Build moments into your runsheet where you and your partner can step away, take a breath and reflect. It slows time down when you carve out private, intentional breaks.

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

All our vendors were fantastic, with particular thanks to Marilena Zambelli and her team for managing the complex logistics of a destination wedding and executing the styling. Drawing on the expertise of local Italians who really know the industry and location was the best choice we made from a stress, pricing and product perspective. Marilena was our trusted advisor and had the talent and resources to actualise our vision.

Massive props to Robert Marcillas, our photographer. This was such an important element for us because the photos are what you're left with when the wedding is over. We loved how Robert and his team interpreted and captured our day. Robert also has incredible energy — he'll do what it takes to get the shot, and he does it with ease and confidence, while making you feel completely comfortable in the process.

Photographer: Robert Marcillas @robertmarcillas | Planning & Styling: Marilena Zambelli Wedding @marilenazambelli_wedding | Flora: Monfleur It @monfleur.it | Videographer: Love Stories Content @lovestoriescontent_ | Ceremony & Reception Location: Villa Aurelia @villaaureliagianicolo | Celebrant: Francesca Resciniti @dreamingfra | Rentals: Tonino Banqueting @ristorante_tonino_cortona | HMUA: Irina Kostenko @weddingmuah_ | Catering, Cake & Beverages: Tonino Banqueting @ristorante_tonino_cortona | Stationery: DIY (Groom) | DJ: Paolo Fabbri (DJ) @paolofabbrimusic | Audio & Lighting: Linar Eventi @linar_eventi | Dresses: Mia Atelier Bridal @miaateliers; Chosen by KYHA @kyhabride | Suit: P Johnson @pjohnsonworld | Veil: Mia Atelier Bridal @miaateliers | Opera Gloves: Magda Butrym @magdabutrym | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Lindelli @lindelli | Shoes: Jimmy Choo @jimmychoo; SENSO @senso | Saphire Bracelet: Custom, a gift to Peta's mum in the 90s | Earrings: Jennifer Behr @jenniferbehr