Wedding | Savannah & Federico

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met in a Berlin nightclub in April 2014 when Federico approached Savannah and asked, “Are you okay?” For the sake of context, she was perfectly fine and simply enjoying some fresh air.

Fede is from Italy and I (Savannah) am from the US, so it was purely by chance that we crossed paths in Germany. I was studying in Sevilla at the time but traveling over Easter, and he was visiting a friend before moving to Heidelberg. We started dating while finishing our degrees and navigated years of long distance. The odds were stacked against us, and most of our family and friends harbored doubts about the longevity of our relationship (our earlier years spanned four continents, so we couldn’t really blame them). For all our differences, we are two halves of a whole. The sun is our gospel, if a croissant is involved we’re interested, and if it’s Type 2 fun we’re there.

Fede proposed in August 2023 on a sunny day in Liguria. We’re now based in Amsterdam and got married in Italy on the summer solstice.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

With Fede being from Italy, we hadn’t so much as considered getting married elsewhere. The country is a playground when it comes to aesthetics, but we wanted to choose a location that held personal meaning for us, while also being easily accessible for our guests.

Fede’s nonna has an apartment on the coast in Tuscany that has been in the family for generations. It’s a stone's throw from Lucca, so the small city is one we visit often—for those that haven’t been, it’s nothing short of charming. We did a ton of research when it came to finding the right venue, hoping to secure a property that could sleep at least half of our guests, without excessive red tape when it came to how we organized our weekend. Fattoria Mansi Bernardini was our first official viewing and had us hooked from the beginning—from the staff to the unpretentious feel and endless olive groves, it’s straight out of a dream.

How many guests did you have?

About 105. This will look different for all couples, but it felt like the perfect number for us—not too large that we couldn’t spend time with everyone, but also big enough to have a packed (sweaty) dance floor.

Very few of our guests were local, and on top of that, there was a general strike in Italy the weekend of our wedding. I’d estimate about a third had their flights or trains canceled and were left scrambling to find an alternative. Not a single person didn’t make it, and we’re endlessly grateful to all our friends and family who made such an effort to be there.

Tell us about your outfits.

I'd never really envisioned our wedding until we got engaged. True to form, I was still figuring out jewelry and hair the day of, and I'll likely upset a few people by admitting that I tried on my whole outfit for the first time 30 minutes before the ceremony.

My dress was Atelier Arielle and an impulsive pivot about 7 months out. For our afterparty, I landed on a mini from Huong Boutique—I wanted something that wouldn’t break the bank and that I’d be comfortable jumping around in (and not gutted when drinks were inevitably spilled all over it).

I initially purchased a longer lace veil, but kept circling back to vintage mantillas, namely, crochet tablecloths. I didn’t want anything that would be too heavy or distracting, and I was struggling to find a unique piece that felt right until I remembered the shawl my late grandmother made for me when I was a flower girl in my neighbor’s wedding. I’ve had it since I was 6, and it added a deeply personal touch that I later realized was lacking.

For shoes, I was drawn to color. We were in Venice for a concert when I stumbled across a pair of Jimmy Choo slingbacks that perfectly matched the greens and deep pinks I was dreaming up with our florist. It felt serendipitous (or maybe that’s just the excuse I needed). For dancing, I changed into a pair of heels from Zara.

After some back and forth, I kept my jewelry simple. I wore a pearl anklet from Bruna, borrowed my mom’s dainty gold bracelet, and found my earrings in Lucca two days before our wedding. My engagement ring was made with my great grandmother’s diamond, and we had our bands custom-made by a local jeweler in Amsterdam.

Fede wasn’t expecting to wear white, but as soon as he tried on the jacket at Suitsupply, we agreed it wasn’t even worth looking further. He surprised me by having our wedding day stitched into the collar. His pants were Boggi , and his shirt was custom-made by Camiceria Piccolo in Milan. He paired his suit with black loafers from Morjas.

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

I was very hands-on with the planning. We knew we wanted to host our welcome event in Lucca, a wedding that felt more like a Slim Aarons outdoor dinner party, and a recovery by the pool, but we also didn’t want a schedule so packed that our guests wouldn’t have time to relax or explore on their own. We brought on a partial planner for our wedding day after already having sourced most vendors, so it was really important to us that we work with someone who would honor our priorities and be comfortable collaborating with a team that we put together—we were lucky to find Cecilia of Righe e Pois, local to Lucca and a calm presence throughout our day.

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

Knowing that our wedding would likely be the only time in our lives when we could bring together most of our loved ones in a single place was the heart of our day. Having just a handful of non-negotiables, largely centered around throwing a really fun party with our favorite people, allowed us the space to focus on what mattered most.

The natural beauty of our venue was the main character. Fede’s dad and sister played the violin for our ceremony. My sister-in-law officiated. We worked with our caterer, Olio Su Tavola, to incorporate traditional dishes that we love, and had our wine supplied by a local vineyard, Fattoria Sardi, whose Pet Nat and rosé are to die for. We skipped a cake in favor of more time at the dinner table and on the dance floor, and each guest received a bottle of olive oil produced by the property itself.

We didn’t want the day to be stressful, and that meant not having rushed schedules for ourselves and our guests. We eased into the morning with fresh croissants, lounged by the pools or played tennis, enjoyed an aperitivo that lasted nearly three hours, started dinner an hour late, and stayed up dancing and swimming until almost 5 AM.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Everyone tells you it will be the best day of your life and that it goes by in the blink of an eye. We were skeptical, but they’re not exaggerating. Each moment is so precious and so fleeting.

There might be a transportation strike. The weather might change on you at the last minute, only to change back once more. Your hair may have something else in mind when it comes to dealing with humidity. If you’re not local, your dress or suit probably won’t be perfectly ironed. The neighbor could decide to fill their pool, causing the water to cut out where you’re getting ready. What can go wrong will go wrong—it’ll make for an epic story. 

Leave your phone behind. The wedding content we’re flooded with has the power to dampen your joy—don’t let it. Do what feels right for you. Have a three-hour aperitivo. Eat your dinner. Dance until your feet hurt without a care for how the pictures will turn out. Have a day that’s so uniquely you with the people that make you smile until your face hurts and the bliss will come naturally.

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

We were fortunate to work with an incredible team of vendors, but there are a few I’d like to single out.

Firstly, our venue, Fattoria Mansi Bernardini. I can’t speak highly enough of Leo, Elisa, and the whole team that keeps the place running. We hit the jackpot with this property. Read the Google reviews if you don’t believe me.

I’d also like to mention our florist, Rebel Rebel . We kept the floral arrangements relatively simple, but wanted the elements we included to be intentional, tasteful, and a touch funky. We primarily worked with Jacinta, and her commitment and attention to detail were exceptional.

And last but certainly not least, our photographer La Dolce Vita and videographer DURME. It’s a running joke in my family that as soon as a camera is turned on me, I glitch. Fede doesn’t suffer the same fate, but I generally loathe having my picture taken, and you can forget it when it comes to being filmed. That said, I love photography and had a pretty clear idea of the style I was drawn to, particularly when it came to documenting the natural, unposed moments throughout our day. What I didn’t anticipate was enjoying a single minute of being in front of the lens. We connected with many talented photographers, but something was holding us back from committing. As soon as we spoke with Ricardo of La Dolce Vita, it was clear why. We immediately clicked, and our day wouldn’t have been the same without him. He worked alongside Marta of DURME, our videographer. We were on the fence about video but I was drawn to Super8, so when I came across her portfolio I didn’t hesitate to reach out. Our guests assumed we booked them together because they worked so seamlessly as a team. It was like having two additional friends at our wedding. They’re masters of their craft and generally just wonderful people.

Photographer: La Dolce Vita @ladolcevita.ph | Planning: Righe e Pois @righeepois | Flora: Rebel Rebel Italia @rebelrebelitalia | Videographer: DURME @durme__ | Ceremony & Reception Location: Fattoria Mansi Bernardini @fattoriamansibernardini | Celebrant: Savannah’s sister-in-law | HMUA: Ayna Fisenko 

@ayna_makeupartist | Catering & Beverages: Olio Su Tavola @oliosutavola & Fattoria Sardi @fattoriasardi | Bartending: Qui Si Bevi @quisibeve | Stationery: Savannah | Ceremony Violins: Federico’s father & sister | DJ & Sax: Double Sax & DJ @doublesaxdj | Tent Hire: Bedouin Tents @bedouin.it | Lighting: Music & Light @musicandlight.events | Favours: Olive oil from Fattoria Mansi Bernardini | Dress:

Atelier Arielle @atelierarielle | Afterparty Dress: Huong Boutique @huongboutique | Getting Ready Outfit: Free People @freepeople | Suit: Suit Supply @suitsupply (Jacket), Boggi @boggimilanooffical (Pants) & (Shirt) Camiceria Piccolo @camiceriapiccolo | Veil: Savannah’s late grandmother | Engagement Ring: Savannah’s great grandmother’s diamond | Wedding Rings: Hans Dietze | Shoes: (Savannah) Jimmy Choo @jimmychoo & (Federico) Morjas @morjasshoes | Bracelet: Savannah’s mom’s | Anklet: Bruna @brunathelabel| Earrings: Pandora @theofficialpandora