If you're planning a destination wedding then get ready to feast your eyes on a festival of fun. Real wedding couple Faye and Paolo tied the knot in Italy in a colourful summer wedding which oozed joy and love. They chose the epically stylish Villa Tombolina near Montemaggiore al Metauro in the Marche region as their venue which provided a stunning backdrop to their long weekend celebration which felt like one big holiday. From their outdoor ceremony that had a disco edge to the fiercely fabulous floral mix and match bridesmaid dresses, their incredibly romantic candlelit reception and their sunset-soaked wedding photos, you'll want to book flights immediately. Glowing bride Faye looked sensational in not one but two gorgeous wedding dresses and they kept the good times flowing with an epic pool party and BBQ the next day. Emma-Jane Lewis was behind the lens to capture the dreaminess of their destination wedding in Italy in all its sun-soaked splendour.
So let's get to know our newlyweds from the UK. Faye is from Beverley in Yorkshire and Paolo is from Epsom in Surrey. Paolo's family is Italian and his grandparents are from the Amalfi Coast. Their paths first crossed while Faye was in university in Epsom. "My friend was dating his friend, and we met up with them and a few people in a pub one night. He was with his ex-girlfriend at the time so we only chatted a bit and that was that."
"Until five years later, when out of the blue he messaged me on Facebook, saying he remembered I was lovely then and imagined nothing much had changed, and that he’d like to ask me out if I was available. I said yes, and although it took a couple of dates for me to fancy him (and a push from my parents!) we eventually fell deeply in love and have now been together for almost 10 years. Our decade together is the same year as our one-year wedding anniversary." Today they live in Crystal Palace in London.
There are loads of romantic ways to propose at Christmas and we love how Paolo presented Faye with her sparkler. "He wrapped the engagement ring in a Christmas gift, and put it in my stocking. On Christmas Eve, we gave each other one gift to open from the stocking. My gift to him was a joke - a Santa man-thong! His was the engagement ring, which he filmed me opening so as soon as that happened I could guess what it was."
Finding the most magical venue was the top priority for their wedding. They knew they wanted to get married in northern Italy but they weren't sure where. "We didn’t have a huge budget, but enough for a small villa and we fell in love with Villa Tombolina as soon as we saw it. It was the only venue where we could have our entire wedding guest list stay, and it was important to us to have everyone together so we could spend the whole weekend with them, rather than flying them all out just for the day."
The villa overlooks the entire Metauro Valley, stretching from Urbino to Fano, so the views astound. There are two ancient villas which have been refurbished and boast authentic interiors with a rustic charm. There is a private chapel, a olive grove, a vineyard and a park boasting manicured grounds and vibrant flower beds. With an outdoor pool offering hydromassage and a tennis court and all sorts of great activities from horse riding to truffle hunting, it can cater to every aspect of a destination wedding from the 'I dos' to your day two.
43 of their loved one jetted in to celebrate with them and the party firmly kicked off the day before. "It felt like a holiday, and we made sure we had events either side of the wedding so the whole weekend would feel like it was one big event. We had a pizza truck and bar staff the day before."
The chose a relaxed and fun vibe for their wedding on June 16, 2023, with a bright and colourful aesthetic with summer vibes. "We had a lot of disco balls, really colourful florals, my bridesmaids dresses included, the men were all in suave linen suits and everyone was in cocktail dresses. It wasn't too formal, not too casual either."
Her bridesmaids looked absolutely radiant as they walked down the aisle, their floral dresses glowing in the soft sunlight. "The theme was floral, in the colours of my bouquet. It was harder choosing them than you’d think, as the prints all had to work together and be of a similar sized print."
Faye was a romantic vision in her off-the-shoulder fit and flare wedding dress which had a sweetheart neckline, whimsical semi-sheer puff sleeves with floral accents and a flowing skirt. She styled her bridal look with metallic heels and pearl drop earrings.
Opting for a half-up half-down hair look with a beautiful braid, she did her makeup herself and looked flawless. Faye admits she was very nervous about saying her vows and speeches on the day. "My bridesmaids gave me two shots of tequila which we all did together before we walked down the aisle, which gave me some Dutch courage!"
They said their 'I dos' in front of a colourful ceremony backdrop comprising of sheets of sheer fabric in shades of soft blue, peach, yellow, and cream which just added to the cool factor of the occasion. "We always wanted the ceremony outside. We were worried the whole week before as the forecast was rain and thunder and lightening!" They needn't have fretted because the sun shone gloriously.
"I’ve always liked a lot of colour. I saved a lot of pictures on Pinterest and made a wedding mood board to get the theme just right." Saying their vows was a very special moment and Faye highlights that they had a lot of their wedding guests reaching for their tissues.
Can we hear a round of applause for their uber-cool bridesmaids and groomsmen? Sublime summer styling all round.
We also love how they incorporated the disco balls into their wedding photos too - just too cool!
"The grounds were stunning, so picturesque and full of greenery and a warm summer breeze," says Faye reflecting on why the rustic Italian villa was 'the one' for them.
The couple adore soul music so as guests were invited to chill in the sun at the drinks reception they were treated to a soundtrack of cool tunes by the wedding band.
Faye designed all the stationery herself, she sent the files to her planners who got them all printed in Rome before they boarded their train to the villa. She opted for pink signage with funky cursive fonts and the place names incorporated cocktail symbols.
The reception was held outside by the villa and the tables were dressed with white tablecloths and dotted with taper candles in pastel shades with vases holding mini bouquets of bright blooms. There were tiny disco balls too, of course.
When it comes to wedding planning advice, Faye says that it's important to accept that things will go wrong. "It’s an event and as much as you can plan it to death, there will be things that come up or human errors made that you can’t avoid. Don’t let it ruin your day, just flow with it and enjoy all of the festivities you’ve meticulously planned with your loved ones and just remember to have fun."
"It made the weekend so special being able to spend more time with all of our favourite people. We specifically said no to children as we wanted to ensure all our guests had a good time together, could drink and not have responsibilities."
Faye was "a bit of a nervous wreck" worrying about having to do her speech at the reception but she managed to hide it. "When it came to my speech I sailed through it, people were laughing (because they can’t not, right) and so I had nothing to worry about!"
"It was all the men that struggled and got emotional. I was glad when it was over though," she adds.
The wedding party toasted to the couple's happily ever after in delectable style with a selection of cocktails on offer.
Later, they snuck away for sunset wedding photos and the results are utterly magical. Faye stunned with a second bridal ensemble at the reception as she changed into an embellished white mini dress which she matched with sheer opera gloves with twinkling diamante details.
The world really is your oyster when it comes to wedding favours, you could opt for charitable favours, green-fingered wedding favours and there are many budget-friendly favours just to think of a few. Foodies would have no doubt been thrilled as the couple gave bottles of extra virgin olive oil made right at the estate.
As their first dance as husband and wife they chose Love Come Down by Evelyn "Champagne" King. The weather played ball for (nearly) the whole wedding day. "Luckily it managed to bypass us, and the only time it rained was at 1am it suddenly threw it down so all the guests still up grabbed everything and ran inside. It made it quite an exciting and dramatic end to the day with lightening in the background."
For their day two bash they had a BBQ and bar and a pool party. While a chef served up the meat Faye and her mum, her two aunties, her mother in law and Paolo’s Nonna rustled up all the side salad dishes which were a huge hit.
We have a month by month honeymoon calendar to get you inspired and the couple visited Mexico on theirs, travelling to Mexico City and Tulum.
They had an excitement-packed trip from visiting Myan ruins to watching a Lucha Libre show, visiting Frida Kahlo's house and swimming through mangroves and a cenote.
A massive congratulations and thank you Faye and Paolo for sharing your incredible wedding with One Fab Day and to Emma-Jane Lewis for the sensational photos. You can see even more images in the gallery below.
Want to jet off for your wedding? Check out our extensive archive of Destination Real Weddings and follow One Fab Day on Instagram for even more inspiration.
