With a shared appreciation for vintage romance, beautifully considered design and roses, Alexandra + Charles brought their vision to life at Villa Rizzardi, an historic estate in Verona where elegance feels second nature. They met on the first and only dating app either of them had tried, with her in Melbourne and him in Dubai, and after a near-miss first meeting that rerouted to London, a year of long distance led Alexandra to move to Dubai to be with him. For their wedding, they chose a setting that mirrored their love of romance: manicured gardens, a sweeping tree-lined gallery and layers of thoughtful detail. The result? Romantic but precise, cinematic but never overdone, it was vintage elegance executed with total clarity.

Love Story

“We met on a dating app, Raya. We both swore we would never be on the apps but both had friends convince us to join. Within a matter of weeks, we matched. We met in person for the first time in London. I had a work trip and Charlie flew to meet me and we have been together since. We managed long distance for a year before I made the move to Dubai after getting engaged.”

The Engagement

“Charlie proposed in Lapland in Finland just a few days before Christmas. It was so magical. We had discussed it as a bucket list place for me and Charlie had been as a child and wanted to go back. We decided to plan a trip there for a few days to get into the Christmas spirit before heading to the UK to spend it with his family. Little did I know he had planned the most special proposal and had then arranged for my family to be waiting for us in the UK afterward.”

Why Italy?

“We knew being from opposite sides of the world, no place would be convenient for everyone and had accepted early on that it was unlikely we would be able to get everyone in the one place. I looked at a few venues in Australia but felt like I'd seen them all before, we then looked in the UK and almost signed a contract there but got cold feet due to the risk of weather. We had a holiday planned to Italy for my birthday so we decided to just look at a couple while we were there and explore what it could look like. You can't beat Italy for food, atmosphere and weather in summer so it felt like a safer bet. We did end up doing our legal ceremony in Australia a couple of months before so friends and family who couldnt make the trip were still able to be part of it in some way.”

The Venue

“I found a photo on Pinterest of the amphitheater at the venue and fell in love with how unique and magical it felt. It was the first venue we looked at in Italy and we just knew it was the one and cancelled our other appointments. Villa Rizzardi is such a unique venue as it is home to famous Italian gardens and has so many unique spaces within the property so every wedding hosted there can feel so different. We wanted to make sure that our guests who were travelling such a long way, felt wowed by the experience and as soon as we walked into the amphitheatre, we knew it was it. We had both never seen anything like it. The space we chose for our dinner under the trees truly felt like a dream. We also fell in love with Verona city centre. It feels like such an underrated city in Italy and none of our guests had been before but all agreed they would be coming back. It feels like a little hidden gem and it felt special taking our guests to a new destination for an incredible experience.”

The Planning

“We only locked everything in, 10 months in advance. This felt quite stressful as it was a destination wedding and a long way for our guests to travel. I had a very clear vision of every element of the day and have run countless events before with my background in marketing. I had a comprehensive deck prepared that I shared with the events team who manage Villa Rizzardi and we made a couple of trips there ahead of the wedding to find accommodation, do food tasting and styling. I also searched for a lot of Australian vendors who head over to do European summer weddings. I chose an Australian photographer, videographer, content creator, florist and stylist to help bring my vision to life which gave me a sense of confidence as there is a very distinctive aesthetic with Australian weddings that I wanted to capture at a beautiful Italian venue. It was so helpful having a local events team too to work through logistics and overall coordination.”

The Style

“I wanted to respect the beauty of the venue and not overwhelm the space. Every styling choice was very intentional and considered. I gravitated to a timeless, romantic, vintage feel and leant into different textures throughout with a primarily ivory and white colour palette. I did a lot of research and took inspiration from weddings of the past. My dress was taffeta which has a vintage feel, our cake was inspired by Jackie Kennedys and our scalloped draping felt really complimentary to the space.”

Special Touches

“One of the most meaningful elements was the focus on roses. Charlie has only ever given me roses since the day we met and, during our long distance year, I received many. After we got engaged, he even had a rose tattooed on his arm to mark the moment, so we always knew roses would play an important role in the celebration. They were woven throughout the day, from my bouquet and the ceremony florals to the table draping and tablescape, creating beautiful, personal touches everywhere.”

Authenticity

“Every guest told us the wedding felt completely true to who we are, which was the greatest compliment we could have received. From the timeless styling choices to the thoughtfully curated guest experience and the attention to every small detail, everyone who knows us well recognised that it genuinely reflected us as a couple.”

Best Money Spent

“The florals and overall styling were incredibly important to us, along with capturing beautiful content. At the end of the day, your photos and videos are what you’re left with, so we were very intentional about choosing creative partners who truly aligned with our aesthetic. Styling is also where you can completely transform a space and express your personality as a couple, so I had so much fun collaborating with our floral stylist, Evie, who helped bring my mood boards to life in the most beautiful way.”

Stand Out Moment

“Dinner under the tree lined galley felt surreal. With all the formalities and photos complete, we were finally able to relax and just look around and take it all in. The food and drink were incredible and we had flown in a beautiful singer Ellie from the UK to sing at cocktail hour and during dinner which really set a beautiful atmosphere. It felt like an intimate dinner party which is exactly the feeling we hoped for.”

The Looks

“Our wedding dress code was black tie, and I wore a classic taffeta ballgown with a cat eye neckline and drop waist corset by Sen Studio. The gown felt grand and timeless, which worked beautifully with the venue. I chose a lace trimmed veil to add softness and romance, and wore it with a blusher for a more traditional bridal feel. My second dress was designed with Aston Bridal. I always knew I wanted a full length second look rather than a mini, and I wanted to incorporate roses with a subtle vintage influence. We took inspiration from historical corsetry, with exposed boning and rosette detailing along the neckline.”

Advice For Couples

“Create mood boards. I found it so helpful to collect imagery from lots of different weddings and then really analyse what I was drawn to in each one, which helped me refine and narrow my overall vision. It also made working with suppliers much more efficient, because I was able to communicate my ideas clearly and provide very considered briefs from the beginning.

Also try to choose suppliers whose aesthetic already aligns with yours. I found it incredibly easy to confirm our content team because I genuinely loved their work beforehand, which gave me so much confidence that they would bring our vision to life. On the day, I was able to completely trust them and let them do what they do best, knowing how talented they are.”

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Alexandra + Charles’ vintage-inspired Verona wedding

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Alexandra + Charles’ vintage-inspired Verona wedding

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