Leah + Matt’s modern classic wedding in Roma

real wedding

Jan 18

Leah & matt - Villa Aurelia - By Marta D. Weddings-900.jpg

Leah & Matthew - Villa Aurelia - Rome - By Marta D. Weddings-67.jpg

Photo: Marta D Weddings

From the grand Roman interiors to Leah’s chic dress and the baroque gardens of Villa Aurelia, Leah + Matthew’s wedding captured everything you imagine when you think of a classic celebration in the Eternal City. Falling for Rome on their first visit, they chose to keep things timeless and romantic, letting the venue do most of the talking. Planned by LL-loved Rebecca Marie Weddings, the day was stylish and intentional, with personal touches and a focus on letting the setting speak for itself.

The Engagement

“Matt proposed at our son’s first birthday party. We had hired a marquee in the garden to celebrate with all our family and friends. Our son had a winter wonderland–themed party, complete with fake snow. It was magical. I loved that it happened while we were surrounded by all our family and friends.”

Why Italy?

“We were torn between Italy and Ibiza. We decided Ibiza felt a little too ‘party’ for our wedding, and we wanted something more classic and romantic. We visited Rome and fell in love. We had always wanted to get married abroad in the hope of good weather. Having all our family and friends away on holiday with us for such a big celebration is something we’ll never forget.”

Bride in Jenny Yoo drop waist dress at Italian wedding in Rome at Villa Aurelia

The Venue

“In all honesty, we saw one venue and totally fell in love. Villa Aurelia is just beautiful and immediately hit the spot for us.”

The Style

“We really wanted the wedding to feel classic and romantic. After speaking with our planner, Rebecca Marie, we chose a vintage theme, which suited everything perfectly. The venue spoke for itself, so we didn’t need many extras to make it special.”

Stand Out Moment

“Honestly, just having all our family and friends together in one place in Rome was incredibly special. We had a pre-event the night before and a recovery event the day after, so it felt like a holiday with 60 people. It was the best weekend ever!”

Special Touches

“One of our favourite parts of the day was writing individual letters to each guest, which they opened at the dinner table. It was our way of showing appreciation, and so many guests told us how much they loved it.”

Vintage wedding reception at Villa Aurelia in Rome

Stand Out Suppliers

“I would say our planner, Rebecca Marie, our DJ, Will Maden, and our photographer, Marta. Before we started planning the wedding, we knew we wanted to enjoy the process, and having Rebecca on board took all the stress out of it.

Will went above and beyond anything we could have asked for. Matt loves house music, I love afrobeats and R&B, and he blended the two seamlessly. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about him.

And finally, our photographer, Marta — the pictures speak for themselves. She made us feel completely at ease and was brilliant with direction. We were blown away when our gallery arrived; she captured everything perfectly.”

The Outfits

“I always knew I wanted two different looks on the day. I initially bought a lace dress from The Wedding Club and then, every bride’s worst nightmare… about five months before the wedding, I decided I wanted something completely different. I was so lucky to find a Jenny Yoo dress at Lauren Francis Bridal as a sample and was able to take it home the same day. I adored the drop waist — it perfectly suited the vintage, classic vibe we were going for.

For the evening, I changed into a shorter lace dress from Revolve. Matt wanted something classic, so he went with a black tuxedo. To make it a little different from his groomsmen, he added extra black buttons to his shirt while they wore plain white.”