Italian Island Elopement Inspiration

Today’s styled shoot is nothing short of belissimo! We have completely fallen for the poetic love story Monica Leggio captures on the small Italian island of Ponza. The deep affection these lovebirds have for one another is made prevalent in the urgency, warmth and personal elements of their elopement. Rosenvoile and La Rosa Canina brought the story to life, incorporating details like antique lace, magnificent curved garlands and an intimate tablescape overlooking tight clusters of homes resting along the Mediterranean Sea. The reception was nothing short of a dream, and we are simply enamored by the twinkle lights, dripping candles and authentic Italian feast. Cin Cin!

From the photographer, Monica Leggio: Ponza has always been kind of a second home to me, so it was quite natural for me as a wedding photographer to start thinking about a way to share my love for its beautiful colors and sceneries, its deep and enchanting silence, its simple and genuine people. The heart of its uniqueness as an island lies essentially in its authenticity, and that’s what inspired us most during the creative process that led us to the final concept. Looking at Italian literature, we draw a lot of our inspiration in terms of settings and moods from Elsa Morante’s “L’isola di Arturo”, while iconic movies as “Il postino” and “Baaria” were basically our starting point when coming to tell Maria and Silverio’s story.

What we wanted to do – and every single professional involved couldn’t work better in this sense – was telling a simple and authentic Italian love story, one of those stories our mothers and even our grandmothers could have told us, whispering them with sparkling eyes full of memories. That’s why we chose to build the whole story around the so called “fuitina” – literally “little elopement” – a practice that used to be common in southern Italy, where young passionate lovers used to elope in order to get married against the wishes of their families, forcing them to accept their love and union. Starting from this point, we tried to keep our work consistent with this simple, authentic, Mediterranean mood. The beautiful dresses designed by Anna Fucà and Otto Marchesi, the subtle and gentle hair and makeup choices made by Fulvia Tellone, the simple perfection of the floral arrangements designed by Tommaso Torrini of La Rosa Canina Firenze, the delicate tones of the watercolor stationery hand painted by Jenny and Graziano of Shhh My Darling: each member of the team gave its best and perfectly conceived and realized every single aspect of the project.