04 MAR REAL WEDDING: TAYLOR & JAMES

NON-TRADITIONAL ITALIAN WEDDING

Real weddings are so inspiring! To get you in the mood to plan—and party!—we asked real brides to spill the details on everything from getting engaged to finding their wedding dresses to the special touches and surprising moments that made their celebrations completely one-of-a-kind. Read on for Taylor and James’ non-traditional Italian wedding in Umbria, Italy.

HOW DID YOU TWO MEET?

We met online! I’m a flight attendant, he’s a Yacht Captain, so I’m not sure that we would have ever crossed paths otherwise.

YOU HAD A DRESS DISASTER 2 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING – TELL US ALL ABOUT IT!

I never really thought I was going to get married, so I never really considered what I’d look like. I spent months trying on dresses. Eventually, I honed in on what I wanted. A fit and flare, long sleeve, lace overlay, not-quite-white dress, with a massive overskirt for the ceremony. I couldn’t find what I wanted so I paid a company to custom make my wedding dress. That’s all they do- custom-made wedding dresses, what could go wrong? I have experience with sewing and patterns so I even sent in a drawing with a two-page explanation about EXACTLY what I wanted. I was so excited. Eight months later I get my dress and it was a mess. It literally wasn’t even salvageable. I cried. A lot.

LUCKILY YOUR STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING. HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD FOUND THE ONE?

It was 100% kismet. I saw the Galina Signature dress online that I thought was cute. When I tried it on, I realized it was an almost identical lace to the one I had chosen for my original dress. It also looked similar to what I wanted my dress to look like for the ceremony! I didn’t get all the unique details I wanted, but the dress was to die for. For the emotional part, I didn’t want to take it off. I loved wearing it and felt gorgeous.