I’m obsessed with Roman history, especially from a biblical perspective, so to come up with Italian wedding inspiration my style is very ancient Roman. I love the traditions of Italy & all of their architecture. Having your wedding in the Italian countryside at a vineyard or olive farm would be a dream, but you could also recreate it in your own area by looking for things that have that same look! Old ruins for the photos, having your ceremony & reception at a local wine vineyard, or even a really old church with a traditional Italian look inside. Here’s some inspiration for your Italian themed wedding!
Antique Italian busts decorated outside can give a very authentic Italian look to your wedding. You could even bring your own to the venue if they’ll allow it.
I love the moody ochre tones in Italian architecture. They used what they had at hand to build their houses & castles as well as the handmade earth pigments they used as paint. Yellows, dark oranges, peaches, & greens are beautiful Italian colors. Creating floral arrangements in antique urns make the floral so much more elegant.
Look for a wedding venue in your area that has lots of beautiful old stone or vaulted ceilings. You could decorate the area with antiques to create the whole Italian look!
Antique lace wedding dresses & veils add such a beautiful old world look!
Antique stamps, wax seal, monograms with your future last initial, rustic twine, handmade papers, & calligraphy are all very old Italian.
I hope this gives you some inspiration for your Italian themed wedding. You can also follow me on Pinterest for more ideas!
One of my favorite places in the world is France. Everything about old world medieval France is so beautiful; the stone, chateaus, topiary, lavender fields, bastides, paintings, antiques, etc. In my imagination I live in Europe somewhere in a medieval era stone castle with a mote, lots of huge topiary bushes, & farm animals everywhere, but in actuality I live in the city trying to create beauty in my own house & yard. ;) I love scouring Pinterest for inspiration & designing beautiful wedding boards. I thought it’d be fun to show some inspiration for a French country wedding that you could easily create yourself with some imagination.
Find a location that has lots of stone, overgrown ivy, evergreen bushes, & a pebble terrace. You could even create that look yourself by bringing in plants & urns if the venue will let you. The most beautiful colors to photograph are natural greens so having lots of those elements around creates such amazing backdrops for photos.
Foraged floral is so organic & timeless. If you’re not the type to go forage greenery & flowers just ask the florist you hire if they’d be able to add in some urns filled with branches & wild flowers that are in season. Adding in antiques you love into the ceremony & reception is what makes the whole scene come together.
I’m obsessed with this antique lace veil so much! You don’t have to spend tons of money on your dress, shoes, or veil. You could look at thrift/antique stores, used online, or even re-purpose a family heirloom wedding dress. I’ve found some beautiful antique tulle embroidered tablecloths before, at a thrift store, that could easily double as a veil (no one will ever know ;).
If you can’t find a venue that looks like an ancient French chateau you could always take your wedding photos at a location nearby that looks like one! I’ve found so many beautiful stone houses, out in the country, that look like French houses. I always scout locations for photos before weddings & look for places that look like they’ve been there forever with overgrown greenery, topiary bushes, stone, & streams. Maybe someone with a farmhouse that has that look you love would let you host your wedding there - you never know if you don’t ask!
French people love to display fruit & vegetables in their kitchens all over the counters. Sit baskets around the reception tables with beautiful organic looking “bouquets” of fruit for display as well as eating. Heavy linen tablecloths laid out imperfectly look very old world as well. I hope this gives you some inspiration for your French style wedding! Be sure to check out my Pinterest “weddings” album to see more ideas.
Italian wedding inspiration next…
Lavender is my favorite scent besides lilacs! This was truly a breathtaking site to see since lavender doesn’t typically grow in Wisconsin climates. It looked like we were in France! Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin is such a beautiful island to visit. We took a ferry with our car on it to get there which was so much fun! Door County is one of my favorite places to spend the summer. Fragrant Isle is a lavender farm, shop, & bakery with pick your own bundles of lavender right in the fields. I can’t wait to go back there again!