J E N N I F E R & J U R I
Jennifer of Jennifer Michael Events has organised countless weddings in her career as a wedding planner, she has been the rock for many couples and the driving force behind spectacular wedding events, but when the wedding planner becomes the bride you can be sure it’s going to be no ordinary wedding.
Jennifer flew to Italy where she tied the knot with Italian chef, Juri, later celebrating in a beautiful castle on picturesque Lake Como. They were joined by their close family and friends who enjoyed a three week holiday with the couple in the lead up to their wedding.
F R O M T H E B R I D E…
The Meeting…
After years of being a single career girl, I had almost given up hope of finding ‘the one’. And then I met Juri an Italian chef in a local bar who swept me off my feet with his silly jokes, his kind- hearted nature and his beautiful brown eyes.
Love…
We’d only been dating a few months when Juri invited me to Italy to see his homeland and meet his family in Milan. It was a magical trip for so many reasons. Juri’s parents were warm and welcoming and made me feel like I was part of the family. Italy was breathtaking and especially Florence, my favourite city in the world to visit.
The Proposal…
Juri surprised me with a stroll along the Ponte Vecchio, one of the most stunning and romantic bridges in Florence. It was like a scene in a movie…we stumbled across a jewellery store and it was here I found my ring! I fell in love with the first ring I saw and I could barely hold back my tears of joy and excitement. What I didn’t see was Juri buy the ring… we left Florence with so many special memories and drove to the picturesque Cinque Terre. Here we dined in a beautiful rustic styled Italian restaurant. It was absolutely perfect. I was so happy to sit there with the man I had fallen in love with and enjoy this moment in time. I usually don’t order dessert and this time I was quite surprised when the waiter served us Italian dessert wine and panettone, a traditional Italian cake. The big surprise was what I found in the panettone… my ring! That’s when Juri asked me to be his wife. With more tears and a massive smile, I said YES.
I was the happiest girl in the world. This was my perfect proposal.
Wedding Style…
I wanted a personal wedding, where, Juri and my personalities were in everything we had. From the table numbers named after favourite foods of the guests on each table, to our Caffetera bonboneira, as we are both coffee lovers. The colours were natural and we wanted a simple setting as we didn’t have to do too much being in the picturesque Lake Como.
Ceremony Venue…
St Marco Coptic Orthodox Church in Milan, 500m from the picturesque Duomo in Milan.
Wedding Reception…
In an amazing castle, Castello di Casiglio in Lake Como, which overlooks the Lake Como countryside.
Pre-Wedding Celebrations…
We arrived in Milan weeks before the wedding, so every night for 3 weeks was a celebration with family and friends, including dinners and shopping in Milan.
The Dress…
Getting married in a castle, I could picture myself in a lace A-line gown. I also love Maggie Soterro gowns. So I went to Abbey Bridal and the team worked with me to choose the ideal Maggie Sottero gown. It fit perfectly and made me feel like a true bride.
The Flowers…
The flowers were all natural tones of roses and baby’s breath to create some texture.
On the Menu…
The reception was a true Italian sit down dinner. We had 10 courses starting with salmon, creamy mushroom risotto, veal, apple iced shot then ended with the wedding cake. All guests were totally satisfied. We also had the best Italian Chianti wine.
Wedding Bomboniere…
We had individual Coffee percolators with Confetti, an Italian version of sugared almonds. We wanted something practical with an Italian twist.
Photography…
We were fortunate to find Popcorn Photography, as they were going to be in Italy whilst we were getting married. Having someone local who could capture our day was the perfect dream. Mere and roger from Popcorn photography captured everything we wanted, made us laugh so much on the day and delivered perfect photos on time. We were so lucky to have Popcorn part of the day. I would recommend them to anyone.
Memorable Moments…
The most memorable parts of the night were the very special speeches. There was always a tear in every speech as the words truly came from the heart. Also having a picture of my dad who passed 10 years ago meant so much as I knew he was there with me. Then finally mixing two cultures together with the Italian and Arabic dancing.
Wedding Music…
We had a mix of English, Italian and Arabic music so everyone could enjoy a dance. Our bridal waltz was LOVE by Nat King Cole.
Honeymoon…
We enjoyed a 3 week pre-wedding honeymoon with family and friends. We were so fortunate to stay in the clock tower room of the Castle. We definitely felt like a king and queen having breakfast whilst overlooking Lake Como.
Life after the Wedding…
We now living in Sydney, back to enjoying planning weddings for other clients and Juri is always cooking up an Italian storm being an Italian Chef.
After an amazing wedding day, our dream is to continue to bring the beauties of Italy to Sydney through bonboneira, styling ideas and just party ideas.
Photography Popcorn Photography Ceremony Venue St Marco Coptic Orthodox Church in Milan Reception Venue Castello di Casiglio Bride’s Dress Maggie Sottero from Abbey Bridal Bridesmaid’s Dress Lisa Ho Flowers Fiorart di Debellini Claudia Cake Castello di Casiglio
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