A Sicilian Dream: Marissa & Lewis's Elegant Wedding at Commenda di San Calogero
- Author: Natali Grace Levine
- Wedding date: 08/28/2023
- City: Sicily
Sometimes the best love stories start with friendship. For Marissa and Lewis, their romance blossomed from seven years of friendship in their hometown, proving that the strongest relationships often have the deepest roots.
The proposal story adds another charming chapter to their tale. Lewis planned a romantic stay at The NoMad hotel in London, which held special significance as it was housed in the old Bow Street Magistrates Court where Marissa's Nan had worked for years. Despite Covid chaos disrupting their dinner plans, fate had other ideas.
"It didn't go exactly how I had planned!" Lewis recalls. "As we left the hotel for dinner, there was no one around, and the doorway was decorated with a huge foliage arch so it felt like the right time." Marissa adds, "Lewis proposed with a simple gold band as he knew I would want to have input into the ring, but had an antique ring box reupholstered with a pink stripe fabric (my favourite!) and embroidered with ‘Marry me?’ inside. I loved the box as much as the ring!"
For this creative couple - Marissa, who works in communications for an international bank, and Lewis, who is a DJ and producer - their vision was refreshingly simple. "Honestly? We didn't really have one," they admit. "The focus for both of us was marrying each other instead of being about the wedding, however, what we had was everything we wanted!"
Their concept was beautifully unconventional: "We wanted our wedding to feel like a dinner party (with a side of us getting married!) Neither of us are big on being centre of attention, but having our friends and family enjoying good food, good wine, and good music was perfect," they explain.
Marissa adds with enthusiasm, "The brief for my dress was 'more is more' and I guess there was an element of that continued throughout. We also wanted to stay true to our everyday style and so there was lots of colour and lots of stripes!"
When asked about their inspiration during planning, their eyes light up: "Italian food!" they exclaim. "Picturing 98 of our family and friends enjoying a long, 5-course Italian dinner under the olive trees complete with our favourite music." This vision of communal celebration perfectly embodied their desire to create an intimate yet jubilant atmosphere for their special day.
The attention to detail in Marissa and Lewis's wedding began long before their big day. Working closely with Aisling Erin Stationary, they created a stunning suite of wedding stationery that perfectly captured their style. "We provided a mood board for a first draft and tweaked from there until we had the perfect design!" Marissa explains. The comprehensive suite included save the dates, official invites linking to their custom-built wedding website, elegant menus, and clever hand-held fans that doubled as order-of-the-day guides.
Understanding the complexities of a destination wedding, the couple took extra care to ensure their guests had all the information they needed. "Marrying abroad, there is so much more information we wanted to provide our guests to make their trip as hassle-free as possible," they share. "Too much to include on an invite which is why we directed all to a custom-built website."
The couple's rings tell their own beautiful story. "We're fortunate enough to have some friends in the jewellery industry," Marissa reveals, "and so I was able to design my engagement ring. Lewis proposed with a simple gold band which we kept and I used that as my starting point." Their search for the perfect stone led them to a remarkable find: "I knew I wanted an antique stone and we found a beautiful loose stone in an antique shop - it was actually a diamond from a Victorian broach." Lewis chose a classic simple gold band for his wedding ring.
Family heritage played a touching role in their jewelry choices. Marissa wore two of her Nan's rings - one resized to serve as her wedding band, and another worn on her other hand, adding deeply personal meaning to her bridal accessories.
Marissa's journey to find her perfect wedding dress was anything but conventional. “Despite many years of seeing brides and dresses across social media (even before I was engaged), I had never seen ‘the one’ or even a dress in its entirety that I loved," she recalls. "I knew early on I’d likely go down the bespoke route."
Though she visited three bridal boutiques with her mother and bridesmaids for the traditional dress-shopping experience, the reality didn't quite match her expectations. "I think I pictured rails and rails of dresses, hundreds of different styles, shapes and fabrics, but they all felt very samey and I didn't feel special in anything," she shares.
The perfect solution came through social media serendipity. "I had followed Charlotte at Sewn Right on Instagram for a few years," Marissa explains, "so had a consultation with her in her London showroom. I told her my vision and said ‘more is more’, she was so excited to create the dress and we went from there!" The gown was nothing short of spectacular, embodying both Marissa's bold vision and Charlotte's masterful craftsmanship in every carefully crafted detail.
In a touching tribute to the day, Marissa created a personal keepsake: "I used an off cut of my dress to hand stitch the wedding date and our initials into, and sewed it into my dress so it was removable. I carefully unpicked it when we got home and have it framed in our house!"
The getting-ready moments took place in the breathtaking rooms of their Sicilian country estate venue, providing the perfect backdrop for photos. To complete her bridal look, Marissa wore a cathedral veil custom-made by her dress designer, paired with elegant gold earrings and Manolo Blahnik shoes. The wonderful Mary Fiori, based in Sicily, created her stunning bouquet.
The bride was surrounded by love as she prepared for her big moment. "My bridesmaids and my Mum were there," she remembers warmly. "My lovely makeup artists stayed until I walked down the aisle and helped to position my dress etc too!" Speaking of bridesmaids, finding their dresses was its own adventure: "We struggled to find a style that everyone loved but eventually found a soft gold maxi dress with draped shoulder and scarf detail. I loved them so much I bought one for myself!"
Lewis opted for a classic Jaeger tuxedo, preparing for the big day with his groomsmen in the picturesque courtyard of their Sicilian venue. The historic country estate provided the perfect backdrop for these intimate morning moments.
The ceremony unfolded in a breathtaking setting within the estate's grounds. Guests were first welcomed at a gravelled entrance before taking a short, anticipation-filled walk to the ceremony location. The chosen spot was a beautiful tree-lined garden, carefully arranged to face a stage crowned by a magnificent gypsophila arch - a stunning backdrop for their most intimate moment.
While they had originally planned a different musical selection, Marissa had a special surprise in store for Lewis. "We had a song chosen," she reveals, "however I surprised Lewis by changing this to one of his favourite songs, so I walked down the aisle to Sampha's 'Too much'."
Lewis's brother Elliott was honored with the role of ring bearer, adding a personal family touch to the ceremony. Marissa fondly recalls the moments leading up to her walk down the aisle: "I remember waiting and could just see one guest through the bushes! She looked so excited and in turn, it made me excited."
In a moment that could have been a bridal nightmare, Marissa experienced a small mishap that became a testament to the love and support surrounding them. "My veil got caught on the flowers as I turned to walk down the aisle," she shares, "and one of our guests discreetly jumped into action and untangled it! I'm so grateful to him, no one even noticed!" It was a sweet, spontaneous moment that perfectly captured the intimate and caring atmosphere of their wedding day.
The venue's diverse grounds provided stunning backdrops for their photos. “The grounds of our venue were so stunning and had so many different areas which is part of the reason we chose it,” they confess. “We had photos in the gardens, the gravelled entrance, and the pool area.”
The journey to finding their perfect venue was a meticulous and romantic adventure. "We are both very clear on what we like," Marissa explains, "and luckily for anything creative we are largely on the same page (although Lewis needs some gentle persuasion on some things)." Their hearts were set on a destination wedding, with Italy being the obvious choice given their love for the country.
"We visited quite a few venues both in mainland Italy and also Sicily," they recall. Their requirements were specific and thoughtful: the inside of the venue was as crucial as the exterior, with a need to accommodate potential bad weather. Equally important was the ability to host different wedding moments in distinct areas of the venue, ensuring guests would experience something new at each turn.
“Commenda di San Calogero had everything we were looking for, that perfect mix of Italian charm with an eclectic, modern design throughout,” the bride shares. But it was the most unexpected detail that sealed the deal. "It was actually a cat and an orange-striped tablecloth by the pool that sealed the deal for me," Marissa laughs.
Lewis remembers the moment with amusement: "I was walking ahead with our planner whilst Marissa was still (very slowly) taking pictures and I said 'wait until she sees that tablecloth!' I knew she'd want to book it there and then." He adds with a chuckle, "Whilst Marissa was picturing each part of the wedding, I’ll be honest, I was figuring out where the decks could be set up for the pool party the next day."
Their color palette was a carefully curated blend of burgundy, pink, and sage green, first introduced in their stationery suite and then beautifully continued throughout their table settings. A striped tablecloth and burgundy embroidered napkins brought this vision to life. But the personalization didn't stop there - each guest's napkin was embroidered with their initials, creating both a stunning decoration and a unique keepsake of the wedding day.
In a playful nod to their personalities, the couple even had personalized disco balls for the party - a touch that perfectly captured their fun-loving spirit and Lewis's background as a DJ. The attention to detail extended to every aspect of their decor, transforming their venue into a truly personalized celebration of their love.
The reception kicked off in spectacular style with their first dance to a special edit Lewis created, mixing 'Love Story vs Finally by Layo and Bushwacker' with 'Finally by Kings of Tomorrow'. Their celebration culminated with a traditional Italian millefoglie cake, perfectly embodying their blend of personal style and local tradition.
One of their most cherished moments came during dinner. "We walked into dinner as the sun was setting, and entering from one end of the seemingly endless table, complete with hundreds of lit candles and all our guests cheering us in is actually a moment I'll never forget," Marissa recalls. "I remember gasping from the sight of the tables and decorations, it looked like it went on forever and was my first WOW moment of the wedding."
Speaking on cooperation with their vendors, the couple concludes, “All amazing! All without fault. Can't thank them enough.”