Federica and Pablo’s Wedding at Villa Brandolini D’Adda: Sacred Moments, Stylish Details, Real Emotion

Author: Natali Grace Levine
Wedding date: 08/30/2025
City: Venice

Love Story

Federica and Pablo met at work. She'll be the first to admit she didn't like him much at first — they each had their own lives, their own routines, and there was no particular reason to think anything would come of it. “But as in all true love stories, getting to know each other made us start to get along better and better,” the bride shares.

It took a holiday in Sicily to make things clear. While she was there, her mother pointed out that she kept bringing up Pablo's name. Federica decided to tell him how she felt, knowing she might lose the friendship if he didn't feel the same. He did. "What was a difficult beginning turned into a wedding nine years later," Federica shares.

They've built separate but intertwined careers: Federica owns a boutique hotel, Pablo runs a financial consulting and labour advisory firm — both based on Tenerife. After eight years together, he proposed over dinner at a beach restaurant in Formentera. She hadn't seen it coming.

One detail she'd held onto for years: she wanted to get married while her grandfather was still alive, so he could walk her down the aisle. He was there.

About Your Wedding

Thirty-two guests, two venues, ten months of planning. Federica wanted something small but complete — a day where guests felt genuinely taken care of, not just invited. "My dream wedding was an intimate wedding, with few people but where nothing was lacking and where our guests, like us, could dream of a perfect and unforgettable day," she says.

The style they went for: elegance, minimalism, and details that felt considered rather than decorated. “A wedding where religious and spiritual aspects were deeply respected.” The ceremony was religious and included a live performance by a tenor and soprano from Verona. The reception had a 360° photo and video platform by Funnybooth. Sacred and then fun — exactly as planned.

Wedding planner Luana from GAP Eventi coordinated the whole day.
Thirty-two guests is a number we don't see often enough. It changes the entire atmosphere — guests actually talk to each other, the couple actually reach every table, and the day feels like a gathering of the closest ones. If you're considering going intimate, this wedding is a good argument for it.

Morning Details

Federica designed the invitations herself with help from a graphic designer. The wedding stationery was handled by the planner. The rings were chosen to work alongside Federica's engagement ring, which is already quite striking — so they went with simple bands. Pablo also does a lot of sport and didn't want anything that would get in the way. Even in the smallest elements, their wedding carried the same idea: beauty feels strongest when it feels true.

Bride Getting Ready

Federica looked extraordinary — the kind of bride who doesn’t just wear the dress, but gives it life. She wore two dresses. For the church: Millanova Blisse with customisations. For the reception: St. Patrick Jolene. She found both at Blumynt in Santa Cruz de Tenerife — the third store she tried, and she knew at both fittings. She specifically wants to mention the consultant at Blumynt, Neolia, whose honesty and professionalism made the whole experience feel less stressful than bridal shopping tends to be.

We hear this more than you'd expect — the store matters less than the person helping you in it. A consultant who tells you the truth, even when the truth is "that's not the one," is worth more than any number of options on the rack. If you're dress shopping, pay attention to how the staff make you feel, not just how the dresses look.

For the church dress: a four-metre veil, a lace bridal bolero during the mass, and custom shoes by Madrid designer Just-Ene. Once the ceremony was over, the veil and bolero came off and a five-strand pearl necklace went on. For the reception dress: handmade Swarovski crystal earrings matching the dress, jewelled shoes by Bibi Lou, and custom accessories from @mithings_tenerife. Late in the evening, she swapped into silver Adidas Samba sneakers — a good decision by anyone's measure.

Her bouquet was built around white hydrangea "Soeur Thérèse", white roses, and Gypsophila, made by Fioreria Biancat Elisabetta in Aviano. Getting ready was done with her mother and grandmother. Makeup by Francesca Et Voilà. Everything perfect.

Groom Getting Ready

Pablo's suit was made by José Acosta — former Giorgio Armani model, now a fashion designer. He got ready with his daughter, who would carry the rings during the ceremony.

There was no test shoot with the photographers beforehand — they live abroad and the schedule didn't allow for it. Federica's take on that: "Choosing the best team and trusting them is crucial." This is genuinely good advice and something couples overthink. An engagement session or test shoot can be useful, but it's not the deciding factor in whether your photos are good. Vetting your photographers thoroughly before booking — looking at full galleries, not just highlight reels — matters far more than one practice afternoon together.

Photoshoot Before The Ceremony

Bride and groom spent their pre-ceremony time separately — Federica at her grandparents' house with her family, Pablo at the hotel with his. “We chose these locations because we each wanted to be with our own families,” they share.

Part of Federica's morning included a tradition: her last dance as a daughter, before stepping into married life. She danced with her grandfather to Dmitry Yablonsky's Waltz Jazz Suite. The grandfather she had hoped, years ago, would one day walk her down the aisle.

Ceremony

The ceremony took place at the Santuario Madonna del Monte Marsure. Federica walked in to the Flower Duet by Katherine Jenkins. Pablo's daughter carried the rings. "Her entrance into the church, every step she took, made me remember everything we had experienced up to that moment. So many feelings gathered in one image... At the end of all that thought, I said to myself, 'How lucky I am to have her,' and what a beautiful woman she is, inside and out,” Pablo mentions.

"The moment I arrived at the church was incredibly emotional. Everyone was inside waiting, and I was well aware that this long-awaited moment was about to arrive. I took a few minutes to savor this special moment. When I saw my future husband, I couldn't hold back my tears," Federica continues.

Photoshoot After The Ceremony

After the ceremony, Federica and Pablo went back to both venues for photos — the church and the villa. "We wanted those two places to be forever etched in our memories."

Returning to the ceremony venue for portraits is something photographers often suggest and couples sometimes skip in favour of a more scenic location. Federica and Pablo's instinct here was right — there's a specificity to a photograph taken in the exact place where something happened. The setting isn't just background; it's context. These images will mean more in twenty years than a technically perfect portrait taken somewhere prettier but less significant.

Wedding Venue & Decor

The reception was held at Villa Brandolini D'Adda in Vistorta Sacile — a venue suggested by Federica's mother, and one Pablo immediately loved.

The palette was white and black: the bride, groom, flowers, cakes, and tables all in white; decorative table accents, bathroom accessories, and gift boxes in black. Guests were asked to dress in total black, which made the visual contrast of the whole room deliberate and striking.

Personalised touches included recovery kit bags, slippers for guests, a retro phone station recording voice messages as keepsakes, and the 360° platform for recording dances — which, by all accounts, became one of the most-used things at the reception. The guest comfort details — slippers, recovery kits — are easy to write off as optional extras. In practice, they're the things guests mention when they describe how the day felt. A wedding can be visually perfect and still feel cold. Small, practical gestures are often what make people feel genuinely looked after.

Reception

The first dance was a surprise. Pablo — who used to DJ — had put together a custom mix of Bocelli, Prince, and Montel Jordan. “We performed a super fun dance that surprised all our guests. We took dance classes for three months to learn the choreography.” Nobody saw it coming.

The food was entirely from Friuli Venezia Giulia, Federica's home region, prepared by Le Troi Chef Catering. Since most guests had travelled from Spain, it was also an opportunity to introduce them to something they hadn't tasted before. When the menu tells a story — this is where she grew up, this is what her family eats — it gives guests something to connect with beyond the couple themselves. It also tends to make the catering more memorable than a generic banquet menu, however well executed.

The wedding cakes came from 86 il Gelato, one of the area's best-known gelaterias. They made a selection of semifreddo — Italian ice cream cakes — in different flavours. Guests kept asking for the name, so you know it was exceptional.