The hair and makeup gods must have seen a few of the candles I had lit for good weather, because my makeup was flawless (thanks to the tips from a great makeup artist named Kimberly I knew from the wedding business) and even my hair came out great. John, my hair stylist, had taught me how to do it and had me practice multiple times prior to the wedding.
Katie arrived at my room at 11:45. Mom was fully ready and now it was time to get into my dress. There was part of me that wondered if it would fit after 2 days of eating Italian meat, cheese and bread, but with Katie's help, we got all the little buttons done up. Once into my ruby slippers, I was ready to go.
Mom headed down to meet Matt and pin his boutonniere on him. Then Katie took him to the designated spot for our reveal/first look moment. Once Matt was in position, Katie cued me to come out. We were in a quiet cobblestone lane lined with colorful walls with beautifully filtered light streaming through.
When I reached for Matt's hand, he said he did not want to turn around, because then it would be over. He finally turned around to see me...just the two of us. Matt actually had tears in his eyes. He looked so handsome and so happy. After many hugs and kisses and mutual admiration, we remembered Katie was with us and headed off to take our photos in the village. Walking down the narrow steeps and across cobblestone was a true test of my ability to walk in high heels, but I did it. As we walked along the water past people having their lunch lakeside, people stood up and applauded us while wishing us a Happy life and congratulations. It was a bit overwhelming to be the center of that much attention. Even the gelato owner got into the action and brought me a cone of passion fruit gelato. It was a great impromptu surprise.
After we completed our photos around the village, we met our guests at the harbor at 2:00 and proceeded to walk to the boat dock. Everyone looked beautiful, especially the women in their brightly colored dresses. Just as Igor promised, there was a boat waiting for us at 2:15. Moreover, his prediction of good weather seemed to be coming true because there was still not a cloud in the sky.
In James Bond style, we boated our way across the lake in all our fancy dress finery. Matt was at the back of the boat getting last minute advice from all the married men. I stayed inside out of the wind with my mom. As we approached Villa Balbienello, it was hard to believe that this day had finally come. Our guests were seeing the villa for the first time and watching their reactions was great.
Matt and i were the first ones off the boat. We proceeded to the gate entry and each guest presented their Golden Ticket to Matt. Matt punched each Golden Ticket with 2 hearts and with a "validated" ticket in hand, each guest was allowed into Villa Balbienello. We had requested that everyone bring their Golden Ticket and it was a very fun way to begin our time at the Villa.
As Matt and our guests walked up the path to the main terrace, Mark waited with me down at the boat dock. The caterers were a bit behind in setting up, so Mark and I had to wait below a little longer than planned. However, everyone above was enjoying the spectacular views while Mark and I enjoyed some alone time. Finally, I was given the green light to proceed. Mark offered his arm and we walked the steep winding path through the gardens and to the arched terrace.
As I stood, ready to walk down the aisle lined with bouquets of red roses and red tulip, it was wonderful to see 19 of my closest friends and family all smiling. Then I saw Matt. He was so happy and was already wiping away a few tears. Mark walked me to Matt and then formally presented me to Matt.
During the ceremony, Jo read a few things we had written about each other. Prior to the wedding, she had sent us a questionnaire to answer in order to learn a little bit more about us. Neither of us thought she would read it verbatim, so when she started to it was a big surprise. Because of our small number of guests, we were able to do a "Ring Warming" ceremony. The rings are passed along to each guests, so that they may hold the rings and fill them with their blessings and good energy. It was something we had never seen done at any of the weddings we had shot, so to have something new was very special. As the rings were passed to each guest, my brother, Mark was the first to drop a ring, then Matt Fabry let one slip and finally Katie dropped one. We than shared the vows we wrote to each other, followed by envelope sealing ceremony. We each had provided Jo with love letters we had written each other prior to the wedding. During the ceremony she placed those letters in an envelope and sealed it with gold wax. On our 25th anniversary, we will open the envelopes.
Last but not least, Jo had us repeat our final promises to each other as we exchanged rings. With rings on our fingers, Jo pronounced us husband and wife and it was sealed with a kiss followed with lots of applause from our friends and family. It was just perfect to see so many happy faces.
After the ceremony, we had family photos and cocktail hour. Everyone enjoyed the "fancy food" and prosecco while exploring the beautiful grounds of the villa. Our time at Villa Balbienello flew by so quickly. Before we knew it, Igor had returned to bring us all back to Varenna. The boat ride back was so much fun. I really loved seeing Matt's black carbon fiber and titanium ring on his finger.
Upon our return to Varenna, we made our way to the terrace at Hotel Milano. In addition to the stunning view and sunset, the terrace was decorated with bouquets of red roses and tulips. For 5 hours, the wine, food and fun stories were enjoyed. My brother, Mark, gave the most eloquent blessing prior to the meal. Those of us who had not gotten misty-eyed, were reaching for a tissue as he spoke from his heart. I loved that his speech was written on the back of his train ticket.
Towards the end of the night, Declan and Atticus joined the party for dessert. It was truly a perfect day in every way possible. The rain had stayed away, it was a warm spring evening on the lake, all our friends and family were happy and we had each other. It was 10 months in the planning, but we did it. We created an experience that would give everyone who was there many wonderful memories. Matt and I will also share these memories for a lifetime. It's hard to believe we actually pulled off this spectacular day.
Enjoy this highlight reel of the day....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX5UHrwts5o
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