We came from completely different worlds. I was raised near Cambridge, England. I worked full-time as a model after graduating from university, and travelled the world for my work. Marco was a talented skier and lived in the mountains of Sauze d’Oulx, Italy, where we live now, working for his family business on the ski mountain.
When our worlds collided, after an introduction by mutual friends in Switzerland, our interests clashed. It wasn’t love at first sight for me, but I knew there was something about him. Marco says that from the moment he met me, I felt like home. Today, we realise that our differences are our strengths. We give each other the space to pursue personal interests and always come together on the things that matter, like our core values and sense of humour. We both love walking in the mountains, photography and good food. The proposal happened on Christmas day. We were both working, since the winter season is such a busy time for skiing. We decided to take a hike to watch the sunrise before work, and although neither of us is particularly romantic, it was the most romantic thing ever. Marco proposed outside a tiny, old church covered with snow on top of the mountain, with the sun rising around us. We both had tears of joy. We decided to elope to Iceland, a place of great contrasts, known as “the land of fire and ice” — a reflection of our relationship. Both of our families struggled with the news of our elopement, so we decided to do a second ceremony at a church in Italy. I got to wear my dress twice! Iceland was the perfect location because we both love nature and the scenery was breathtaking. I can’t speak highly enough of our photographer, James. He was a phenomenal photographer and he had an extensive knowledge of Iceland. He spent three days with us, hiking to different locations — yes, in my wedding dress! — in order to get the perfect shot. Extending our wedding shoot over three days allowed us to go on an adventure throughout Iceland and get off the beaten track, away from the more popular locations that often feel like Disneyland. In hindsight, I love that we did two celebrations. It ultimately cost us less than the average wedding and we were able to have two amazing moments, as well as a honeymoon. We quoted the mighty Dr Seuss in our vows: “We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” None of us is perfect, but when you find someone that’s perfectly imperfect for you, hold onto them tight and love them just as they are.
Photography – James Frost | Bride’s Outift – ‘Chloe’ dress by Rembo Styling and ‘Maraja’ shawl from White Le Spose Torino | Groom’s Suit – Burberry | Celebrant – Helga Johanna Ulfarsdottir | Flora – Lila Accessories | Bride’s Shoes – Kurt Geiger | Groom’s Shoes – Silvano Sassetti | Hair – Gold Class extensions and colour by Inanch London | Makeup – Ivan at Selfridges London using MAC | Rings – Capucinne | Cake – Traditional Icelandic Kransakake cake by Sandholt, Reykjavik |
