Come on journey of gothic romance set in the rustic Italian countryside. US real wedding couple Carly and Phillip took the meaning of wedding in Siena. They chose epic locations to celebrate their forever love, holding their ceremony in the ruins of the 13th-century Abbey of San Galgano and their reception in the rustically romantic farmhouse Villa Podernovo.
They took the meaning of “Til death to us part” to a whole new dimensions of style for their destination wedding with a noir spin which featured a black palette, skeleton decor, the cutest coffin ring holders, and blood red roses. Their unique and unforgettable celebration was photographed stunningly by Serena Morandi Photography and second shooter Sayuri.
So what do we know about our US lovebirds? Phillip was born in San Antonio, Texas, and Carly was born in Shelton, Connecticut. Today they live in Los Angeles. Phillip first saw eyes on the love of his life Carly at Berklee College of Music in 2007. While he was instantly smitten, he couldn’t pluck up the courage to ask her on a date through the years.
He tells us, “I graduated in 2010 and we both moved to Los Angeles to pursue careers in music, and followed one another on social media, but never communicated, all the while we continued gathering mutual friends who we’d separately hang out with, but never with one another. After years of being one degree of separation from one another, I attended a birthday party of one of those mutual friends at an Austin Powers-themed nightclub, where it turns out Carly was doing bottle service for the party dressed as a fembot from the movie. We had an amazing conversation talking about what one another had been up to since studying at Berklee, but we were both in relationships at the time and never took the conversation to any kind of interest, so though it was our first real meeting, we left it at music industry banter and moved on.”
He continues, “After a couple more years of being in the relationships we were both in, we had ended our toxic relationships around the same time, to which not long after one of my best friends who would play guitar for Carly at her shows was unable to play for her one night. He reached out to me and asked if I’d sub for him, to which I enthusiastically said yes, but put on my best professional face to not freak out. We played a few shows together, where I soon dropped the facade of trying to be so professional and we started communicating more as friends, which carried into our DM’s on Instagram where I started reaching out to her while she was visiting her family in NYC on Halloween. Becoming more comfortable with one another, I was pretty quick to ask her to go on a real date with me, and it’s all poetry from there.”
Breathtakingly bewitching in black. Carly exuded dramatic glamour in her illusion lace black wedding dress with a feathered skirt by Galia Lahav which she accessorised with a black lace-edged veil, a crystal and feather bag and mesh boots with cut-outs.
Dashing groom Phillip also embraced black with his Indochino suit which had a stunning skull and rose print lining and his accessories included skull cufflinks! He customised his shirt with their initials too, in red thread of course, so sweet!
Right, back to their love story! Phillip proposed to Carly at the rooftop restaurant Kanan, in Tulum. “The restaurant was a sort of bird’s nest meets treehouse resting above the beach and jungle, and there was only one light source at the table, to which if moved out of the way you can see the moon and stars painted in the sky above, gently illuminating the shores of the beach as the tide would move in and out. I had been carrying the ring around with me all week, waiting for the right opportunity, because I wanted it to be the most genuine decision I’ve ever made, holding on until I couldn’t any longer and everything in me was screaming to move. The dinner was incredible, and after the owner came to our table and gave a Mayan healing ceremony/prayer to bless us, and at that point, I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I got down on one knee while our waiter recorded us, and gave what I thought was a prepared speech, but it actually turns out to be a collection of gibberish because I was so nervous.”
They tied the knot in a jaw-droppingly beautiful location, the Abbey of San Galgano in Chiusdino. Given their Lord of the Rings vibe we couldn’t think of a more perfect processional than the Shire theme.
Their ceremony location couldn’t have made our jaws drop quicker. Their service was officiated by Luciana Bartaletti, who is the mayor of Chiusdino.
It was their loved ones who made their celebration as special as could be. “Our friends Madri and Emily came through last minute to fill in as best men as mine had to cancel last minute, and they both went out of their way to ensure everything was covered at our wedding as far as telling guests where they needed to be, ensuring Carly and I were comfortable before and after the ceremony, and just regulating the overall flow. It was nice that both of Carly’s bridesmaids did everything for her, and being an older sister she’s not used to that type of care.”
From the moment they started planning, it was so important to the couple that they celebrated their wedding, their way. “We did what we wanted and we didn’t let people skew that so it remained about us.”
The bridesmaids, the best man and his wife were given the colour palette and the theme and they had free reign to pick out their outfits, all of which were sublime.
Carly and Phillip are both musicians and artists and their passion for their craft inspired their noir aesthetic. “We live our lives around Metal, Dark Electronic Music, and Carly always wanted to wear a black dress.”
We can’t stop swooning over the bride’s phenomenal black wedding dress.
The couple fell head over heels for their wedding venue which is a farmhouse with traditional Tuscan accents that dates back to the 18th century.”It’s hard to put into words, but it was so unique, and fit our gothic aesthetic. As soon as we found photos of it online we went from, ‘Is this the venue’, to ‘how can we make this happen?’ It was when we found it that we truly decided to commit to an Italian wedding.”
They opted for a photo guestbook and we can only imagine their guests had a field day when
Alongside tonal red roses, anthurium and spotted African corn lily bloomed in the floral displays. Black tablecloths and taper candles, curved signage and scarlet-shaded fabric runners ensured their reception styling was drop-dead dreamy.
Spot their stylish neon sign too which proudly showcased their ‘Till death” theme.
Phillip’s top wedding planning tip is, “Do what you want to do, don’t let other people sway your thoughts or feelings.” Carly advises, “Make sure you pick a wedding party that will help you the day of, because you can’t do everything. Also, invite people who are really truly, there for you. (A destination wedding is a great way to tell who’s willing to make it happen.)”Â
We’ve seen a serious spike in popularity with late night wedding shots and afterparty direct flash flat lays. It’s a wedding trend we love because it’s such a great way to show just how fun the party was!
Carly and Phillip ventured onto Amalfi Coast and Capri for their honeymoon. As for if they’d recommend it they say, “Yes yes yes yes yes yes (rent a private boat tour around Capri) yes yes yes yes.”
Congratulations Carly and Phillip from all of us on at One Fab Day. A very special thank you to Serena Morandi Photography and second shooter Sayuri for sharing today’s dazzling destination wedding with us.
