Oh I do have a treat for the eyes for you today! If you are dreaming of fragrant lemon trees, clear blue seas and stunning Italian scenery then you are going to love gorgeous couple Carly & Shaun’s wedding in romantic Sorrento, Italy. Carly, who I had the pleasure of chatting to over the phone, chose to wear our lace ‘Ella Grace Elliot‘ lace wedding shoes on her special day. She is just so incredibly lovely and I am so thrilled that we were able to be part of her amazing wedding.
Seeing photos of beautiful Carly on her wedding day, I freely admit that my eyes welled up, and once I saw the video of the romantic proposal her husband Shaun had secretly arranged, the waterworks truly got going. So it is such a privilege for me to share with you the amazing story of Carly and Shaun and their stunning Sorrento wedding, all captured perfectly by Italian photographer Valerio Gargiulo.
We wish them many years of happiness from all of us here at House of Elliot!
Nicole x
I met my husband Shaun in Ibiza on the 9th August 2010. We met Shaun’s friends whilst waiting for the bus to go and see Sven Vath play in Amnesia and I met Shaun for the first time on the dance floor, he was handsome, tanned and I was immediately drawn to his dark curls and his energy and felt instant unanimity.
Shaun’s proposal was amazing! It was our anniversary in 2014 and at the time he was temporarily living in Aberdeen due to work commitments and I had traveled down to London to celebrate Ashley’s birthday with 3 friends. Ashley informed us of a trip to the Japanese gardens in Holland Park that she had in mind as she fancied having a champagne picnic on the grass before the bars. When we arrived in Kyoto Gardens I was blown away by how beautiful it was, there was peacocks wandering by, wild flowers, a huge Koi carp pond, waterfalls and much more! Ashley then stopped and said, “Shaun is very upset to be missing you anniversary today, he has therefore sent down a parcel for you to open in private so me and the girls will go and wait around the corner and you can sit on this bench and open it!”Ashley has handed me a black leather book wrapped in a special box! Inside the book read… “The story of us”… It included the story of how Shaun and I met and how our love quickly progressed! Watermarked On the pages were pictures of us visiting wonders of the world together, having fun spending time with family and friends and making wonderful memories! Towards the end was a picture of Shaun shaking my fathers hand with the caption “sealed with the humblest of handshakes” and at this point I knew! My instructions were to walk over to the bridge in front of the waterfall to where the missing pieces of the puzzle await and there he was standing alone in a shirt and trousers on the bridge surrounded by a crowd of cheering people and my 4 friends crying their eyes out!
We got married at the Saint Francis Cloisters in Sorrento and were very lucky as we had a guest list of 50 people that traveled over to celebrate with us. The reception was at the Bellevue Syrene hotel which is only a short walk away from the cloisters.
Both Shaun and I are huge fans of the Italian culture and wanted our wedding to be very romantic and picturesque! I love bright white flowers and white candles and had requested that our wedding planner go to town with white flowers, lots of greenery and white candles at both the ceremony and reception! The string quartet also played a huge part in the ambiance that day and I had requested Caribbean blue by Enya, the strings version was truly breathtaking!
I knew from the very beginning that I wanted a slim, elegant, Ivory lace wedding dress and it took me so long to find what I was looking for. In the end I went for Martina Liana style 675 but totally customised it, I ordered a Venetian lace for the straps, had the back made lower, the train made shorter and the dress nipped in tightly around the waist! I wanted fresh white flowers in my hair and tousled curls and I had vintage Ivory lace shoes in my imagination which lead me to meet the lovely Nicole at House of Elliot!
What made you choose a pair of House of Elliot shoes for your wedding day?
When I saw the dainty Ella Grace handmade lace shoes online I was immediately in love with them as they were exactly what I had imagined myself wearing and complimented the Ivory lace of my dress perfectly! I intend to keep these beautiful shoes as a keepsake.
What did you love the most about your wedding day?
I had a moment of silent contemplation whilst I was waiting at the entrance to the cloisters with my dad to walk down the isle. I could just about see my bridesmaids disappear down the isle whilst I was peeping from behind the entrance trying to remain unseen! I saw my wonderful family, my very best friends and my gorgeous groom standing in the courtyard to the hauntingly beautiful sounds of the string quartet. At that moment, everything was as it should be, everyone I cared about dearly was healthy and happy I felt a profound sense of gratitude for the people in my life and the gorgeous setting we were in! Winning the lottery could not have topped that feeling as its something money can’t buy!
What pearls of wisdom would you share with future brides who are planning their wedding?
Many say that you should be selfish when planning your wedding day and focus only on yourselves! I disagree, keep guests in mind, plan your day your way but do it in such a way that they cannot fail to have a great time and be blown away! Do not compromise, make it as spectacular and breathtaking as you want it to be as it’s your special day! Everything we planned was to our taste and style and in the exact location we wanted but we knew all along that everyone that came along for the ride would have the time of their lives as well as we had intended it from the very beginning!
Photo Credits: Valerio Gargiulo Photography
Venue: Bellevue Syrene, Sorrento, Italy
Wedding Planners: Sorrento Sunland
Bride’s Hair: Jimena Puy
Brides Dress: Customised Martina Liana
Brides Shoes: Ella Grace Elliot by House of Elliot
