A Rustic, Vineyard Wedding At I Due Cipressi Bed and Breakfast in Tuscany, Italy

Corinne Anderson was attending law school at Pepperdine University when she found herself traveling to Washington, DC for a legal fellowship. There, she was introduced to Jon Iadonisi through a mutual friend after breaking up with her boyfriend only ten day beforehand.

It didn’t take long for Jon to find out that Corinne loved riding horses, and he immidately asked if he could take her to Middleburg, the horse capital of Virginia, the next week. “I loved how he operated already, and we were only 30 minutes in,” Corinne describes. “We stayed out until 1am that night and I thought, ‘I love this guy already... I’m in so much trouble for my last year of law school!’”

A year and a half later, the couple was living together in DC when Jon decided to recreate their first date. After walking along the river, the two stopped at a park where they had chatted during their first encounter. “He told me how wonderful that night had been as we relived the memories, and then he got all emotional and started to cry,” says Corinne. “I went to hug him, but he got down on one knee and popped out a ring before I even knew what was going on. I was staring at the most beautiful diamond ever, and all I could do was not my head yes.” As it turns out, during his business trips to New York, Jon had also beeing stopping by a jeweler to design the engagement ring himself.

The wedding planning process started right away, and the fun factor lasted about five minutes before stress and arguing settled in. With Corinne’s family being in Seattle and Jon’s being in Boston, it was difficult to decide on a suitable location. Eventually, the couple compromised by planning a destination wedding in Italy, which took place at a picturesque villa. Friends and family flew out to Italy for a weeklong celebration, during which they enjoyed a group wine tour and rehearsal dinner.

For the wedding decor, the couple was inspired by Corinne’s childhood growing up on a small farm, as well as their mutual love of the outdoors. Their wedding vision was to create a comfortable ambiance with a rustic farm feel, but with touches of opulence. Decor details such as burlap and lace table runners were shipped over, glasses were filled with rose prosecco, and Italy’s natural surroundings provided the perfect backdrop.

On the morning of the wedding, the bride and groom woke up early to have coffee and breakfast together in the town of Montepulciano, and invited their photographer, Seth, to capture the moment. “It helped set the right tone for the day by reminding us that our relationship was the number one priority in getting married,” the bride shares. “Even though we were focused on our guests and the wedding details, we knew in our hearts that we were going to put the other person first.”

After the ceremony, which included personal vows and a special group prayer to bless their marriage, guests were treated to classic Italian dishes and carefully selected wines. By the end of the night, the newlyweds were surprised by how many people were still on the dancefloor at 1am, celebrating the occasion.

“My favorite part was seeing all our friends hanging out, laughing and talking like they had all been best friends for years,” says Corinne. “Those that didn’t know each other when they arrived in Italy at the beginning our of wedding week were fast and close friends by the time our wedding day came around.”