Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale1/53Our invitation was created for us by our friend and witness, Marie-Louise Sciò. She chose our beloved landscape, the lowland of Campo Imperatore, for the backdrop and a romantic yellow font that we adored right away for the text.
Photo: Courtesy of Margherita Cardelli2/53I preferred to use flowers instead of the classic ring pillow. Chamomile and goldilocks held our very simple gold rings. Our little nephews brought them to us.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale3/53We got married in a very small ceremony on a Thursday with our families and witnesses. My dress, inspired by the typical dirndl from Abruzzo, has been designed for me by my dear friend Caterina Nelli, owner of the great Rome boutique Bomba. I loved it at first sight. The attention to details, the luxurious touch of the fabrics, and the simplicity of the look immediately took me. Gerardo’s suit was created and handmade by him. It is Sartoria Giuliva, double-breasted, and made with navy blue fresco lana—a very classic suit, perfect for a wedding.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale4/53This bridal bouquet was made of countryside flowers collectsed an hour before our wedding.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale5/53We chose the little church of the cloister convent where my grandfather’s sister Margherita (who I am named after) has been a nun at for most of her life. It is a really special place for both of us.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale6/53This picture will remind Gerardo and me of our happiness forever. We waited for this moment for months.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale7/53This has always been my dream wedding dress forever. Derek Lam designed it for his Spring 2011 collectsion, and when I first saw it, I knew this was it. Derek kindly re-created it for me, and I also did a final fitting with him in New York while we were traveling there for work one month before the wedding.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale8/53The dress arrived in a gorgeous box with this very sweet note from Derek that I now keep with my most beloved memories from that day.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale9/53When I bought these Charlotte Olympia shoes, I didn’t know I was going to get married. I fell in love with them the second I saw them. One month before the wedding, I discovered that Charlotte Olympia [Dellal] designed them for a bridal collectsion and called them “Margherita”!
She first designed this collectsion for my dear friend Margherita Maccapani Missoni Amos’s wedding.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale10/53I have two tattoos, made on the same day, that I got about four years ago. This one is the coordinates of Campo Imperatore, the place where Gerardo and I were blessed for our wedding with all our friends and family as witnesses.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale11/53This headpiece was given to me by my dear friend Caterina Nelli and her beloved mother, Cristina Bomba, owners of the great Bomba boutique in Rome, to accessorize my simple yet elegant dress designed by Derek Lam, which I wore during our blessing in the mountains.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale12/53This was taken in my house in the mountains, seconds before heading out to our blessing. I love this house. My perfume, Ichnusa by Profumum, is an extract of countryside herbs—it’s my favorite.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale13/53Iacobella Gaetani Lovatelli, owner of Naked and Sacred, and Zazie Gnecchi Ruscone, artisan and owner of Zazielab.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale14/53I loved every moment of the preparations. I didn’t touch my hair at all. I just did very light makeup by my friend Giovanni Pirri with the most amazing dress and a smile of pure happiness.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale15/53Ready to go!
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale16/53This bouquet has been made up by my aunt Amalia, she collectsed rosemary and wild flowers from the mountain that very morning. I loved it, loved it!
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale17/53That smile was for my father who was waiting for me. I basically ran toward him!
Photo: Anna Szkoda18/53Our spot, our place—we decided it was going to be the location of our wedding the day Gerardo asked me to be his wife. The big mountain is Gran Sasso, and the lowland beneath is Campo Imperatore, for me, this is the most special place on earth.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale19/53My father and me, walking toward our guests and the altar.
Photo: Anna Szkoda20/53Gerardo with his witness, Vittorio d’Agostino, while he was waiting for me to arrive. These suits were created by Gerardo and handmade in Sartoria Giuliva, a made-to-measure Neapolitan tailoring business for men that he started.
Photo: Anna Szkoda21/53The scene: It was incredible and more than special. Bringing our friends and families here was our dream. We got blessed (with a religious ceremony) in this gorgeous place on the Saturday after we got married in a church on Thursday.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale22/53Our dearest friend, Robert Rabensteiner, took care of our beloved dog, Gastone, while we were being blessed. This was taken while Gerardo was waiting for me.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale23/53Cristiano Seganfreddo (creative consultant and art director) and Caterina Occhio (owner of the fair trade–verified brand Seeme).
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale24/53Margherita Maccapani Missoni Amos and her son Augusto.
Photo: Anna Szkoda25/53Musicians playing accordions.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale26/53Our chic guests from Spain!
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale27/53My father walking me toward Gerardo. Happiness!
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale28/53I will never forget this hug. It was very long and very strong. It contained thousand of words and tears of joy.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale29/53Gerardo, my husband, in his gorgeous suit, just before my arrival. The reason for my joy!
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale30/53We got blessed with the best words in the best place ever. We will never forget this moment.
Photo: Anna Szkoda31/53The stunning setting.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale32/53We never stopped holding hands.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale33/53Our smiles say everything.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale34/53The kiss at the end of the ceremony. We will never forget it.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale35/53We walked around wearing joyous smiles and sipping Champagne with our guests.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale36/53I would go back every day to this moment.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale37/53This picture is our joy, our place, and Gastone, always with us.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale38/53My two angels and witnesses, Marie-Louise Sciò, creative director of Il Pellicano, wearing a Bomba creation, and Eva Geraldine Fontanelli, a stylist wearing one of Marta Ferri’s one-of-a-kind creations.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale39/53Me, Gerardo, and Gastone, in our Land Rover Series III, 1963, leaving the location of the ceremony at the end of the blessing. Happier than ever.
Photo: Anna Szkoda40/53My family house in Abruzzo, Le Siepi Country Farm, a place with a lot of horses where my family lives all year around. This is where we held the reception for our guests. We tried in every way to respect nature using only natural props for the setting.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale41/53My beloved friends, hanging around during the reception: Cecilia Bringheli, owner of CB by Cecilia Bringheli; actresses Martina Codecasa and Fiammetta Cicogna; Margherita Maccapani Missoni Amos; and Iacobella Gaetani Lovatelli, owner of Naked and Sacred. We organized a big buffet with a typical menu from Abruzzo—it was the most delicious food.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale42/53Our friends relaxing after the big lunch, among them Luisa Orsini and Antonine Peduzzi, founders of the brand TL-180, and Andrea Gelardin, co-owner of Lobster Eye and Lady Gaga’s art director. We wanted our guests to have fun and relax without anything feeling forced in any way.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale43/53My super-beloved grandma, Aida, who’s 90 years old. She is younger than ever and a treasure to us.
In the little carriage behind us, we put our wedding favors. We chose a travel beauty soap, made with the herbs of the National Park of Abruzzo, called Parco1923.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale44/53Our first dance, and the joy of finally being husband and wife.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale45/53Our dream cake, a huge wild strawberry tart, decorated with wheat ears.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale46/53The cake and cheers! It is wonderful to have an all-in-one second of all the love you can imagine from the people you love the most!
Photo: Anna Szkoda47/53Me and Gerardo with Otto, Margherita Maccapani Missoni Amos and Eugenio Amos’s son.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale48/53Eva and Marie-Louise dancing and having fun with the music played by Paul Harris, who arrived from London to play for our wedding party.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale49/53The party scene: Paul Harris, our DJ, entertaining our guests in the very best way. We danced, in front of our swimming pools, from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. with no break.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale50/53Margherita Puri Negri and Matteo Marenghi Vaselli, our dearest friends.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale51/53Our friend Viviana Volpicella, a stylist, having fun during the party.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale52/53Gerardo, very happy and relaxed, at sunset.
Photo: Alba Morassutti-Vitale53/53This picture and this kiss says it all. We will never forget the most amazing day of our life. It has all been way more than we imagined. We would not change a second of it!
