Set in the heart of Rome, this intimate elopement blended timeless romance with a fresh, modern spirit. Beautifully captured by photographer Giada Joey Cazzola, every moment unfolded with intention—from quiet dawn walks through the city to heartfelt vows at Hotel de Russie.
Location: Rome, Italy
Style: Cool, Elegant, Modern
Time of planning: 1 year
Number of guests: 7
Setting: Hotel
Season: Spring
In 2019, Emily and Briana met as roommates while pursuing their Master’s program in Buffalo, where a friendship formed in university hallways slowly grew into something deeper. Through the pandemic, quiet moments, and months spent dancing around their feelings, their connection turned into a love that felt natural from the start. Years later, they both proposed just days apart, Emily on the waterfront in Washington, D.C. during Pride Month, and Briana by the ocean in Newport, a beautiful reflection of a love built on friendship, timing, and finding home in one another.
Inspiration & Photography
Born from a clear and intentional vision, this elopement transformed Rome into the quiet runway of their love, where every moment felt like a scene from an Italian film, shaped by intimacy, complicity, and timeless beauty. The day began at dawn, wandering through the city’s empty streets as Campo de’ Fiori slowly came to life, with warm cappuccinos in hidden corners, the sound of footsteps on ancient stone, and the kind of quiet magic only Rome offers before it wakes.
Inspired by the softness of May light, the palette unfolded through white, sage green, sky blue, and delicate glass details, creating an atmosphere that felt both poetic and effortless. Beautifully filmed by Giada Joey Cazzola and thoughtfully planned by Sara Tusset Wedding, this elopement captured Rome at its most intimate, cinematic, timeless, and quietly unforgettable.
Couple's Fashion
Both brides chose sartorial gowns with clean, modern lines that felt effortlessly aligned with the vision of the day. Long veils, luminous natural makeup, and softly styled hair, sometimes loosely worn, sometimes elegantly gathered, brought an understated sense of beauty to every moment. Every detail was chosen to reflect who they are, not simply how they looked, while their bouquets became an essential part of the story: minimal, sculptural, and quietly sophisticated.
Ceremony
The ceremony took place on the Sergej Terrace at Hotel de Russie, overlooking the hotel’s hidden garden, a place that feels suspended in time, filled with Mediterranean scents and sweeping views of Rome.
Wanting something intimate, emotional, and beautifully unconventional, they created a small, elegant setting where every gesture had space to breathe. Surrounded by their closest family and friends, it was only the soft Roman afternoon light, the sound of their promises, and the quiet elegance of a terrace that had welcomed artists and lovers for generations.
Moments Together
After the ceremony, Rome’s mood shifted. Together with photographer Giada Joey Cazzola, they wandered through some of the city’s most iconic streets, Via Margutta, Via del Babuino, and Piazza di Spagna, where the day became more dynamic, vibrant, and full of energy. Later, they returned to Hotel de Russie for an intimate dinner.
The couple still speaks about the moments that made the day unforgettable, the iconic Moschino red door, stolen smiles in Campo de’ Fiori, and the quiet beauty of the hotel’s secret garden. Every element became part of a cohesive, emotional, and modern celebration, thoughtfully crafted over the course of a year.
Reception
Then, they returned to Hotel de Russie for dinner, one long table set in the hotel’s secret garden, surrounded by candlelight and delicate floral bottles that felt almost like small treasures. The setup was intentionally simple and refined, allowing the atmosphere, the conversation, and the emotion of the day to speak for themselves.
What made this celebration truly unforgettable was the way every moment flowed into the next, creating a story with its own rhythm, from dawn in the city’s quiet streets to golden hour on the terrace, from intimate vows to vibrant walks through Rome, each chapter feeling effortless, emotional, and deeply personal.
Advice from the couple:
• Let your day truly reflect who you are. Trust the person who guides you.
