“Jo from the Armadale store and the owners of the boutique were an absolute joy to deal with; so helpful, patient and made the entire process a dream. At the final dress fittings Luana from the Brunswick boutique confirmed I had made the right decision with RC and I was blown away by her knowledge and her professionalism.” #RCREALBRIDE STEPHANIE RC – How did you meet Gian Luca? Gian Luca and I met on the 23rd August 2013 in Bali Indonesia. I was on holidays with a group of girlfriends and he was on vacation with a group of his Italians friends. We met at a bar called Motel Mexicola and then spent the remainder of our trip inseparable before he flew home to Italy and I returned to Melbourne, where we continued a long distance relationship. He surprised me for Christmas and spent a month with me and my family. Then in June, I lived in Italy for 3 months with him where I studied Italian and we travelled around Italy and Paris together. Being half Italian I had always dreamt of studying the language and after having met Gian Luca, decided on his home town of Bologna to immerse myself in the dolce vita. RC – How did Gian Luca propose? Definitely not what I was expecting, (especially after we had just travelled around Italy and Europe together visiting breathtaking settings). After having returned back to ‘normality’ we continued our relationship and Gian Luca proposed whilst we were on our weekly Skype date, (so very us and how our relationship grew). He had asked for my parents’ permission on Skype beforehand. RC – Is there a particular reason as to why you chose your venue? My dream had always been to marry in Italy and with my husband to be Italian, I wanted to make that dream a reality. The idea of marrying in one of the most romantic countries in the world, with amazing cuisine and stunning streetscapes was a fantasy. From originally deciding on a low key destination wedding in Italy, we felt it was only right to make our dream wedding come true and treat them to a unique celebration, as we discovered more friends and family wanted to come. After the proposal I visited Italy over the Christmas 2014 holidays to be reunited with Gian Luca and his family and we went around to many venues that we also researched online. The criteria – a breathtaking venue, central location in the historical city centre, reasonable distance to the church as I wanted to walk the streets of Bologna for our photos but we wanted an outdoor aspect/ courtyard for pre drinks before dining, what the Italians call aperitivo. It wasn’t until I returned back to Australia that Gian Luca was left in charge of finding the perfect venue and he came across Palazzo Gnudi a neoclassical 1500 palace that caters for special events and the team with their professionalism and experience convinced Gian Luca that we found our dream venue with fresco ceilings and special spaces for our guests to enjoy. RC – Your favourite part of the wedding? EVERYTHING! Entering the 17th century renaissance to meet my future husband was the ultimate with my mother and father walking me down the aisle. Although it was incredibly difficult to co-ordinate the wedding on the other side of the world, in terms of photographers, church, flowers, bonbonnieres, DJ’s, hair & makeup and all the finer details of the reception. It was the immediate lead up to our special day that will remain forever in my memory and heart. I was fortunate enough to have left 3 weeks earlier with my mother to finalise all the details and then my hubby to be joined a week later. It was such an exciting and manic time but everyone we came across made the experience all the more special. And as our friends and family descended on Bologna and having my Hens night there, it just felt like one continuous celebration. Having everyone there for us, is what made it so special. RC – How did the dress make you feel? Being quite particular I found it difficult to decide on just the one dress as I loved so many and appreciated so many different styles. I wanted something glamorous and stylish and that’s exactly how my Demetrios gown from the Comobella Milano collection made me feel. RC – How was your bridal shopping experience? I absolutely loved the entire process at RC, from the initial trials (and there were many) to finalising the dress as I made a changes to the colour. Jo from the Armadale store and the owners of the boutique were an absolute joy to deal with; so helpful, patient and made the entire process a dream. At the final dress fittings Luana from the Brunswick boutique confirmed I had made the right decision with RC and I was blown away by her knowledge and her professionalism. RC – Tips for brides-to-be! Savour every moment, stay relaxed on the day. Enjoy the lead up as much as the day as you will never in your life have such an experience. Venue – Palazzo Gnudi , Bologna Italy. Photographer – Diego Mariella Video – Urania wedding films Hairdresser – Roberta Di Tursi from Makeup – Federica at MAC bologna Flowers – Fiorista Maria Rosa