Tucked in the hills of a rustic Tuscan villa, surrounded by their closest family and friends, Adela and Mike said their “I dos” over a week-long wedding celebration.
They wanted it to be relaxed — no stress, no hurry, no crazy wedding plans — just a week long vacation with their closest friends and family. And on one of those days, their wedding just happened.
The day of their ceremony started with yoga under the Tuscan sun, led by Mike’s mum. Everyone got to swim and lay by the pool, no rush, no hustle. Mike was still in the pool with their baby boy, when Adela was getting ready to walk down the aisle.
While their friend played guitar, Adela walked arm in arm with her father towards the loves of her life — Mike and their one year old, Milo.
Another dear friend of 20 years officiated the ceremony. All the while, Milo kept running back and forth between sitting on his dad’s knee and stepping over mommy’s veil into his granddad’s arms.
The whole feeling was very rustic, no table cloths, lots of meadow flowers, and a Fiat Cinquecento, ready to pick up more wine.
It was altogether perfect and picturesque. But not because of the setting. (Well, not only because of the setting.)
They wanted their day to be relaxed and stress free. But more than that, they wanted it to be about family. About the family members sprinkled across every moment of the day and about two families becoming one.
Those are the moments that make weddings so remarkable. The simple, imperfect, magical moments with the ones you love most.
When your son plays hide and seek around the old oak tree you marry under.
When grandma tells her best stories while your sister does your make up.
When your veil falls off multiple times during the ceremony and you reach up to put it back in.
When your dad holds your arm down a makeshift aisle made of olive tree leaves.
When the love of your life meets your eye as you walk towards him.
Adela + Mike have been married a year now, and when asked what marriage means to them, she said this: “Marriage means family to me. We’ve been together almost 10 years now and married 1 year and it feels different. Everything has stayed the same, nothing has really changed, yet it does feel different. We were committed before we were married. We moved across the world 2 times, had a child together, but somehow it feels different, more like we’re announcing to the world that we’re a family unit that just makes it even more magical and special… Ultimately, we’re all in it together now. We’re a gang, the Coopers, none of us ever alone, even when we are, and all know we are loved so much.”
