Destination wedding Venice Italy San Servolo Island

Summer destination wedding in Venice Italy

A wedding in Venice combining the best of Italy, Netherlands and the USA

Choosing Venice as a destination for their wedding was not an obvious choice. Both Sandra and Nicola have put their growth and career first, since a very young age, and did not hesitate to take chances and move to different countries. Nicola studied in the Netherlands and moved to San Francisco in 2016.

As professionals coming from different countries, with a lot of experience under their belt, they chose to live in the USA and pursue their dreams in a new country. Sandra and Nicola finally met at a friend’s house in San Francisco. Two Europeans in the USA with a shared love for their new country.

Their love grew fast and together they decided to focus on their dreams.

They settled in Texas where they purchased an incredible lot of land in Texas Hill Country. And they are planning on building their dream house and a boutique luxury resort.  Their excitement about the project is contagious!

The groom was born in Venice Italy and the bride agreed that it was a perfect location for a destination wedding

Nicola was born in the Venice area, and that is where his family and his heart is. Sandra was born in the Netherlands and agreed that Venice was a great choice for a destination wedding with all of their best friends, flying in from all over the globe. They had decided to get married years before, but covid and paperwork complications delayed it more than once.

This summer destination wedding in Venice was centered on family and friends, colorful, romantic, emotional and a lot of fun.

When they finally reached out to me, it was just a couple of months before the actual wedding date. Despite the difficulties and the rescheduling, they created the best possible experience for all of their guests. As a young and fun couple with outgoing and sunny personalities, Sandra and Nicola did their best to make this destination wedding an unforgettable experience.

Getting ready for the wedding in Venice just behind Piazza San Marco

Nicola’s mother, a Venice native, looked around for venues in Venice with the help of her best friend. They checked to most notable Venice wedding venues and they finally set their eyes on the island of San Servolo. San Servolo is a more private and secluded location with a magnificent view over the city of Venice. It is an island loved by Venetian couples because it offers a unique view over the city. It makes you feel like you are enjoying Venice but you are not in the middle of the summer crowds.

The wedding took place in Venice on a warm day at the beginning of the summer.

Italy is one of the best countries in the world for a summer wedding, even though the weather in Venice can be very humid and muggy. On this day, the weather was sunny and warm, but also windy enough to make everybody happy. Sandra and Nicola chose to start the wedding later in the day, in the early afternoon, and enjoy the night at the fullest. The focus of the day was on having fun with their friends and both Nico and Sandra created a great atmosphere for their guests to enjoy the best of Venice.

A stylish couple in Venice: all about the wedding details

Sandra wore a beautiful slit dress by Essence of Australia that showed off her figure. Nicola wore a black and white tuxedo, an original twist on the classic tuxedo.  Both their choices were perfectly fitting for such sunny and outgoing personalities. Sandra changed her dress later in the evening to dance with Nicola on the notes of a classical Italian song revisited for the occasion. Her night dress was a sparkling fringed flapper dress in ’20 style.

A curated selection of wedding details and a piece of their home

When it comes to wedding details, I have all the information you need to help you prepare your wedding. Sandra and Nicola did a great job. The wedding palette had touches of dark red and light blue. The wedding bouquet had dark red peonies, rose roses and eucalyptus leaves. The menus were extremely elegant in light blue and white and featured an ear of wheat coming directly from Nicola and Sandra’s land in Texas.

First look and couple portraits before heading to the wedding ceremony

We met at Donà Palace to document the bride and groom getting ready. The rooms they used had very different vibes and colors: the bridal suite had red and golden tones, very typically Venetian interiors. The groom’s suite had elegant purple wallpaper and dark green drapes.

They decided to invite their families and closer friends to their first look.

We opted to do the first look in the beautiful hotel court overlooking the canal. Sandra could see Nicola from a bridge not too far away and met him in the court, in an emotional moment for both of them and all of their loved ones. Then it was time to take off and dedicate some time to the couple.

Intimate water taxi tour around Venice for couple portraits

We got on the water taxi and rode around the best locations in Venice for couple portraits. Considering the time of the day, just after midday, the sun was too strong to have good images in broad daylight on the Grand Canal.

We passed by the Bridge of Sighs and we went to the lesser known yet incredibly romantic area around La Salute Church.

Since the Church itself is under renovation, we used the area around it, with the softer light filtering through the palaces, and ivy covered walls as a background. We then stopped at San Giorgio island for incredible portraits with Piazza San Marco behind them. Then it was time to reach their guests in San Servolo for their symbolic ceremony.

Romantic ceremony and aperitivo on the island of San Servolo in Venice

The area chosen for the ceremony was the area facing the Church cloister in San Servolo island.

This courtyard offered an opening on the water, but protected the guests from the warm summer sunshine. The celebrants were Sandra and Nicola’s very good friends and many other friends contributed to the ceremony with their speeches. It was a wedding very much centered on friendship and family love.

We took some sunset couple portraits before heading to the terrace for the aperitivo alfresco.

The San Servolo terrace is a magnificent space with a breathtaking view. Once you get to the terrace you can see the whole city with a single glance, from the strip of land of Lido di Venezia, to the island of Giudecca and the mainland. At the center, the San Marco basin and La Salute Church, behind which the sun sets.

Nicola and Sandra choose a perfect mix of Italian classics and modernity when it came to music and entertainment.

They hired local jazz musicians to play during the aperitivo on the terrace overlooking Venice. After some drone pictures with all guests, Sandra did the bouquet tossing from the terrace. The bouquet easily (but unintentionally) landed in front of her best friend.

Chic candlelit summer wedding dinner alfresco in a Church cloister

The dinner area was the Church cloister, a fascinating intimate courtyard, with a portico supported by thin Istrian stone pillars decorated with bas-reliefs with the busts of the apostles. The church facade stands out with its two bell towers loved by Byron. Thanks to its intimate atmosphere and its architectural charm, it is the perfect solution for a summer wedding dinner.

Emotional speeches were at the hearth of the dinner.

The refined Italian menu was prepared by Rosa Salva, arguably one of the best wedding catering services in Venice. After a quick cut of the cake Sandra changed her outfit for a dance performance with Nicola. Their dance routine was a lot of fun to watch and opened the dances for everybody.

A fun wedding night party in San Servolo overlooking the lights of Venice Italy

Among the musicians for the night was local saxophonist Alberto Vianello, who played together with the DJ and created a uniquely magical atmosphere on the dancefloor. As Sandra and Nicola said to me since the beginning, the goal was to have a lot of fun, and they did.