January 9, 2018 Amanda + Knute

Need a break from the winter outside? How does Tuscany sound? Because Amanda and
Knute’s Italian nuptials are about to take you far away.

The dress :
"I wanted something that was soft, elegant, simple, and different. All of The Dress Theory's dresses met that description. I'm not a very emotional person, and definitely don't like to be the center of attention — so I knew I wasn't going to have tears when I found my dress. I wasn't sure how I would know which dress to pick. But then I put on the Cambie and I didn't want to take it off. I could have worn it all day. That is when you know it's the dress for you. It was so elegant, but at the same time effortless. On the wedding day, when I put that dress on, I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world — and that's what every woman deserves to feel like on their wedding day."

Best moment of your day :
I'm not sure I can pick a best moment of our day, it was more a feeling that lasted the whole day through. We had 30 of our closest family and friends in one of the most beautiful places in the world to celebrate us — how special is that?! I wish I could bottle up that feeling. It was pure happiness and it was all because of the relationships we've made with people that were there and the blessing God has gave us of finding each other.

The location :
I'm an event planner, and the last thing I wanted was to plan an extravagant American wedding and have it feel like it was just another event. My husband and I both love Italy, and we joked about getting married there one day. Somehow we stumbled upon this place called Podere Conti. It's an agritourism hotel located in Pontremoli, Italy run by a British woman. It was perfect. My husband grew up on a farm and it felt like fate that we found a place that exemplified all of the thing we love about agriculture — supporting local, sustainability, hard-working people, and natural beauty. We Skyped the owner and booked it that same week — sight unseen. We never once visited. We arrived three days before our wedding and it was truly perfect. We will be going back to Podere Conti for the rest of our lives.

Advice for brides :
The biggest piece of advice I can give to a bride is to follow your heart (I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true). You have so many choices in front of you for how this day can go and so many people that will share their personal opinions about what they think is best. But, what it comes down to is the man in front of you and you. What environment do you need on your wedding day to enjoy, love, and cherish the man in front of you — plan your wedding around that and forget about everything else.