Throwing the wedding plans in the FIB? See this wildly fun elopement

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Does all of this wedding planning and seating chart chaos have you dreaming of running away privately to Tuscany with your love? Well be warned, this wildly fun and oh-so-sweet elopement in Florence might have you throwing the goodie bags in the FIB.

Rather than renting a venue and adding up the many vendors, Jade and David splurged on a panoramic hotel room to enjoy their romantic trip and marry right there on the balcony, with views of Firenze.

The couple then ran (or rather danced) through Florence, hitting up all the pizza, treat and gelato shops along the way. As seen in Kelly Redinger‘s cinematic photos, crowds cheered and watched as the couple had outrageous fun dancing in the piazzas. They even shared their own Singing in the Rain moment at the end of the night, far too cute.

Scroll through this playful and intimate elopement, and if you’re thinking of eloping yourself the two offer plenty of helpful advice, like consulting a financial advisor when planning this big event (great for larger wedding couples too!)

Elopement Wedding Ceremony on hotel balcony in Florence Italy

Our Love Story

We met in Fredericton, NB Canada, whilst Jade was on an internship abroad and David studied his masters at UNB. David’s sister briefly introduced us at a pub and then later setup at every dinner outing and a hockey game!

The proposal was at the Bride’s favourite bakery in Edmonton. The Duchess bakery . Under the ruse of having a meet up with a friend, David appeared – apron and all with ‘I know I’m not what you ordered’ and a cake with the classic ‘will you marry me’ written upon it. And asked on bended knee. With friend out of sight, she was able to capture the moment on video.

Wedding dress overlooking Ponte Vecchio in Florence Italy

The Plan to Elope

David and I had already shared so much with each other, and with our two young sons we often already felt ‘married’. But when we thought about our annual plans to the UK, to visit family – we decided the boys were old enough that we could take our own vacation and with that, really make it special and make it official with a wedding.

As our son would say, now we match (referring to us all being Campbells). We did hold a short ceremony in Edmonton to include the boys and for Canadian legalities, but Florence was certainly our wedding day.

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The Dress & Attire

The wedding dress was the combination of a traditional ivory mikado button-down dress, a customized modern tulle overskirt, pearl appliques and tulle neckline. Had the best of both worlds, in a figure fitted trumpet with the playfulness of a full skirt, it caught the breeze and the light all day!

Knowing that I would like a traditional ivory gown, we started with ivory and white as the base colour and after deciding upon a dark blue suit for David, that was the direction we took it. Incorporating a few blues and accented with a dark gold and soft pearl.

There were a few things that we included that represent our families, sentimental items or gestures. The bride had a sixpence in her shoe from her grandfather. The groom had a pocket watch with him from his father. The groom’s cufflinks had engraved the coordinate locations of their family homes. Last minute the shirt’s cuffs needed to be altered for the cufflinks – David didn’t even say anything, he just made it work because they were important. It’s those things every day.

The Ceremony Venue

When looking for a venue, we didn’t want to hire a space when it was just the two of us. I started looking at hotels with luxury rooms, for the rooftop space or balcony and views. Costs of a suite for a few nights was the same cost or less than venue rentals.

We decided on Hotel Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni, and chose the panoramic room that gave us one of the few private balcony views of the River Arno. The hotel had such an authentic Italian family feel, with excellent hospitality.

The ceremony was held on the balcony, and we brought our own speaker to play some classical background music.

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Bride and Groom in VW Beetle Convertible in Italy

The Flowers & Style

The flowers were all whites with dark leaf. The bride’s bouquet chose flowers for herself, her mother and her grandmother.

The ring box was a dark gold geometric design. The bride’s shoes were a dark blue and pearl block heel – much more comfortable than a stiletto! We walked all day and they lasted well into the night.

Favorite Moments

Our favourite moments were the spontaneous ones, I even ended up taking a ride on a bike’s handlebars! At the end of the ceremony on the balcony, people on the bridge below clapped after our kiss and a church’s bells rung out all quite by chance and it was timed beautifully.

After a sunny and warm day, that night the rain poured! But we embraced it and literally danced in the rain. The groom enjoyed sliding across the pavements.

We certainly tried to keep the day fun and easy going, we didn’t plan any meals, we grabbed snacks as we passed, drank beer and wine, checked out a favourite gelato spot and ended the evening with fresh pizzas.

We wanted to explore and enjoy the city – We had a car with driver booked that took us to viewpoints and into the hillside amongst olive trees. Getting the driver, wedding planner, photographer and us into a VW bug was a feat in itself! I always admired the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica and at night the glow of the antique carousel was gorgeous, we laughed the whole way round!

The Photography

Our photographer was really so much more. Travel partner and adventurer, taking the photos with his cameras, short videos with a phone and even holding my shoes by the end of the night!

We were first drawn to Kelly‘s work and his photography style and that he was not a stranger to destination weddings nor elopements. After meeting with him it confirmed our decision. We are so fortunate to have Kelly as he really gave us every bit of the day possible!

Capturing early morning to late at night. This day took us all over Florence, we had a photographer and travel companion. Kelly is great to work with, easy going, enjoying our ideas and his own creativity. Both new to Florence, Italy it was exciting to explore a new place.

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Advice for Other Couples

As many probably already suggest, really prioritize what you want as the couple. Small things can be compromised, but hold onto what represents you and your love. Don’t be afraid to indeed elope or pick only a few family members.

Always assess budgets first and do so realistically, doesn’t hurt to even visit financial advisors as its one of the big investments as a couple. Get the hard numbers sorted early on, then you can enjoy the planning without disappointment. All weddings can be special regardless of the price tag – just find your own special way to celebrate.

We used all the usual places for inspiration, Pinterest, Instagram, vendors blogs and sites, wedding blogs, a wedding show and it really showed us what we did and didn’t want. I most enjoyed looking at ‘real weddings’.

However big or small your wedding, make sure there is plenty of couple-only time carved out in the day. It’s why you are there after all!

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The Honeymoon

As we eloped the wedding was a trip, wedding and honeymoon all in one! We travelled as a family spending a week in the UK. Left our two boys with the bride’s parents and flew to Florence, Italy.

We were married on the second day there and spent a few days in the city before travelling to the coast by train and car to Ravello, for a further four days. We finished off the trip with another week in the UK before home to Canada.

Depending on the wedding, it can important to get away to be mister and misses once the celebrations are over, even for a few days. It’s always nice to have a trip if you can!