From the Archives: Cindy & Jason’s La Badia fairytale

We’re celebrating W&W weddings from the recent past with your new blog series, From the Archives. We all need a little wedding joy to get us through these tough times, right? Today we’re re-living Cindy & Jason’s stunning celebration at La Badia Orvieto.

Cindy & Jason, from Australia, decided on Italy as their wedding destination before they were even engaged. These two love to travel and they knew that sharing Italy with the nearest and dearest would bring them so much joy. The couple wanted an intimate celebration that meant lots of time with their guests and the highest quality services from their suppliers. They chose La Badia after seeing it online and booked the venue before booking a wedding planner. After some long emails and confusion, they decided that a planner was the way to go and that’s where we stepped in!

We quickly got to know Cindy & Jason and got up to speed on their plans to date. Danielle visited La Badia and had a meeting with the Events Manager and the Head of Catering. We often find that meeting in person (where possible) is the easiest way to get our often many questions answered. Many more emails and calls later, we were where we needed to be.

Cindy & Jason made some great decisions throughout their planning, which meant that their day was perfectly suited to their style and prioritised their budget effectively. They chose the incredible James Frost as their photographer, which as you can see from their photos, was one of the best decisions they could have made. We flipped the normal layout of the venue on it’s head and let it lead the way in terms of decor. Instead of splashing out in this area, they chose to invest more in the food and drink, add special touches like a champagne tower, and really use the setting itself to create the atmosphere. I think this one of the few places (maybe alongside San Galgano) you can have little to no decor and still feel an awe-inspiring atmosphere.

On the day itself, I was lucky enough to be the lead planner. This wedding was like something out of a film. From witnessing Cindy have her hair styled in that 50s film like fashion, to leading her down to the ceremony, at every turn I was blown away…and I knew what was coming!

Despite the small group, the setting felt perfect. If the atmosphere is right, no venue can be too big. James Frost perfectly captured the atmosphere in his photo of Cindy turning the corner to walk down the aisle.

It was breathtaking. All eyes on Cindy, her veil blowing in the wind. It was as if time stood still. I can’t imagine how Jason must have been feeling as he watched Cindy approach.

The day continued to be full of these perfect moments, the sun shining perfectly down on the aperitif as guests enjoyed freshly cooked tempura and prosecco. The way that dusk fell as guests took their seat at the table, while an acoustic duo played covers of Cindy & Jason’s favourite songs. As any good wedding should, each area, each part of the day had a different feeling to it but it was all connected to feel like the same in-sync celebration.

As I watched the speeches from under the arch of the venue, I felt so grateful to be able to create and witness such special celebrations in people’s lives.

Once the guests were tucking into their dinner, I escaped to the ceremony spot, sat on the wall under the iconic archway and watched the sunset, one of my favourite wedding day pastimes.

James and I had an idea, to move the planned first dance to back under the archway. I sprung into action and got a PA sorted and we soon watched the guests dancing to the Zorba, circling the couple with sparklers in hand.

We stayed till the party was in full flow and said our goodbye’s - the hardest part of the day, knowing that it’s the end of a wonderful wedding and a planning relationship with the couple. With adrenalin running high, I get home and sit in bed flicking through my photos of the day.

You can enjoy the full gallery of Cindy & Jason’s wedding here.

Written by Lucy White, Founder of W&W with over 150 Italian weddings worth of experience.