Our Wedding Story

I can't believe I'm sitting here finally writing the blog that will try to describe the best weekend of our lives.

On January 21, 2021, Hal and Monica, got on the same ski chairlift and started talking. It was the most perfect snow day - fresh powder from a snowstorm the night before, blue skies and the sun beaming down to keep us warm.

It only took that one chairlift ride at Beaver Creek, Colorado to have Hal hooked on Monica's Australian accent and cute ski outfit. Little did he know that she was also an amazing skier. He asked if him and his friend could follow her as she knew the mountain better than he did. In her sassy Australia accent, she said "only if you can keep up."

Just a few days later they were spending hours on FaceTime together before planning the next weekend together in Colorado again for a snowstorm coming in. Their first official date was a whole weekend together back where they met, the Ritz Carlton at Beaver Creek. Hal ensured to get a room where Monica had a kitchen to cook her Aussie breakfast every morning and hearty healthy dinners for the two of them. As their 'first date' was a whole weekend, they decided to make their actual 'first date' the ski run to "get water" where they took a shortcut and ended up on a 4-hour expedition without service, in wait deep snow and half way to Vail. Hal kept his cool whilst Monica started panicking about 2 hours in because the two couldn't find their way out.

Eventually, they found ski tracks and followed them only to end up on a golf course that was WAY outside of Beaver Creek ski resort.

To say the two are soulmates would be an understatement. Within 2 weeks from meeting, they were official, and about 10 days later Hal said to Monica in Jackson Hole one night, I love you. Of course, Monica said it back right away as tears rolled down her face. She knew a love like this was possible, and it felt so good to finally have it as hers.

By November of that year the two were engaged as Hal popped the question on a trip that they'd planned in their first two weeks of meeting each other. One afternoon laying on Monica's bed in her dream NYC apartment in the Jenga building, Hal showed her an Airbnb that he had waitlisted himself for. It was one of those "tiny homes" that book out 6+ months in advance and this November weekend was the only way available so of course Monica said yes. She couldn't believe this man thought they'd still be together in November! He ended up changing the weekend plans unbeknown to Monica and ended up proposing one evening in Alta Utah and then taking her to stay at Amangiri to top the weekend off in Monica's style.

On September 2024, the couple threw a 4 day wedding in Rome, Italy. The couple went there on their first international trip together and saw one of the ballrooms at the St Regis where they were staying, only for Monica to say "Imagine getting married there." A few years later, here they were.

On Saturday September 14th, 2024, Hal & Monica along with their groomsmen's and bridesmaid got ready all together on opposite sides of a massive suite at the St Regis Rome. The weather ended up being perfect on this special day after they had to deal with an unusually wet September in Rome and the love was palpable.

Villa Aurelia had turned into a romantic, ethereal wedding venue full of colour and joy.

"We wanted our wedding to be colourful and full of things to smile at. We wanted it to be a representation of our love, not fit into a box of a certain wedding aesthetic."

Monica walked down the aisle in a custom dress by Steven Khalil with a colorful bouquet and Jimmy Choo heels. Hal waited for her in a custom black tie suit from Sid Mashburn that had a printed picture sewn in, of their 4 dogs inside his jacket. Their aisle song was A cover of Truly Madly Deeply by "Sidney" with their string quartet playing over the top. As Monica walked down to Hal, both of them were sobbing along with all the guests including their wedding planner, Cristina Ditta, and her assistant.

Their ceremony was officiated by Monica's Dad, Oliver and had the guest in tears as he shared an incredibly un-original speech that was made for them. He had written a poem for them as well as incorporated their love story into his touching words on love and marriage.

The couple took time to look around the crowd to see their loved ones and soak in this special moment of becoming husband and wife. Their vows were nothing short of moving. Multiple guests described the wedding as "healing" as they were able to feel and see the standard of love for us all.

Cocktail hour was nothing short of fabulous. Saxophone players on plinths, a huge Italian grazing table and a bar with not just your average barmen. But mixologists.

As the guests made their way to dinner, they were left speechless with angles playing instruments as they stood on white plinths and ethereal music played. The tears didn't stop at the ceremony, they started again as they made their way to dinner. Many couples said this wedding was better their own, or the best wedding they'd ever attended. Not because it was the most over the op wedding, but because the entertainment, speeches and love in the air was incredibly moving and captivating.

Before a fully gluten free dinner was served, a dance party began after Monica & Hal made their grand entrance as husband and wife and people were ecstatic with the immersive band. There wasn't a moment at this wedding where people were bored. "I wanted the whole wedding to be gluten free because for once, I didn't want the different meal," says Monica. "I also wanted gluten free ravioli and I knew this was my opportunity to get it." The guests couldn't believe everything was gluten free as it tasted just as good as the real thing. The perks of an Italian wedding isn't just the good food, but the fact that they know how to make gluten free taste delicious.

Monica then changed into her rehearsal dinner dress by J. Andretta for their first dance where they preformed a three minute dance that resembled something from Dancing With The Stars. They'd been practicing for about 8 months with their teacher, Mary, from Mary Me Dancing in Atlanta, and they left the crowd cheering. "We wanted out first dance to be romantic whilst also sexy."

Once the dance floor started, it never stopped. Monica changed into her third dress by J Andretta which was a blue dress leaving her looking like a sexy Cinderella and Hal changed into a white dinner jacket. The couple did their cake cutting which was Monica's recipe of her carrot cake and then took five minutes to themselves to go back to the secret garden where they got married and soak in everything that had happened so far.

The band continued to blow the roof off the wedding with their performances, and they transitioned inside the Villa where they'd turned a ballroom into a club. The whole room was pumping as people were dancing, eating the late-night pizza being served fresh from the pizza oven, gelato, wedding cake and deserts from the desert table.

The entire wedding felt like a dream. Monica even got to perform her iconic "Hannah Montana" performance thanks to her childhood friend requesting "Nobody's Perfect" which surprised Monica but of course she remembered every lyric from when she was 11 years old.

The couple drove off in an old-school teal green Porche around 1am as they headed back to the St Regis together before their brunch the next day. Still to this day, they say that their wedding was so much more than they thought it would be.

To hear more of their love story, listen to this podcast series  

 
Photographers: Vanessa & Ivo

The couple making their way to preform their first dance!