Notes from the Bride, Christina:
Because our families were spread out over the US, and Europe, we decided to have two ceremonies - our official wedding in Boulder and a marital blessing just outside of Rome, in a vineyard near Filippo's family's home. Our wedding ceremony took place at Cairn Christian Church, a small church just outside of Boulder which we had been attending - drawn to its progressive minded community and fellowship. The church although small was beautiful and perfect for our close-knit group of about 50 people. My sister was my maid of honor, and his brother was his best man. Our flower girl and ring bearer were Filippo's adorable nieces, ages 6 and 4. We had a string quartet play some of our favorite classical music, and my mother and aunt performed a song together during our ceremony. White sheer draping decorated the walls and the walkway to the altar and small bouquets of soft colored flowers and eucalyptus dotted the aisles. The style of the floral decor was inspired by a bohemian vintage theme. My dress had been made by a local seamstress, based on a design I had seen in Paris. Along with my bouquet, I wore three strands of Pikake (a heavenly smelling Hawaiian flower) as well as a strand in my hair. After the ceremony, we sped away in a mint-colored 1948 Chrysler New Yorker Convertible. Our reception took place at the Boulder Country Club, which looks up to the mountain range. The sunset was beautiful and the toasts were made outside against this setting. Our cake was utterly scrumptious and made by the local "Piece, Love and Chocolate" - a white chocolate cake with Liliko'i (Hawaiian for Passion Fruit) butter cream filling.
Above all, the date of our wedding was special to both our families as it was my grandparents' anniversary and Filippo's mother's birthday. We love swing dance and so our first dance had to be swing ! We choreographed (with help from Steven, our Boulder Swing instructor) our first dance to Frank Sinatra's "The Best is Yet to Come" and to this day can't believe we remembered all the steps. The evening was beautiful, heartfelt and fun, made special by all our family and close friends that came from all over the world to celebrate with us - including Filippo's close family who came from Rome, and my great Uncle Howard who just turned 100 this past October.
Photographer: Rachel Gomez Photography | Church: Cairn Christian Church | Venue: Boulder Country Club | Florist: Fiori Flowers | Dress Designer: Theia | Makeup Artist: MAC Make Up Boulder | Hair Stylist Joy at Zing Hair Salon | Cake: Piece Love and Chocolate | DJ: Roger Cridlebaugh
More from the Bride:
How did you two meet?
How did a girl from Honolulu, Hawaii end up with a guy from Rome, Italy ? It seems unlikely that a couple could meet and fall in love from such distant geographic locations. But the story is an international one and so perhaps more likely than not. Filippo and I met while teaching abroad in Paris. We were part of an French government sponsored educational program which brought freshly minted college degree holders from all over the world to teach their respective maternal languages to French students. The French work week allowed for ample time to explore the city and its surroundings, and so we met for the first time in front of the monumental Versailles palace, with a group of friends in common who planned the visit. I remember distinctly thinking his eyes were so kind, that there was something special about him. While I would like to say the rest was history, it actually took many years -- 5 to be exact-- and many emails, letters and skype calls before we would meet again and begin our true love story. We were first friends that traveled together - we went to Berlin, Istanbul and Lebanon together before moving back to Paris as a couple and then eventually to Boulder, Colorado where I was pursuing my PhD at CU.
How did he propose?
Filippo first asked me to marry him during a trip to Rome, but officially proposed to me on my birthday last year at the top of the Royal Arch trail -- a beautiful look-out at the top of the FlatIrons in Boulder. The trail had been damaged due to the floods, and at some points on the hike I thought we should turn back, but he assured me that it would be worth the wait - and it was!
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