Morning lovely people. We have a gorgeously romantic and poetic real wedding to share with you all today, beautifully captured by Katja and Simon in the floating city of Venice and inspired by Renaissance art, nature and ways of cultivating joy for all of the people involved…
The entire wedding was conceived for the joy of our guests, to make them happy and we wanted it to be dreamy. So each hour of the day was thought as a moving painting on waters envisioned by Pauline.
Pauline and Oliver
Pauline and Oliver said I do at three different locations in Venice. Two steeped in Venetian Gothic tradition and the third with a modern party vibe.
Pauline is a sculptor and her passion of art is infused beautifully with every aspect of their day. For example, her wedding dress, which she designed and made, came with a free flowing cape of 16 hand painted flower bouquets, inspired by the Boticelli painting of Spring. Their flowers, ripe with natural beauty, consisted of wild fruit garlands reminiscent of the Victory of the Virgin Mary by Renaissance painter Mantegna. We just love how Pauline and Oliver have poured their hearts, passions and love into their wedding day and we couldn’t think of a better place for them to get married than the beautiful canvas of Venice.
Pauline and Oliver share with us more details on their absolutely beautiful wedding day.
A Love Story…
Pauline: I am a sculptor and I often organise parties at my studio. Friends of friends are always welcomed and a friend of ours came with Olivier on that evening.
We saw each other again a few months later and it was the first time I had the feeling of being with a real man – kind, true, loving and strong who would protect me. We started dating times later. Olivier has the purest heart and is a real knight-servant coming out of a fairytale with whom everything is possible.
Olivier: I remember exactly the day I met Pauline for the first time. I can visualize the scene with details, Pauline standing in her artist studio in the middle of the crowd and her art pieces. She was glowing, smiling and full of passion, guiding the crowd through her personal work. I was immediately charmed. I wanted her to notice me. It took some time… But today I am happy she did.
Miraculous Light and Symbolism of Rebirth…
We chose to get married in Venice for our religious ceremony because for our civil wedding we got married in Vegas with close friends. So for the church we wanted a formal place that would fulfill our romantic aspirations as opposed to the never ending party that had been going on in Las Vegas.
The entire wedding was conceived for the joy of our guests, to make them happy and we wanted it to be dreamy. So each hour of the day was thought as a moving painting on waters envisioned by Pauline.
Santa Maria dei Miracoli was the church that we chose because it is showered with a miraculous light on the afternoons. We loved also its Renaissance architecture and simplicity and we thought that the symbolism of rebirth was nice for the wedding.
A detail that we liked in particular during the ceremony was the coronation of the spouses with flower crowns. The ritual has been lost for decades, but ask your priest to include it. It really gave a poetic touch and an even more rooted-to-the-traditions touch to our ceremony.
We Chose An Artist…
We didn’t choose a photographer. We chose an artist, as only an artist could render the complexity of a wedding with spirit and soul like Katja & Simon Avbar.
We also liked that Simon was Slovenian. Pauline is Colombian and has Jewish/Polish roots. We love everything melting-pot, as we had a lot of friends from abroad that came to our wedding also: France of course, but also China, Colombia, England, Greece, Germany, United-states, Sweden, Turkey, Saoudi Arabia and also from Rome, Naples, Florence, Sienna, etc. We both wanted to bring diversity and different cultures together for our wedding day.
A Bespoke Dress Inspired By Boticelli’s Spring…
As an artist I had a vision of almost everything and every detail of the wedding! I created some elements with artisans.
I had a vivid vision of the dress I wanted: a fluid design with puffy sleeves falling off my shoulders, and paintings of flowers on my cape (inspired by the Boticelli painting of Spring) which I painted. It took 140 hours to finish the 16 bouquets that I copied from the character of Flora from the Painting.
I had never painted on fabric and was nervous about dropping paint on the white fabric and stain it. It was a surprise to me when I finished it without ruining it. It was also a big surprise to Olivier on the big day as I had kept it a secret till the very last minute!
For the shoes also I had a very clear idea of the triangular line, the pearl satin fabric and the low heals. I found the House Chamberlan which does tailored shoes and which accepted to create the pair I had envisioned.
Traditional Jaquette in Pearl Grey…
Concerning Olivier’s attire, I knew he should be wearing the traditional jaquette we pull out in our old families. But I wanted it to be in a very light grey pearl colour in order to reflect the marvelous and very unique light of Venice that comes from the light reflections on the Mediterranean sea.
An Iconic Reception Venue…
From the church our guests were brought to the reception with boats that we had reserved. On our side we traveled through the little canals with a gondola to Palazzo Ca’ Rezzonico.
When we found on the bank of the Grand Canale, this majestic Palace and its stunning ballroom covered in frescos, we knew this was the place. But dancing isn’t allowed in most palaces in Venice because of their fragility, so we found right in front of our palace in the other bank of the canal Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi which is specifically designed for parties with its very contemporary lines and materials! After dinner our guests just had to jump onto the boats we had rented to go from one bank to another bank and arrive at Teatrino.
We loved the sharp contrast between the ancient architecture of Ca’ Rezzonico and the avant-garde style of Teatrino. It well represents us bothe: rooted in cultural traditions and art but looking towards the future and open to modernity and change.
Floral Displays Inspired By Art
We wanted to convey our attachment to nature also during that day and our florist in that sense was a real artist who immediately understood our desire for organic, wild compositions, with wild fruits still attached to their branches and leaves.
Together we imagined the garlands for the church based on the painting of the Victory of the Virgin Mary by Renaissance painter Mantegna. The compositions for the dinner tables were inspired of several paintings of flowers and fruits still-lives. And the bouquete was made of olive branches, an homage to the groom, Olivier (who’s name means “olive tree” in French).
Vibrant, Playful Music…
The party at Teatrino was made unforgettable thanks to our amazing dj and the saxophonist who gave so much energy and such a positive vibe to any party they come to. The musician plays over the dj sets; it creates a vibrant and playful atmosphere between the game of the saxophone and the dj’s mix of songs!
Marco is the saxophonist whom we met at a party in the train station of Florence that had been privatized for the occasion by a friend of ours.
Favourite Moment…
Our favorite moment was mass! A violinist and a cello player performed an amazing selection of melodies, from Mozart to the Ave Maria… it participated to create an elevation of the souls and a moment of grace.
Finally, for the dinner we baptized the tables with love poems instead of nicknames. A poem decorated each table. It brought a meaningful and romantic touch to each table, while a butler service was arranged to guide the guests to their seats.
Any Advice?
1. It is your big day. Make it entirely yours. It should be all about your couple. Be bold and say what you are and want. Create something that resembles you.
2. Keep some traditions and do break others
3. Bargain everything from the vendors to the venues, etc.
4. Don’t be cheap on the DJ because he is the one that will put the dance floor on fire on that evening!
5. And don’t be cheap on the photographer neither (how many friends have we heard saying that they hated their wedding photos?)
6. People should leave the wedding well fed and a little tips. Feed them well.
7. Be prepared for high levels of stress and have some passiflore homeopathy ready for the moments of tensions (because let’s be true, there will be moments of stress my friend).
8. Take a week or two before the wedding to be well rested for the D day!
9. And last but not list: less is more. Keep in mind that « too much » is the worst faux pas that you want to avoid. Staying down to earth helped creating a unique day that wasn’t a carnival, but a wedding.
The Line Up…
Photography: Katja & Simon; Ceremony Venue: Santa Maria dei Miracoli; Reception Venue + Catering: Palazzo du Ca’ Rezzonico; Party Venue: Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi; Ceremony Music: Dream Capsule; Flowers: Dogaressa Flowers; Bride’s Dress: Bespoke By Pauline; Bride’s Shoes: House Chamberlan; Groom’s Attire: Tailored by Lagonda; Saxophonist: Marco Caponi; DJ’s: Remo Giugni DJ & Alexandra
That is such a beautiful place for a wedding! I love the detail on the walls of that reception hall.