Weddings are never easy decisions. Well, deciding to marry the one you love usually isn’t a difficult decision, but exactly how to do it is a different story. Our gorgeous couple today, Kate and Brian, started planning a traditional wedding in Texas before changing their plans completely and eloping to Rome. We are thankful- if only for the completely selfish reason that we get to feature their beautiful elopement photos! I have to say, if this was my wedding I would have every single photo framed on the wall. More of the couple’s story and their decision to go for a destination wedding in Rome below.
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Surprise Engagement in Rome by Rochelle Cheever
Today we have a wonderful surprise engagement in Rome with stunning panoramas of the city. The groom-to-be planned the whole trip and even arranged for photographer Rochelle Cheever to secretly be on hand to capture the special moment and the subsequent celebrations…
Kunal had surprised Ami with the trip just a month prior and luckily, Kunal was able to “smuggle” the ring through the Vatican and Sistine Chapel just prior to the moment. Kunal and conferred with Rochelle in advance as to the best spot outside of the Castel Sant’Angelo, tucked away from the crowds of St Peter’s.


“When I turned to Kunal and saw him bend down on one knee, everything seemed to slow down. I will never forget how that moment felt like something I had read in a book – the Bridge of Angels stretching out to my left joining this bank to the Trastevere, the Dome of St Peter rising in the distance, the setting sun glinting off the cobbles on the street and the surface of the River Tiber on a cold, crisp and gloriously sunny February day. And then I promptly responded by bursting into tears!”




Rome, Italy ✈ Venue Spotlight
So after our wedding planning trip to Rome before our own wedding last year I thought I’d share some of the wonderful wedding venues we visited and today I am concentrating on the Piazza di Spagna, Spanish Steps, area in Rome’s city center.
The Spanish Steps is one of the most atmospheric and lively areas of Rome center. The elegant staircase consists of 137 steps over twelve different flights. It is especially beautiful in May, when it is overflowing with vibrant pink azaleas. The steps are usually very crowded, used as a gathering place for both locals and tourists.
If you’re looking for a city center location for your wedding it’s the perfect area to begin your search. I have three wonderful wedding venues to share with you today, so lets get started…
Hotel Hassler
Hotel Hassler is a beautiful hotel at the top of the Spanish Steps, very exclusive, with a garden room, the Palm Court, on the ground floor and a roof top terrace on the seventh floor both wedding reception venue options. The roof top terrace will take your breath away, the panoramic views are truly stunning and unmatched by any other views in Rome. The terrace fits max. 26 people seated and is ideal for a small intimate wedding or alternatively an arrival cocktail reception. Both locations are weather permitting, in case of unfavourable weather your wedding will be moved to one of their indoor sala, which are also very opulent. Other room options can cater for up to 100 seated and up to 200 cocktail party.
Images Sourced from Hotel Hassler
Read more…
A Destination Wedding In Skåne, Sweden’s Toscana, by Adorable Moments
We’re back in Sweden today… Peter and Linda’s wedding was a 3 day weekend affair with both them and their guests driving the 7 hour journey to Skåne in Southern Sweden (Sweden’s Tuscany) to celebrate.
None of us or any of our relatives or friends are from Skåne. I has always travelled there in the Summers together with my parents since I was a kid. Then when I met the Peter, we were both students and didn’t have a lot of money to see the world. Therefore we traveled there the first summer as a couple. We fell in love with the beautiful surroundings and fabulous restaurants, so we made it an yearly tradition to go to Skåne. And we always said that Skåne would be the place for us to get married! And so we did. All our guest had to make it a weekend to travel together with us to be a part of the wedding. That became a part of our theme – a travel to Sweden’s Toscana.

In the morning the bride had breakfast with her bridesmaids at Hedmans Pension near by the church, and the groom with the rest of the guests at Idala Gård (where the reception was held later in the day). The brides mother, Christina, and the grooms aunt, Leena, joined the bride at Hedmans Pension and was helping her get ready for the ceremony.
Linda did her own make-up, and Leena helped her with her hair. Linda said she was so nervous that her hands where shaking, so putting on the make-up took a whole lot longer than planned!
The best moment was when I was ready to put on my veil. We all cried some happy tears.
An Italian Lakeside Wedding near Rome by Rochelle Cheever
Today we’re heading to the beautiful regions of Albano and Frascati outside Rome for Jennifer and Ian’s Italian lakeside wedding beautifully captured by Rochelle Cheever . Jennifer and Ian traveled from Ireland with their friends and family in September 2011 to celebrate their wedding, their ceremony was held in the Civil Court at Municipality Hall of Albano Laziale…
We had a wedding planner, Alessia Merolli who helped us search for a Municipality Hall near to Frascati as we were staying there. As soon as I saw the pictures for the Municipality Hall of Albano Laziale I knew it was the place I wanted to be married. The Municipality Hall had that prestigious feel about it; it had a beautiful white marble staircase which I walked up before reaching the entrance of the ceremony. Inside the room it was the original design which was beautiful and the perfect setting for a wedding ceremony. The town dates back to the Roman Age and offered a lovely setting for our pictures.

Burcu & Erdinc’s Enchanting Rome Elopement by Rochelle Cheever
Considering running away just the two of you to get married? You might after seeing this enchanting Rome elopement!
As you might know I was married in Rome myself this Summer and have a real soft spot for Rome weddings. When Rochelle, Burcu and Erdinc’s very talented photographer, emailed me their wedding my heart melted…
Burcu and Erdinc met three years ago at work in Instanbul. They started dating a year ago and Erdinc proposed last May at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and wanted to marry somewhere as majestic. They are both in the field of marketing and have a lot in common. Both are very Elegant. They love to shop together, so Italy’s Dolce Vita, was a prefect Destination for their wedding.
Their very romantic wedding day began when they were married in the Turkish Embassy in Rome. After the ceremony they visited their favourite sites around Rome with Rochelle capturing every magical moment.
Rome Bride ✈ Get Me To The Church In Style!
Our Rome Bride, Pamela talks transport today. Just how will she get to the church in style?!
Next on our wedding list of thing to oragnise is transport. Although our hotel is only a short walk from the church we have decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to walk to the church in the middle of July under the evening sun, up hill! A melting bridal party is not a good look!
We’ve had great fun looking at all the possibilities but we are still undecided. One decision we have agreed on is that we want to choose an Italian automobile. Italy has produced such beautiful and iconic designs we think it would only be fitting. When in Rome…
So what are our options;
Vespa ✈ I originally had visions of Alan and his groomsmen rocking up to the church on three vintage Vespas, so cool! When I think of this option it just puts a smile on my face, unforgettable. It would make for amazing photographs and I think our guests would get a great kick out of it. Can you imagine anything more romantic, or Italian, than turning up to your wedding reception on the back of a Vespa, arms around your new hubby? We would love to be this brave, although a lovely idea in practice possibly not quite so practical, I would fear for our lives riding through Rome’s hectic traffic.
Photographs from happyrent.com
Alfa Romeo ✈ Alan is a big fan of the classic Alfa Romeo and I have to admit I love them too. Roof down, sunglasses on, head scarf blowing in the wind! The iconic Alfa Romeo is such a chic car and looks like it’s straight out of a movie set. A two seater car, I think it would be the perfect choice for a couple arriving to the church together.
Photograph from sprintage.it
Rome Bride ✈ The Eternal City! Our Engagement Shoot
I love Rome, I love the food, the culture, the art, the people and the sights, did I say I love the food! Myself and Alan travelled around Italy some years ago and really fell head over heels for the beautiful and romantic Eternal City, so when we got engaged it was the perfect destination choice for us to plan our wedding.
We were over in Rome on a wedding planning trip in September and thought what better place to have our engagement shoot!

Italy Bride ✈ Our Rome Wedding Plans
As my own Rome wedding plans were the inspiration for me to launch Fly Away Bride I thought it would be a good idea to fill you in on our plans, where we’ve come from and where we’re at now…
Myself an Alan met when I was 17 and he was 18! I know so young, and we’ve been together ever since. We were engaged in August 2008 after 10 years together and now our wedding is almost here, July 15th. We had planned from the very beginning to marry in Italy, we travelled around Italy one summer, inter-railing, when I was still in college and we both fell in love with the culture, the food and the people. We have been back a few times since and have loved every trip we’ve made. That summer we were in Italy is one I’ll always remember, it really was amazing.
So the big question was where in Italy? We looked at Tuscany, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and of course Rome. In the end we settled on Rome, for it’s unique character, amazing sites, ease of travel and well because we both just love Rome. I have always loved city weddings too.
Our next big decision was the guest list, were we going to have a very intimate wedding and maybe have a party on our return, a very large wedding or settle somewhere in the middle. Initially we decided on a very small wedding with only immediate family and a big party on our return home from our honeymoon, however our plans changed, as they do!






















































