Fun and light elopement at the heart of Rome on a cold January
My wife and I got married at Rome, Italy on Jan. 3, 2023. Mary from Peach Perfect made our dream wedding a reality. We were skeptical at the beginning to do an elopement wedding by ourselves with no family members but Mary and her team in Italy made us feel welcomed and truly shared our excitement for our wedding. Our package included makeup/hairstylist, officiant, violinist, photographer, vintage wedding car, and full wedding planner service. ITS ALL WORTH IT. Our wedding officiant Alessia and photographer Viviana did an amazing/speechless/marvelous job on our wedding day. The makeup artist/hairstylist LauraCoco work on my wife was perfect, my wife was super happy. Their passion and love for their work made us feel at ease and a day to cherish for the rest of our lives. Thanks Peach Perfect for your services and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for destination weddings!
Emmanuel and Leslie’s Italian elopement
We love this amazing journey of Emmanuel and Leslie of finding new friends when they got married in Italy. No doubt, it's scary to fly to a new destination, more so, to tie the knot there without any family or friends to help out. But for our couple here, their leap of faith introduced them to new relationships that had given them confidence about their awesome destination elopement in Italy.
What started as a bold decision to marry in a foreign country transformed into something far more meaningful—a celebration that proved love creates its own community, even thousands of miles from home.
Their story is a testament to the magic that happens when you trust the journey and open your heart to new connections.
Why Rome stole their hearts
Emmanuel and Leslie had always dreamed of Italy. The history, the romance, the timeless beauty of Rome's ancient streets—it all called to them. When they started planning their elopement in Italy, they knew immediately that Rome was the only choice.
They wanted a wedding that felt significant, surrounded by thousands of years of history and architecture that had witnessed countless love stories before theirs. Rome offered exactly that—a city where every corner tells a story, where ancient monuments stand as eternal witnesses to the present moment.
For them, choosing Rome wasn't just about a beautiful backdrop. It was about connecting their love story to something larger, something timeless. They wanted to feel the weight of history around them as they made their own history together.
Planning their intimate Italian elopement
At first, Emmanuel and Leslie were not so sure about not bringing anyone to their elopement in Italy, but because they really prefer to have an intimate wedding with only the two of them in their dream destination (Rome), they finally decided to do this on their own, with the help of their wedding coordinator in Italy, Mary.
Their requests and preferences for the wedding were simple—peach and white orchids for the bouquet, a photographer to capture every special moment of their big day, help with the venue search and vendor communication, coordination on the day, a wedding car to take them from the villa where they would stay to the ceremony venue, and a fresh flower crown for Leslie.
Everything was set and every vendor booked long before their special day. Mary's expertise made the entire process seamless, even from across the ocean.
Three days of Roman adventures before "I do"
Emmanuel and Leslie arrived in Italy three days before the wedding to familiarize themselves with Rome and to have more time to enjoy the local scenes in this amazing Italian city. Those pre-wedding days became some of their most cherished memories.
They wandered through cobblestone streets, discovered hidden trattorias, and watched the sunset from the Spanish Steps. Without the pressure of entertaining guests or managing logistics, they could simply be present—holding hands as they explored, tasting authentic carbonara, and falling more in love with both Rome and each other.
Even after the wedding, Emmanuel and Leslie stayed in Italy two more days to maximize their trip to their favorite European country. That's the advantage of traveling to your wedding destination without any guests. You can focus on the two of them the whole time and enjoy visiting whatever place you want to see without any stress while traveling.
A terrace above the Imperial Fora
The historic places in Rome are some of the top reasons why they love this Italian city, and it's just right for them to choose this location as the venue for their special day. This historic spot in Rome is surrounded by the ruins of many ancient government buildings, and it's ideally located in central Rome.
It’s one of the wedding venues in Italy that offered something extraordinary — an elevated view of the Imperial Fora, where ancient Rome's political and social life once thrived. It was originally a marketplace when it was built in the ancient times where people gathered to buy and trade, to hold religious ceremonies, elections, and to have intelligent discourses in public events.
Until now, you will see the remains of the markets, the temples, and impressive monuments here. There's the Senate house called Curia Julia, the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, the oldest and arguably the most prominent of all, the Temple of Saturn, and many more.
Elopement for two with ancient Rome watching
All of these historic monuments were in full view when Emmanuel and Leslie said their I dos on the terrace of the venue. The ceremony space felt suspended between past and present—modern love celebrated in a place where civilization itself had been shaped.
The Temple of Saturn stood proudly in the background, its columns reaching toward the brilliant blue sky. The winter sun cast golden light across the ancient stones, creating a warmth that defied the January chill. As they exchanged vows, Emmanuel and Leslie felt the magnitude of the moment—their private promise witnessed by ruins that had stood for millennia.
It was intimate, profound, and utterly unforgettable. Just the two of them, their carefully chosen vendors, and the weight of history surrounding them in the most beautiful way imaginable.
The team that became family
The ceremony was the couple's favorite part of their wedding day because it's when they felt mostly taken care of by their newfound friends. Even before they reached the venue, they felt the professionalism and the wonderful company of their makeup artist and hairstylist, Laura Coco, who did not just make Leslie look stunning, but even made her feel comfortable and relaxed at the start of the day.
Upon reaching the venue, they were assisted wonderfully by the ceremony officiant, Alessia, and they couldn't forget how their photographer, Viviana did a marvelous job capturing their special moments with ease and happiness. To add to their already perfect ceremony was their talented violinist Giulia Emirio whose enchanting music filled the air with magic and splendor!
These weren't just vendors—they became the witnesses and supporters Emmanuel and Leslie didn't know they needed. Each person brought warmth, professionalism, and genuine joy to the celebration.
A Roman holiday photoshoot from Piazza Navona to the Colosseum
The best highlight of the couple's destination wedding in Italy was the photoshoot that followed after the ceremony. Riding the wedding car they rented for the day, Emmanuel and Leslie went to the different tourist spots in Rome.
From Piazza Navona, the Trevi fountain, to the carousel nearby, and the Colosseum, their photographer snapped some shots of these memorable moments. Each location told a different chapter of their love story - playful at the carousel, romantic at the fountain, powerful against the ancient amphitheater.
The photoshoot went on until sunset, and it was certainly a day to remember. As golden hour painted Rome in warm hues, they walked through the city as newlyweds, their photographer capturing not just poses, but genuine moments of joy, laughter, and the overwhelming happiness of finally being married.
This wasn't just a wedding day - it was a Roman adventure, a celebration of love across continents, and proof that sometimes the best decision is to follow your heart, even if it leads you halfway around the world.
