Alessia + Alessio’s dream wedding in Portofino

Portofino wedding for Italian couple, photography by Veronica Onofori — Photography by: Veronica Onofri

After 13 years together, Italian couple Alessia and Alessio celebrated their love with a wedding in the breathtaking coastal town of Portofino. Now based in Dubai, the childhood sweethearts always knew they would return to their roots for such a special occasion. The challenge was finding a venue that reflected both their life in Dubai and their deep connection to Italy. They found it in Villa Durazzo, a historic villa in Santa Margherita Ligure, which perfectly balanced their past with their future.

“We wanted to celebrate our special day with a sea view, somewhere that reminded us of our new home, Dubai, and Villa Durazzo was the perfect solution, with the Italian garden full of palm trees and statues, a beautiful view of the sea and an intimate setting to welcome our 80 guests.”

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The Engagement

“We both love the sea, and to make it special and unpredictable (I was waiting for 11 years for that ring, he had to find creative ways to surprise me!) Alessio proposed in the middle of the sea while we were kayaking together on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai: it was just him and I, the sea around us, it was such a special and intimate moment.”

Wedding at Villa Durazzo in Portofino, photography by Veronica Onofori

Was it always Italy?

“Italy is forever our home, we couldn’t choose a better place to get married. Even though half of the guests had to fly in from all over the world, Italy has this beauty everywhere you look that made it easy for us to take the decision.”

Wedding dress by Elisabetta Polignano, photography by Veronica Onofri

Stand out supplier?

“Veronica and Giandomenico, our photographers, were by far the best ones to guides us during our day. They captured unforgettable memories and they were extremely kind and mindful. We felt super at ease with them and we were able to enjoy every single moment without feeling any pressure at all to take photos.”

Where did you find inspiration?

“We used La Lista to find inspiration on theme and details. Showcasing real weddings is probably one of the strongest things that helped me getting inspired and making the right decisions.”

The Budget

“The whole wedding was around €80K, we went ~15% over our initial budget because, on top of the celebration and reception on Saturday, we hosted a rehearsal dinner with close family on the Friday night, and we organised a full day in a beach club exclusively for us and our guests.”

Any bumps in the road?

“Our wedding planner Stefania Guastini was really perfect, she handled everything in the best way, even when I chose mid way to change completely the full colour palette of the wedding, from colourful to all white and green. She was super flexible and she was able to understand since the beginning, and managed to create a unique and very personalised wedding with timeless elegance.”

Elegant table decor and white florals at Portofino wedding

Stand out Moment

“Our favourite moment of the day was probably when we cut the cake: our family and friends created a circle around this well that was on the back of the villa, decorated with flowers and candles, and they were all holding sparklers that were lighting up the night. It was such a magical moment, we arrived there after both changing our dress and tux, and we cut the cake with “A sky full of starts” from Coldplay on the background. It truly was magical!”

Fireworks at Villa Durrazo, dress by Milla Nova

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Alessia + Alessio’s dream wedding in Portofino

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