Max and Ray in the Aura Gown
Max and Ray’s Tuscan elopement was intimate, personal, and full of emotion, a celebration among Italy’s hills that perfectly captured their authentic love.
It All Started with a Note from a Neighbour
Sometimes love arrives suddenly, or, in Max and Ray’s case, upstairs. When Max moved into the apartment above Ray’s, she couldn’t have imagined that the stranger behind the window note (“Call if you need us to move the car”) would one day become her husband. “When I had to call them to move their car, I turned to my roommate and joked, ‘Imagine if this is my husband,’” she recalls. Two weeks later, the joke turned into something far more lasting. They began dating, and, four years on, are inseparable.
It was in Lake Como, beneath a full moon, that Max asked Ray to be his wife. “The moon’s reflection was cascading over the entire lake, and we were talking about how authentic and right it felt to be exactly where we were,” she shares. In that quiet moment, he gave a heartfelt speech and proposed. “It was perfect for us.”
A Private Tuscany Elopement in Montepulciano
The couple chose to elope in Tuscany, just the two of them. At Lupaia, a quaint villa located in the hills of Montepulciano, they exchanged personal vows privately in the garden, surrounded only by nature. “It wasn’t a moment to document; it was a moment to feel connected and secure,” she says. “We realised we’d mentioned the same things and had a similar tone to our stories, which just made the whole experience even more validating, showing how in sync and in love we are.”
Her advice to other couples would be to live in the moment. “Don’t worry about what you feel like you need to do; just experience the day with your partner. It’s about the two of you and no one else.”
An Effortless Bridal Look
Finding ‘The One’ for Ray was a journey. “I really struggled finding a wedding dress that felt like me,” she admits. “I wanted to feel like my authentic self, not a version of myself that would only come to fruition on one day.” Then she found Aura: a gown that was simple yet rich in detail, elevated by its textured satin fabric. “My dress was perfection. The material was hypnotising. It was exactly what I wanted when I didn’t even know what that would be.”
The bride’s Grace Loves Lace experience, she says, made it all the more memorable. “It was amazing, so thoughtful and caring. I went to the Boston location, and it was just me and my two friends in the boutique. The whole experience was by far the best wedding dress experience I’ve ever had. They truly made me feel like they were happy for me and my wedding.”
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