The best mix of cultural and homespun, feast your eyes on this Italian wedding celebration.
Athena and Toni said I do in Mountain City, Tennessee. They opted to keep things intimate, hosting the big day at a spot that holds very special meaning.
“Athena’s mom and dad have a beautiful Italian restaurant — La Cucina Italian Kitchen — in the Blue Ridge mountains,” shares the couple. It was the perfect location that came with no lack of delicious detail.
All hands were on deck to help create the perfect gathering to witness the beautiful unity between Athena and Toni. While Athena’s dad cooked up a menu of mouth-watering Italian foods, her mother was able to get a variety of flowers from local vendors. She created most of the floral arrangements herself of which included Toni’s favorite, sunflowers.
Additionally, Toni sewed her own dress. From the extra material she even made Athena a pocket square which popped against the dark green suit. Together they looked stunning as they stood with the mountains as their backdrop after walking down the aisle together.
“Our ceremony was outside. We faced the mountain range behind Athena’s parents restaurant, Athena’s Ecuadorian cousin Nadine, who happened to be living with Athena’s parents that summer, officiated our wedding. She is a talented musician and actor so she made the ceremony extra special by holding it in both Spanish and English and performing a beautiful song for us.”
Following their vows, everyone enjoyed pasta and a traditional dessert.
“Athena’s dad made Crostata for our cake, a classic Italian dessert which is somewhat like a pie, a crust with delicious fruit filling, which is commonly made for all kinds of occasions. Athena’s Nonna would make crostata on birthdays and celebrations.”
Family-style celebrations really don’t get much better than this!
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