PHOTOGRAPHY: SANDY AND ODYSSEAS | WEDDING PLANNER: The Tuscan Wedding | Venue: Villa Valentini Bonaparte | VideograpHy: Vertigo Wedding Films | Florist: Il Giardino delle Fate | MUA: Cherie Spisso | Stationery: The Wedding Letters | Band: Musica Evento | DJ: Matthew Dj | Lights: Wedding Music and Lights | Catering and cake: Preludio | Fireworks: Pirotecnica Soldi | Dance Studio: Fred Astaire Dance Studio | Wedding Dress: The Dress Theory San Diego | Bridal Shoes: Mime et Moi | Jewelry: Melanie Casey + Kendra Scott | Veil + Alterations: Veiled Beauty | Groom suit: MuddHouse by Saima Rana | Groom shoes: Magnanni | Wedding rings: Melanie Casey (hers) + Ring Concierge (his)

Tuscany Italy, Villa Valentini Bonaparte

Ayesha & Asad

〝We were truly blown away by Sandy and Odysseas! They are such a talented, personable, friendly team who went above and beyond for our wedding〞

〝Not only were the photographs absolutely stunning, they were such a joy to work with throughout our multi-day event because they made us feel at ease in front of the camera and created space for us to have fun as we went.

We honestly can’t recommend Sandy and Odysseas enough. They managed to capture every single important moment perfectly, but also captured the precious, in-between moments so beautifully that those have quickly become our favorites.

We will always treasure these gorgeous photos and their ability to transport us back to our magical wedding, but we will also be forever grateful to Sandy and Odysseas for their friendship and hope to be reunited someday!〞

Fusing three cultures into your vows can only come as beautiful as this super-romantic, interfaith Luxury Wedding At Villa Valentini Bonaparte in one of Perugia’s most opulent villas!

When Ayesha and Asad asked us to be their destination wedding photographers we did the happy dance, considering ourselves so lucky to have such a sweet and kind couple! When we realized they were planning to meld their multiple traditions, cultural elements, and their hearts’ content in the wedding weekend we got ecstatic! There’s nothing to beat the beauty of multifold interfaith I do’s which bring together the most beautiful parts and customs from all worlds. The beautiful couple jetted off to Italy, for their Umbria Luxury Wedding and specifically the region of Castiglione del Lago. They flew their beloved family and friends to Villa Valentini Bonaparte, and asked Pepper – the cutest pupper ever- to be their ring bearer. See it all below and while at it read all the good stuff right from our bride’s pen (well, keyboard).

LOVE SCIENCE

Asad and I met during our first year at UCSD. In the first couple weeks of the quarter, he sat behind me and noticed me because of my curly hair. A few days later, he came up with an excuse to talk to me in the computer science labs by asking me about the details of our programming assignment. And then the rest is history! We became study buddies and lab partners and eventually started dating a few months later. We then spent the rest of college together and moved up to San Francisco after graduation, where we adopted Pepper. The dates of our wedding actually worked out quite poetically, as it marked ten years from the day he first saw me in that fateful computer science class.

AN ITALOPHILE COUPLE

Sometime during our 2nd or 3rd year of dating, Asad and I talked about having a Tuscan countryside wedding one day. We’ve always loved traveling, and knew, even early on, that we’d love to bring our international family together for a multi-cultural, destination wedding. When it came time to actually start planning our wedding, Italy still felt like the natural choice. We loved the food, the culture, the atmosphere, the scenery, and the idea of giving our friends and family a beautiful adventure abroad in our Umbria Luxury Wedding.

THE WEDDING AT VILLA VALENTINI BONAPARTE

Our final day was a more traditional Umbria Luxury Wedding ceremony and reception. Villa Valentini Bonaparte had a gorgeous “enchanted forest” that we fell in love with through pictures, so when we saw our ceremony set up among the trees in such an intimate setting, we knew we made the right choice. Everything about that day turned out even better than expected, from the incredible aperitif hour with such a talented band creating the perfect atmosphere to the picture-perfect reception setup in the orangerie where we partied and danced all night long.

A SUPRRISE SHOW

What really took the cake though was the surprise firework show that my husband had coordinated (behind my back) with our amazing wedding planner, Daniela. They kicked off just as we had finished cutting the cake, and I still can’t get over how stunned everyone was, including myself. It was all truly magical, and a moment we’ll always look back on with huge smiles.

STYLING THE WEDDING

For our Umbria Luxury Wedding day, we went more subdued and elegant, allowing the incredible venue to shine. Our enchanted forest ceremony was framed by a gorgeous asymmetric, broken arch, and the reception incorporated lots of greenery, candles, and chandeliers. One of our favorite little extra touches was a custom logo with our initials that was projected onto the dance floor all night.

VILLA VALENTINI BONAPARTE WEDDING FLOWERS

For our ceremony, I knew I wanted a less traditional backdrop that didn’t compete with the forest setting, so I chose an asymmetric, broken arch, which the florists at Il Giardino delle Fate created beautifully. We also had the arch moved to our reception space, where it created a beautiful framing at the entrance to the space. For the reception centerpieces, we did a mixture of greenery, light pink, white, and burgundy flowers, and candles, which perfectly complemented the table setting and menus. I was initially on the fence about whether or not to have a bridal bouquet, but in the end I’m so glad I did. It was a gorgeous arrangement that complemented both my dress and the surrounding scenery beautifully. I even packed it up in the car the day after and set it up in a vase in our Positano honeymoon suite so I could continue to enjoy it for a little bit longer.

OUR BRIDE’S FAVES

One of my absolute favorite parts of our Umbria Luxury Wedding was our first dance. I had successfully convinced Asad to do an upbeat, choreographed first dance, so we started working with an amazing ballroom choreographer, Valeria, to create an elegant yet energetic dance to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes off You. The dance involved lifts, spins, and lots of energy, so Asad and I practiced for months ahead of the big day. On the day of, despite our best intentions, we never got a chance to practice one last time, so we were relieved when we got through it all in one piece without falling on the incredibly slippery dance floor. In the end, we pulled it off beautifully, and it was definitely a highlight of the evening.

Umbria Luxury Wedding At Villa Valentini Bonaparte Umbria Luxury Wedding At Villa Valentini Bonaparte

Bride

From the

MOST ANTICIPATED MOMENT

How we met and the proposal

Asad and I met during our first year at UCSD. In the first couple weeks of the quarter, he sat behind me and noticed me because of my curly hair. A few days later, he came up with an excuse to talk to me in the computer science labs by asking me about the details of our programming assignment. And then the rest is history! We became study buddies and lab partners and eventually started dating a few months later. We then spent the rest of college together and moved up to San Francisco after graduation, where we adopted Pepper. The dates of our wedding actually worked out quite poetically, as it marked ten years from the day he first saw me in that fateful computer science class.

The proposal was a rather clever ruse designed by Asad. In December of 2019, Asad and I traveled to Canada for a conference in Montreal and some wintery vacation time in Quebec. While we were in Montreal, Asad mentioned that he had booked us a tour of the hotel in Quebec (on our 8 year anniversary) that would let us see other parts of the building that you wouldn't normally get to see. He forwarded the email that the concierge had sent with details about the tour, like "The visit will last between 50 to 60 minutes and includes an outside portion of about 15 to 20 minutes".

The day of the tour came and we walked up to the edge of the citadel and started waiting for the tour guide. Around 3, a guy walked up with a sign that said "Frontenac Guided tours" and we introduced ourselves. He said we were the only ones to brave the weather so it would just be us on the tour. He had big cameras with him, and mentioned that he likes to take photos while on the tour. Asad suggested we start with a photo, so I went up to the railing and then Asad joined me and that's when he proposed! Turns out our "tour guide" was really a professional photographer, so we spent the next hour wandering the city and the Christkindlmarkt taking photos (in -7º F!). I later learned Asad had created a fake email address and copied the signature from the hotel's concierge in an effort to increase the validity of his plan.

The funny part, though, is that I had accidentally found the ring box back in San Francisco before we left for that trip, so I knew something was going to happen, but had to act like I didn’t the entire trip. I didn’t tell Asad this little detail until our wedding vows, and now we look back on all the little moments leading up to the proposal and laugh together at how it all came together so well.

There are two moments that come to mind. For our Mehndi, we were both incredibly excited to see our sisters and friends perform the dances they had choreographed. We had successfully avoided any spoilers about the music choices or the dances themselves, and when it came time to perform, they all blew us away. We hadn’t realized just how dance-inclined our friends and family were, and it meant so much to me and Asad that they were willing to go out of their way to create this special moment for us.

For our wedding day, everyone in attendance was looking forward to one particular thing: the moment when our pup, Pepper, would act as ring bearer and walk the rings down the aisle unsupervised. We had practiced a little bit in the hallways of our apartment before the big day, but we had no clue how she would react in a new environment with so many adoring fans around. But in true Pepper fashion, she pulled it off with ease, prancing down the aisle straight to Asad to deliver the precious cargo. She is truly our little fur-baby, so incorporating her into the wedding was non-negotiable from the start, and I’m so glad it worked out.

Our Wedding looks

We were fortunate enough to work with Asad’s aunt, Saima, and her daughter, Minhal, to create custom outfits for the Mehndi, since they run a fashion house in Pakistan. We met multiple times over the course of a year via video chat to create my Lehenga and Asad’s two suits. For my Lehenga, I knew I wanted it to be some form of teal (both mine and Asad’s favorite color) with enough detail and bead work to fit the occasion while being light enough to wear for hours without getting uncomfortable. I also really love pearls, so I wanted to incorporate them into the outfit in some way. After a few conversations, Saima and Minhal designed my dream outfit in the perfect mint color with a stunning back made of strings of pearls and paired it with a rose-colored dupatta. From there, they created Asad’s white “prince jacket” to match, with a hand-painted, floral design that complemented the colors in my Lehenga perfectly.

For the wedding, I envisioned our outfits having a bit of a rose gold and navy theme, so Asad’s suit was created out of a gorgeous deep-navy, embossed fabric with sequin detailing at the collar and sleeves that perfectly complemented my wedding dress, which was covered top to bottom in white, shimmery sequins in a geometric, art-deco style pattern. I knew I wanted a unique, more modern dress for the big day, and this one did not disappoint. I paired it with rose gold heels whose straps mirrored the pattern in my dress, and rose gold earrings that complemented both the dress and my rose-gold engagement and wedding rings. Asad paired his suit with gorgeous Italian leather shoes that looked like they were carved from wood and a light pink pocket square that matched the pinks in my outfit.

Why we chose Tuscany Italy

Sometime during our 2nd or 3rd year of dating, Asad and I talked about having a Tuscan countryside wedding one day. We’ve always loved traveling, and knew, even early on, that we’d love to bring our international family together for a multi-cultural, destination wedding. When it came time to actually start planning our wedding, Italy still felt like the natural choice. We loved the food, the culture, the atmosphere, the scenery, and the idea of giving our friends and family a beautiful adventure abroad.

Since everyone would already be traveling, we decided to spread out the events over three days so that we would have quality time to spend with all of our guests. We started out with a classic Italian pizza party where our guests could casually meet each other, enjoy delicious gelato, and get henna done in anticipation of our second event, the Mehndi. Since my husband is Pakistani and I’m half Indian, we knew we wanted to incorporate some traditions from those cultures into our wedding. So for our second day, we held a Mehndi, which started out with a Dholak player who kicked off the party by leading us down to the amphitheater where a gorgeous stage had been set up for dancing. One of the most special moments of this day was watching our sisters and friends perform dances that they had choreographed and practiced together for months. We even ended with an impromptu performance that got everyone on their feet dancing before heading to dinner. The Mehndi then ended with even more dancing (albeit less coordinated post-limoncello) and toasts by friends that had everyone in tears.

Our final day was a more traditional wedding ceremony and reception. Villa Valentini Bonaparte had a gorgeous “enchanted forest” that we fell in love with through pictures, so when we saw our ceremony set up among the trees in such an intimate setting, we knew we made the right choice. Everything about that day turned out even better than expected, from the incredible aperitif hour with such a talented band creating the perfect atmosphere to the picture-perfect reception setup in the orangerie where we partied and danced all night long. What really took the cake though was the surprise firework show that my husband had coordinated (behind my back) with our amazing wedding planner, Daniela. They kicked off just as we had finished cutting the cake, and I still can’t get over how stunned everyone was, including myself. It was all truly magical, and a moment we’ll always look back on with huge smiles.

SPECIAL MOMENTS OF THE WEDDING

Most personal of all was having our dog Pepper bring our rings down the aisle, which was probably the sole reason some of our guests attended!

One of my absolute favorite parts of the wedding was our first dance. I had successfully convinced Asad to do an upbeat, choreographed first dance, so we started working with an amazing ballroom choreographer, Valeria, to create an elegant yet energetic dance to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes off You. The dance involved lifts, spins, and lots of energy, so Asad and I practiced for months ahead of the big day. On the day of, despite our best intentions, we never got a chance to practice one last time, so we were relieved when we got through it all in one piece without falling on the incredibly slippery dance floor. In the end, we pulled it off beautifully, and it was definitely a highlight of the evening.

For our wedding, we were fortunate enough to have one of our closest friends, who watched us grow as a couple from year one, officiate the ceremony. She made it such an authentic, personal experience that we will be forever grateful for. For our reception, the artwork for the table layout, which represented some of our favorite cities we had traveled to together, was drawn and painted by Asad’s very talented niece.

Advice to other couples

Our advice would be to enjoy the planning process just as much as the wedding itself. We had fun picking out songs and viewing photo galleries and choosing outfits and accessories together, and I personally really miss planning our wedding! Another piece of advice for anyone planning a destination wedding is to hire a wedding planner. Don’t think about it, just do it.

There is absolutely no way we would have been able to pull off this event without the amazing team of planners at The Tuscan Wedding. And lastly, if you’re worried about having a destination wedding because of your guests, do whatever will make you and your partner happiest, and the rest will fall into place.

As for marriage advice: continue making each other happy whenever you can, however you can, and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Décor and florals

With a venue as stunning as Villa Valentini Bonaparte, we knew we wouldn’t have to add too much extra decor to create an incredible experience. For the Mehndi, we wanted things to be bold and colorful, so we used vibrant pillows and fabrics in the amphitheater along with a vivid coral, teal, and gold palette for the dinner setting. We also added lots of fairy lights to create a beautiful evening under the stars.

For our wedding day, we went more subdued and elegant, allowing the incredible venue to shine. Our enchanted forest ceremony was framed by a gorgeous asymmetric, broken arch, and the reception incorporated lots of greenery, candles, and chandeliers. One of our favorite little extra touches was a custom logo with our initials that was projected onto the dance floor all night.

In terms of DIY, one of our favorite parts of our reception decor was the hand-painted drawings Asad’s niece, Amal, created for each of the locations we used to label our tables. The locations were all places we had traveled together as a couple, so we sent her the names and a rough idea of colors, and she blew us away with her talent. To top it all off, our amazing wedding planner, Daniela, found the perfect antique desk to display them on at the entrance to the reception, so the combined effect was both gorgeous and highly personal.

Mehndis are typically colorful and vibrant, so we wanted to use florals to help add to that effect. We incorporated bright, colorful flowers on strings as the backdrop for our seating, while the dinner table was adorned with gold bird cages filled with vivid pink, orange, red and yellow flowers. In the end, the table setting was absolutely gorgeous and one of my favorite parts of the whole wedding.

For our ceremony, I knew I wanted a less traditional backdrop that didn’t compete with the forest setting, so I chose an asymmetric, broken arch, which the florists at Il Giardino delle Fate created beautifully. We also had the arch moved to our reception space, where it created a beautiful framing at the entrance to the space. For the reception centerpieces, we did a mixture of greenery, light pink, white, and burgundy flowers, and candles, which perfectly complemented the table setting and menus.

I was initially on the fence about whether or not to have a bridal bouquet, but in the end I’m so glad I did. It was a gorgeous arrangement that complemented both my dress and the surrounding scenery beautifully. I even packed it up in the car the day after and set it up in a vase in our Positano honeymoon suite so I could continue to enjoy it for a little bit longer.

SANDY AND ODYSSEAS

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