1. Real Weddings

An Italian-Inspired Villa Wedding at a Private Residence in Malibu, California

Italy meets California at this elegant villa wedding, located right along the beaches of Malibu! Since Kim Rudy (30 and a interior designer) met Massi

Italy meets California at this elegant villa wedding, located right along the beaches of Malibu! Since Kim Rudy (30 and a interior designer) met Massimo Serani (38 and a soccer coach/entrepreneur) in the ancient city of Rome, Italy, they wanted to incorporate elements of where they fell in love into their wedding day. The intimate ceremony took place on the beach and their reception was at the Italian-inspired villa located nearby, with all moments captured by Fairy Tale Photography. Kim picked out an ivory sweetheart neckline wedding dress made by an Italian fashion designer, quite literally wearing the love she has for Italy on her sleeve. The dress had a crystal-accented bodice and a fit and flare style. The cocktail hour was held near built-in pools filled with water at the villa venue, where Italian-inspired appetizers were passed around while guests sipped on their drinks from the bar, one of which being a themed cocktail. “We had an Italian cocktail as the drink of choice, Aperol Spritz, along with a full bar,” Kim says. “We had Italian-inspired appetizers, such as caprese sticks, prosciutto and melon, salami, sausages, cheese, fruits and nuts—all put together for us by a personal chef.” Since Massimo’s family was from Columbia and Kim’s family was from Wisconsin, they served Colombian coffee candies, Wisconsin cheese curds and Italian Baci chocolate for dessert to celebrate all three cultures.

Silver Wedding Rings in Succulent
Kim wore a pair of ivory heels with an open toe that tied around the ankles, purchased from DSW.
Kim held a soft bouquet of coral roses, ivory dahlias, lotus pods and hypericum berries.
Massimo wore an ivory rose boutonniere accented with silver brunia and grass, wrapped with yarn and rope.
"We found an amazing Italian inspired villa in Malibu, located about a mile from the beach where we had the actual ceremony," Kim says.
Kim and Massimo shared their first kiss with a backdrop of the ocean. Kim wore a single ivory flower in her updo hairstyle on the wedding day.
For the guys, I wanted to keep things casually elegant, so we went with khaki colored suits," Kim says. "Massimo's was a three-piece suit and his best man wore a suit that he found in Florida. They almost matched perfectly!"
Elegant Dangling Earrings and Flower Hairpin
The cocktail hour took place outside at the Italian-styled villa, where cocktail tables were set up around built-in pools filled with water and string lights hung from above.
Tall glass cylinder vases were filled almost to the top with sand, and a peach rose stuck up from the top.
The three-tiered ivory wedding cake was intricately decorated with silver and gold beads. The cake was decorated with coral dahlias on the side.
Braided Updo Hairstyle on Bride