Jennifer: Mark and I met about 5 years ago through the live music scene here in Austin. A friend of mine was in a band with him and introduced us at one of their shows. We shared a mutual love for late night waffles and would go out to shows, dance, drink and be merry until the wee hours of the morning .
Saja: How/why did you chose this location for your wedding?
Jennifer: We always knew we didn’t want a traditional wedding and have both always been interested in a destination wedding. I started a search for a large venue that could potentially accommodate our whole wedding party overnight that way no one would have to travel on the day of our wedding. I found Palazzo Massarucci online and really fell in love with the rustic nature of the castle and the beautiful surroundings. It ended up being the perfect size to accommodate all guests as well.
Saja: Were there any quirks to planning your wedding at a castle rather than a traditional venue?
Jennifer: We were very attracted to having our wedding at a venue out in the countryside and not in a hotel or resort like the normal destination wedding. It poses a much greater challenge however as there was no one on staff there to help plan. The castle was literally a castle out on the top of a mountain in the country, so we had to be creative with planning and trust that the service providers would show up and have our best interests at heart. The biggest curveball we came across was underestimating the travel to the castle. I was a little naive about traveling through the italian countryside. We are from Austin TX so we are used to driving through the country, however, we were not prepared at all for a trek through the italian countryside- winding gravel roads on the side of the hills, one lane for two way traffic, no street lights etc. Other than that there were just your general quirks that come along with being in a very old building.
Saja: What was your favorite part of the day?
Jennifer: My favorite part of the day was the FOOD!! There is a restaurant that is literally outside the castle gates. They provided dinner and we had told them just to make whatever they wanted. Needless to say, the food was incredible- the feast lasted almost 4 hours and they just continued to bring out all sorts of appetizers, salads, meats, wine, and ended with an amazing wedding cake filled with fresh berries!
Saja: Do you have any advice for brides planning their wedding at an “exotic” venue?
Jennifer: Don’t be too concerned with all of the details. The more details and specifics you demand the more chances you have of things going wrong. I loved that we left the menu, dinnerware, drinks, etc. up to the restaurant, and we left the music choices up to the musician- they are the professionals and they know what they are doing. Also, if you have never been to the location, try and make your start time flexible. We had originally planned on a 3pm wedding, however we noticed the day before that the sun would have been right in our faces at 3pm. Luckily since all of our guests were staying on site, it was easy for us to bump the time back to 3:45. *Flexibility is KEY*- if you are type A this may not be for you!
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