Cipriani wedding | summary
Photography by The Genovese Studio · thegenovesestudio.com
Some love stories don’t need a single venue. They need an entire city.
Charlotte and Martino didn’t plan a wedding. They planned four days in Venice — four days of ceremonies, celebrations, and the kind of moments that feel impossibly cinematic until you realize they actually happened. A civil ceremony in the rain at Palazzo Cavalli, a chic welcome party on a private island, a white-and-blush reception at Hotel Cipriani, an after-party draped in black velvet and red roses, and a final recovery beach day on the Lido. A love story that spans continents, told across the most beautiful city in the world.
We were there for all of it. And we wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.
How It Began: London, 2014
Charlotte and Martino first met in London in the autumn of 2014, while both were studying abroad through Fordham University. What started as a chance encounter between two New Yorkers on the other side of the world became, over the following decade, one of the great love stories we have had the privilege of documenting.
Back in Manhattan, they built a life together. In spring 2022, Martino brought Charlotte to Taormina, Sicily — to the ancient Greek Theatre overlooking the Ionian Sea — and asked her to marry him. Intimate, breathtaking, and deeply personal. The perfect beginning to their next chapter.
Venice was the only possible answer for the wedding. Martino had spent childhood summers at his grandmother’s home in the city. For him, Venice is not a destination — it is memory, family, and home. For Charlotte, it became all of those things too.
Day One: A Civil Ceremony in the Rain at Palazzo Cavalli
The celebrations began with an intimate civil ceremony at Palazzo Cavalli, one of Venice’s most beautiful Gothic palazzos perched directly on the Grand Canal.
Charlotte arrived in a crisp white Dolce & Gabbana suit, paired with bold red Prada pumps — a declaration of Italian fashion confidence as she married her Italian love. Martino wore a custom blue Suitsupply suit with classic Italian loafers. And then it rained.
Not every couple would choose to embrace a Venetian downpour. Charlotte and Martino did — laughing under umbrellas, reflected in the glossy stones of the calle, as though the city itself was celebrating with them. Some of our favorite frames from the entire weekend came from those few minutes in the rain. Venice, in its way, was giving them a gift.
Day Two: Italian Chic on San Servolo Island
The second evening took the celebration to San Servolo — a small private island in the lagoon — with anItalian Chic welcome cocktail party for their guests. We brought the Kodak rolls here too, and the light on the lagoon at that hour — warm, horizontal, impossibly golden — did exactly what film does best. Those frames have a quality that feels lifted from another decade, from a time when celebrations like this were simply called life.
Day Three: The Wedding at Hotel Cipriani
The Belmond Hotel Cipriani sits on the island of Giudecca, five minutes from St Mark’s Square by private launch. It is the most legendary hotel in Venice — opened in 1958, host to Elizabeth Taylor and Anna Wintour, keeper of a certain kind of privacy that the Grand Canal cannot offer. To arrive at the Cipriani by boat, as the city recedes behind you and the white facade comes into view, is to understand immediately why some places become icons.
Charlotte arrived for her ceremony in a romantic white lace Zuhair Murad gown with a dramatic veil, complemented by nude Amina Muaddi pumps. Martino wore a black Canali tuxedo with Prada velvet loafers. The ceremony space was pure sophistication — white roses arranged throughout by the talented Evelina Florence, rustic wooden chairs lining the aisle, a four-piece string quartet playing softly as guests took their seats.
The officiant — Martino’s cousin — conducted the ceremony in Italian. And when he announced “You may kiss the bride,” Martino responded with an unexpected dip that sent the room into delighted laughter. It is one of those unrepeatable moments that only happens when two people are completely, unapologetically themselves.
“Locking eyes while walking down the aisle, followed by an unexpected dip” — Charlotte and Martino describe it as one of the memories engraved in their hearts forever.
The Reception: White, Blush, and an Unforgettable Cake
The cocktail hour and dinner reception unfolded in the Cipriani’s legendary spaces in a palette of white, blush pink, and soft peach. Blush and pink florals cascaded across king tables and spilled from the bar, while a breathtaking floral installation stood behind the couple — an unforgettable centerpiece in an unforgettable room.
Candles flickered throughout, creating the intimacy that Charlotte and Martino had dreamed of. Between dinner courses, a live saxophonist serenaded the 120 guests as gondolas moved silently past the windows. We alternated between digital and film through the reception — the candlelight and the Kodak grain working together in a way that felt completely intentional, as though the room had been designed for exactly this.
The wedding cake — a mille-feuille decorated live at the table — became one of the most celebrated moments of the evening. “The most delicious cake of our lives,” the couple later told us.
The After-Party: Club Asaro
As midnight approached, the celebration transformed entirely. The after-party at Club Asaro traded blush roses for rich red and black velvet — a bold, glamorous shift that reflected the couple’s vibrant New York personalities. DJ Sam Young — London-based international DJ whose client list runs from George Clooney’s wedding to royal celebrations across Europe, from the BAFTA awards to the Laureus Sports ceremony in Monaco — brought the energy that only someone of his calibre can deliver. He had already set the tone at the San Servolo welcome party; at Club Asaro, he transformed the room entirely.
We had as much fun as anyone that night — Kodak in hand, chasing the light between velvet curtains and dance floor, laughing with Charlotte and Martino between frames. Some of the most alive photographs of the entire weekend came from those hours. “A sexy New York City club aesthetic” — in Venice, at midnight, after the most beautiful wedding day — this is the kind of contradiction that only works when the couple pulling it off truly knows who they are.
Day Four: A Beach Recovery at Hotel Excelsior, Lido
The weekend closed on the Lido — Venice’s hidden seaside strip — with a relaxed beach day at Hotel Excelsior. No photographers, no schedules. Just sun, friends, and the quiet satisfaction of a weekend that exceeded every expectation.
“Pure bliss,” Charlotte and Martino called it.
The Team Behind the Weekend
A celebration of this scale and complexity requires a team of exceptional professionals. Charlotte and Martino’s weekend was brought to life by:
Event Planning: K Luxury — led by Elisa and her team, whose “creativity, precision, and passion transformed every vision into reality” Florals: Evelina Florence Hair & Makeup: Letizia Cordella Venue: Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice Photography: The Genovese Studio
Their Advice to Couples Planning a Wedding in Italy
Charlotte and Martino offer three pieces of wisdom from their experience:
Give yourself time. Two years between engagement and wedding allowed for thoughtful planning and a stress-free experience.
Choose exceptional planners. The couple credit K Luxury as the secret ingredient behind the flawless execution of the entire weekend.
Value family support. The mother of the bride played an integral role throughout the process, offering hands-on guidance and heartfelt involvement at every stage.
A Note from The Genovese Studio
Boating through Venice’s canals with Charlotte and Martino for their couple portraits is one of those memories we carry with us from wedding to wedding. The city moves differently when you are in love with it — the light bounces off the water in ways that feel almost deliberate, the calli open into unexpected squares, and for a few hours, Venice belongs entirely to you.
For the portraits, we shot on film alongside digital — Kodak rolls that slow everything down, that make you look twice at a frame before you take it. There is something about film in Venice, in that particular afternoon light over the lagoon, that digital simply cannot replicate. The grain, the warmth, the slight unpredictability — it gives the images a quality of memory rather than documentation. As though they were always going to look like this, even before the shutter closed.
We are based in Venice. This is our home. And every time we photograph a wedding here, we are reminded of why we do what we do.
If you are planning a wedding in Venice and want photography that honors both the city and your story, we would love to hear from you.
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Venue: Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice · Palazzo Cavalli, Venice · San Servolo Island · Hotel Excelsior, Lido Planning: K Luxury · Florals: Evelina Florence · Hair & Makeup: Letizia Cordella · Bride dress: Dolce & Gabbana, Zuhair Murad, · Photography: The Genovese Studio · Dj: Sam Young
