Conte and Contessa Giorgio Cacciaguerra Ranghieri and Anna Cacciaguerra Ranghieri met in London via a dating app called Happn, which connects people whose paths have literally crossed. “It turned out that we were both living at the opposite ends of the same street,” Giorgio shares. “We had been passing each other daily for months.”
After dating for five years, he proposed in Rome over Christmastime with a family heirloom ring that had been passed down from fiancée to fiancée. “He took me on an impromptu detour to the Palazzo Spada courtyard at dusk, alone under orange trees,” Anna remembers. “It was absolutely joyful and a genuine shock.”
The engaged London-based couple chose to get married in the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome—a special church to the couple and the groom’s family—on October 23, 2021. The reception took place at Villa Aurelia, close to where Giorgio grew up, overlooking the city. “It was important to us that we gently complemented the naturally beautiful surroundings, rather than imposing on them with a load of décor,” Anna says of the wedding aesthetic. “We opted for informal, relaxed, and vibrant greenery with seasonal flowers, using living trees in the basilica—a nod to my native English gardens.”
To help bring their vision to life, the pair hired the “utterly invaluable” Diana Parravicini—the groom’s friend from school—and Claudia Paolelli of Your Event Studio. And Flowers Living stepped in to arrange the florals at the church and reception.
After not glimpsing at her wedding dress for 30 years, Anna’s mother reluctantly brought her silk taffeta gown out to show her daughter early in the planning process. She believed the dry cleaner had damaged the gown past repair, but only the detachable bow had been harmed. “It was such a happy moment, and I knew that wearing and updating it would feel so much more special than choosing another dress,” Anna shares. “The fabric was immaculate and glowing.”
Carrie Matthews of Blake Ida in London designed a modern interpretation of the dress, while maintaining key elements of the original gown. “It looked absolutely timeless, and I felt unequivocally myself in it,” the bride states.
For her veil, Anna worked with Alison Miller, the founder of Monvieve, over Zoom. Together, they chose the Donatella veil, which the bride paired with a Jennifer Behr headband. The ivory wide drop veil was made in Italy, but Anna loved that the lace felt English, pastoral, and incredibly light. To complete her ensemble, the bride also wore Baroque pearl earrings from her parents and “very comfortable” Loeffler Randall shoes.
On the day-of, Anna got ready with hair and makeup artists Anna Kalytyak of BLBS Management and Ruslana Regi. The bridesmaids complemented her in deep berry Ghost London and TH&TH dresses with headbands.
On his wedding day, Giorgio wore a morning suit from Favourbrook in London with black oxfords from the Crockett & Jones factory in Northampton, where Anna was born, and the bride’s grandfather’s watch.
At the church, the bridal party a walked across the Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina to claps and cheers from people in the square, as the bells tolled. “I couldn’t hear the entrance hymn until some way down the aisle,” she remembers. “The whole thing was absolutely surreal and a testament to how generous Italians are.”
During the ceremony, the couple’s friends Julian Haggett—a talented concert organist—and The Sovereign Singers performed English sacred music and led the congregation in classic hymns. “The early English music was also extraordinary, and it was amazing to hear it in that setting alongside the bells,” Giorgio remembers. “It was very novel to the Italian side of the congregation.” The priest, Don Corradino, who is a close friend of the groom’s family, led the full nuptial mass in both Italian and English.
Once officially husband and wife, the newlyweds joined their guests in the gardens of Villa Aurelia for the apertiviti. The band Truly Medley Deeply played uptempo tunes by request, as they roamed the grounds. Then, everyone moved to the villa’s Lemon Garden for a candlelit dinner and ’60s Italian music, mixed with Ella Fitzgerald songs. Candles by The Flora Candle Company, a small business local to Anna’s family home in Norfolk, scented the air with English Rose and Roman Jasmine. “We ate outside due to social distancing, putting out blankets for everyone—although we laugh looking back that they were only used by the Italians,” Giorgio says. “For the hardier British guests, it was warm!”
Cacio e pepe with black truffle, tortelli all’amatriciana with pecorino, cauliflower, and mint, and fillet of chianina beef—native to the valley in which Giorgio’s family live—with goats cheese, black salt, and arugula, made by Apollinare Catering, were served for dinner. After the savory came the sweet with a citrus wedding cake made by Anna’s brother-in-law, Russell. “Anna’s grandmother always made spectacular family wedding cakes, so Russell was continuing this tradition for her,” the groom explains. “It’s extraordinary that he managed to do this 900 miles from home…in an AirBnB.”
Dancing followed dessert until the early hours, fueled by margaritas, Negronis, and Dark ‘N’ Stormys, crafted by Pour Events. Anna and Giorgio had their first dance to “I Saw Her Standing There” by The Beatles, as another nod to the U.K., and halfway into dancing, Anna made a quick change into a silky one-shouldered dress by Pretty Lavish.
The night continued beyond the pre-planned 1:30 a.m. finish, and a group of younger guests even went to visit the Trevi Fountain at 4:00 a.m., which the newlyweds are very jealous of. “Anna and I forwent the wedding car and walked alone through the streets of Trastevere to our hotel,” Giorgio shares. “I remember thinking this was impossibly romantic, but I probably looked very worse for wear at the time…”
