A Romantic Villa Miani Wedding Overlooking the Eternal City of Rome

Their story began in Austin in 2021, when Allison had recently moved there from New York City and met Vincent through a mutual friend. They quickly discovered how naturally they fit into one another's lives. Days were filled with cooking together, trying new restaurants and making plans to explore somewhere neither of them had been before. Soon, those adventures became part of a shared life at home, too. They moved in together, adopted their kitten, Jack, and began building the kind of everyday life that made marriage feel like a natural next chapter.

Their engagement took them to Nazaré, Portugal, a place that was particularly meaningful to Allison because of her family's Portuguese roots. It was another destination that brought together two important parts of their relationship: a love of travel and the places that carry meaning for their family.

So when Allison began imagining their wedding, Italy felt like the right place to continue that story.

"I've always loved Italy and knew I wanted an intimate destination wedding," Allison shares. "Rome had everything we were looking for: history, energy, beauty, incredible food, and the perfect setting to bring everyone we love together."

Villa Miani offered something beyond an elegant backdrop. Set high above Rome, its terraces open onto an extraordinary view of the city, giving the wedding a sense of place that could only belong to the Eternal City. As Allison and Vincent's guests gathered around them, Rome formed the horizon behind the celebration, its unmistakable skyline turning an already significant day into something distinctly Italian.

Ninety of their closest family members and friends traveled to Rome to be there. For some, it was their first time visiting Europe, which made the destination particularly special to the couple. After spending so much of their relationship traveling together, they were able to give the people they love the chance to experience a place that had become part of their own story.

The wedding itself echoed the softness of the setting. A palette of green and pink brought a fresh, romantic quality to the celebration without competing with the landscape beyond it. Allison carried lily of the valley, the tiny white flowers standing out against the surrounding greenery, while her bridesmaids wore pink gowns that added a gentle wash of color to the bridal party.

At the reception, green and white linens created an understated foundation for tables adorned with pink roses and green hydrangeas. The floral arrangements felt at home against Villa Miani's gardens, while the views beyond the tables remained an essential part of the design. Rather than trying to rival Rome, the celebration allowed the city itself to provide much of the atmosphere.

For Allison, there was another view she wanted beside her on the day: that of her twin sister.

Identical mirror twins, Allison and her sister have been connected since the very beginning. Born prematurely at just three and four pounds, they grew up side by side, moving through childhood, college and years of living together as a constant presence in one another's lives.

Now living in different cities, their daily lives are no longer quite so intertwined. Having her twin as maid of honor in Rome therefore carried its own sense of history. She had been there for so many of Allison's milestones, and standing beside her as she began married life felt like a continuation of everything that had come before.

It is fitting that Allison and Vincent's wedding story should end where the view begins: with Rome spread out before them. Austin was where they found each other, Portugal became part of their engagement story, and Italy gave them a place to gather the people they love and celebrate what they had built together.

High above the city at Villa Miani, with the rooftops and landmarks of Rome stretching toward the horizon, Allison and Vincent began their marriage in a place that reflected so much of what brought them there in the first place: a love of travel, a love of discovery, and the joy of experiencing it all together.