CATHERINE & ROBBIE

Some relationships defy all probability. Catherine and Robbie had mutual friends,
moved in the same circles, and yet their paths never crossed — until a chance algo
rithm brought them together. As it quickly turned out, fate had a sense of irony.
A first date at a bar in King’s Cross was the beginning of a relationship that lasted
almost ten years before culminating in a wedding on Lake Como.
The proposal came in Crete — and it was perfectly unexpected,
exactly as Catherine had hoped. Robbie had planned
a romantic dinner with flowers and balloons, but Catherine unwittingly kept making
it difficult for him: feeling unwell, she opted for quiet evenings in rather than a formal
dinner out. In the end, he surprised her anyway — with a video montage of shared
memories, the final frame of which was a photograph of the ring box.
Catherine had spent her whole childhood visiting Lake Como with her family.
Robbie had been joining them for the past ten years. It was clear, then, that if there
was going to be a celebration, it would be here.
The ceremony took place at five in the afternoon on the rooftop of the historic
boathouse, the Darsena, at Villa Pizzo — with the lake, the mountains, and passing
boats as the backdrop. Catherine walked down the aisle with both of her parents
to Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros — a song she had listened to before
she ever met Robbie, and one that had always meant the same thing to her:
home is not a place, but a person.
All three days carried the spirit of their shared taste — relaxed, romantic, and full of
energy that never dipped. A live band accompanied guests from the ceremony through
to the late evening: strings and piano gave way to a jazz quartet during cocktail hour,
then the band roamed between tables with drums,
saxophones, and percussion. No one sat still for long. Seventy guests shared
a multi-course Italian dinner — from burrata mousse to ricotta ravioli to a traditional
millefoglie — and the dance floor didn’t empty until morning.
One of the most powerful moments of the day came as a complete surprise to Robbie.
His grandfather had passed away six months before the wedding, and his grand
mother was unable to travel due to her health.
Catherine had secretly arranged for Robbie’s mother to record a voice message from
his grandmother, which was played aloud during the ceremony while the couple stood
together at the altar. It was funny, heartfelt, and completely unexpected.
Just like their wedding.