1. Real Weddings

A Tuscan-Inspired Wedding at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida

Cassandra Valentino (26 and a radio personality) and Melissa Guadagnino (32 and a detective) celebrated their nuptials with an outdoor ceremony and a

Cassandra Valentino (26 and a radio personality) and Melissa Guadagnino (32 and a detective) celebrated their nuptials with an outdoor ceremony and a grand ballroom reception at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. "We wanted something with a Tuscany feel because we are both Italian,” Melissa says. “We also wanted a place where our friends and family could stay and relax on our wedding weekend. When we toured Mission Inn, we fell in love with the environment and with the employees.” For their celebration, the brides wore matching “bride” Converse sneakers, which they paired with Orlando pride socks in remembrance of the Pulse nightclub victims. Before their ceremony, the brides did a “first touch,” where they were separated by a divider and held hands as they exchanged love letters to each other. During their alfresco ceremony, overlooking a lush golf course, the brides were escorted down the aisle by their dads, while their mothers acted as flower girls. Cassandra's colleague at Pride Radio married the couple, and they were serenaded by electric violin music by Violectric. Naturally, because Cassandra is a DJ, the reception was filled with the best music and dancing. During the brides’ dinner reception, they made a grand entrance to a mash-up dance that included the Disney song “Wishes,” and they also had a giant blow-up photo booth for guests that looked like an igloo. —Marissa Hermanson

“Our bouquets were everything,” Cassandra says of the brides’ arrangements of purple and red blooms, succulents and cascading amaranthus.
On their wedding day, the brides did a "first touch," where they exchanged sentimental love letters while separated by a divider.
Cassandra and Melissa created place card holders out of corks and artfully wrote the names of friends and family members in white calligraphy on black paper.
During the dinner reception, tall arrangements of white hydrangeas and sculptural branches were paired with gold decor and purple uplighting.
At the ceremony site, handmade signs included a welcome sign that directed friends and family to sit where they please.
During Cassandra and Melissa's dinner reception, the brides made a grand entrance to a mash-up dance that included the Disney song “Wishes,” and they also had a giant blow-up photo booth for guests that looked like an igloo.

“We both went to the cutest bridal shop in Orlando separately with our family and friends to get our dresses,” Cassandra says. “We didn’t want to know what each other's looked like.”
The brides gave friends and family members hangover kits as favors. “We knew some of them would be hurting in the morning,” Cassandra says of their celebration at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
“We wanted our bridesmaids to be comfortable and pick the dresses they wanted,” Cassandra says. “We just wanted them in purple to match the theme.” Other attendants, male and female, sported light gray and white.
“Our ceremony was my favorite,” Cassandra says. “It was outside overlooking a golf course with a beautiful fountain.” The brides exchanged vows in front of an altar covered in flowers with a chandelier hung from above.
“We made sure that we had our matching 'bride' Converse shoes on the whole night,” Cassandra says. “Best decision ever!”
 They paired their sneakers with Orlando pride socks to commemorate the Pulse nightclub victims.