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REAL WEDDINGS / ITALY / ISSUE 36

A Roman Destination Wedding in Two Acts

A two-day wedding in Rome brought Nigerian heritage, timeless fashion, garden ceremony design and a dramatic oxblood reception together.

Event Planning & Design Roberta Torresan
Ugochi and Adefolarin kiss between white flowers during their outdoor wedding ceremony in Rome.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY GIANNI DI NATALE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Some love stories choose their settings carefully. For Ugochi and Adefolarin, Italy was never just a backdrop – it was a full-circle return to the place where their story changed.

The couple became engaged on the shores of Lake Como. When the time came to celebrate with the 600 people they loved most, they chose Rome – and conceived a two-day destination wedding that moved through two entirely distinct visual identities, each one its own act in a larger story. Roberta Torresan Luxury Destination Wedding Planner, whose instinct for building celebrations around the people at their centre rather than the trends of the moment, orchestrated the weekend around one clear priority from Ugochi: everyone should have an unforgettable time.

The result moved from dramatic Roman glamour to luminous garden serenity, then deepened into an oxblood-toned reception and a late-night celebration that kept guests on the floor until the early hours.

ACT I: A ROMAN NIGHT

The weekend opened at Relais Appia Antica with a contemporary interpretation of Ancient Rome. Black, polished gold and warm ivory shaped the setting, while sculptural details, theatrical entertainment and Italian cuisine created an atmosphere that was immersive, glamorous and entirely alive.

Wide view of an empty candlelit garden reception with round tables, gold chairs and illuminated trees in Rome.
Overhead view of round dinner tables with white chairs and magenta napkins on a green lawn in Rome.
Gold chairs and candlelit round tables with purple napkins beneath illuminated trees at a garden dinner in Rome.

 

Ugochi arrived in a floor-length gold beaded gown; Adefolarin’s dark formal look echoed the richness of the setting around them. Fashion had already begun doing what it would continue to do across both days — telling the story.

Woman in a gold beaded evening gown poses at a stone balustrade beneath a large classical statue in Rome.
Woman in a gold beaded dress leaning beside a pale stone fountain and monumental marble sculpture.
Woman in a gold beaded gown standing beneath a crystal chandelier in a dark frescoed ballroom.
Couple posed beneath a chandelier in a dark ballroom, with the man standing behind the woman in a gold gown.
Couple posing beside amber stone columns, with the woman in a gold beaded gown and the man in a black jacket.
Aerial view of a white Roman villa with round dinner tables and red decor arranged on the terraces.
White lace Jimmy Choo bridal pumps displayed on a burgundy velvet and gold antique chair.
White lace wedding dress hanging on a decorated door in an ornate cream-and-gold room with burgundy chairs.

FASHION IN MOTION

Every transition introduced a new fashion moment. A long-sleeved lace gown and delicate lace shoes set the tone for the wedding day, while the getting-ready hours — spent with her mother on both mornings — preserved the quieter anticipation before the ceremony began. Adefolarin and his attendants brought a sharp black-tie counterpoint to the softness of the bridal details throughout.

A woman in a white lace dress sits on a chair, having her hair styled in a softly lit, elegant room with a bed and lamp in the background, preparing for her Nigerian wedding in Rome.
A woman in a long-sleeved lace wedding dress sits pensively at an ornate wooden desk in a softly lit, elegant room, capturing the serene anticipation of a Nigerian wedding in Rome.
A woman in a white lace dress sits in an elegant chair, holding a glass of wine and looking thoughtfully to the side, capturing the refined atmosphere of a Nigerian wedding in Rome.
Two elegantly dressed women stand side by side in a lavish, gold-trimmed room at a Nigerian wedding in Rome. One wears a white lace gown and holds pink flowers; the other wears a pale pink off-shoulder dress with a floral headpiece.
Bride in a white lace dress with eleven attendants in blue gowns posing in an ornate gilded room.
Bride seated in a patterned chair wearing a white lace robe in an elegant room with framed art.
Groom and nine groomsmen in black tuxedos posing across an ornate marble staircase in Rome.
Bride in a wedding gown standing on a grand staircase with her long lace-edged veil trailing down the steps.

ACT II: THE SECRET GARDEN

At Villa Miani, the second day opened in an entirely different register. The Secret Garden ceremony used an all-white palette so the emotion of Ugochi’s entrance could remain at the centre of the scene — rows of white seating, low floral borders and an open view across Rome creating a frame that asked nothing more of itself than to hold the moment. It did.

Aerial view of guests seated for an outdoor wedding ceremony beside a fountain and white villa in Rome.
Guests attend an outdoor wedding ceremony on a formal villa lawn with gardens, the Rome skyline, and a distant dome beyond.
Rows of white chairs and lush white floral arrangements are set up outdoors on a green lawn for a Nigerian wedding in Rome, with a scenic city view and clear blue sky in the background.
Bride in a long-sleeved lace gown and groom in a black suit kiss between white flowers at an outdoor Rome wedding ceremony.

 

FROM WHITE TO OXBLOOD

As the celebration moved from ceremony to dinner, the palette deepened. Red Toile de Jouy linens, black Parisian chairs, silver accents, candlelight and sculptural florals transformed the reception into a richly layered counterpoint to the serenity of the garden — blush giving way to burgundy, then to oxblood. The shift felt deliberate and inevitable in equal measure.

White D–F seating chart topped with white, blush, and dark-red flowers stands outdoors with a soft city view behind it.
Table 29 in a pale mural-lined villa room with red flowers on a tall black frame, printed linens, black chairs, glassware, and candles.
Terrace tables with black chairs, patterned linens, tall candles and red flowers beside the white arches of a Rome villa.
Red-and-white wedding tables on a villa terrace with black chairs and a domed Rome skyline in the distance.
Wrought-iron daybed with patterned cushions beneath cream parasols and large white, blush, and dark-red wedding flowers.
Wide reception terrace filled with black chairs, red flowers, printed tablecloths, and tall candles beneath a white arched Rome villa facade.
Long villa reception table with red flowers, white plates, red napkins, crystal glasses, candles, bread rolls, and a red-and-white printed cloth.
Tall black reception centerpiece filled with red roses, dahlias, anthuriums, and foliage above a table set with crystal glassware and red napkins.
Wedding place setting with clear chargers, white plates, red napkin, menu, burgundy name card, crystal glasses, bread, candles, and red flowers.
Bride and groom hold hands and look back on stone villa steps as the bride's long lace veil trails across the foreground in a black-and-white portrait.

THE FINAL CRESCENDO

The evening closed with a tiramisu wedding cake finished live for guests, and an after-party led by Dlala Thukzin that brought the celebration to its most joyful peak. Ugochi and Adefolarin danced through the night surrounded by everyone who had travelled to be there.

Rome was their second great celebration — following a traditional Nigerian wedding in Lagos in December 2025. Two days, two visual identities, and one deeply personal expression of heritage, family and joy that felt, above all, entirely their own.

Couple posing together by a dark marble doorway, with the woman in a silver beaded dress and the man in a tuxedo.
Bride and groom laughing together as they cut a long white wedding cake under red reception lighting.

Rome became the couple’s second great celebration after their traditional Nigerian wedding in Lagos in December 2025. Two days, two visual identities and one deeply personal expression of heritage, family and joy.

WedLuxe Glitterati Members

WedLuxe Glitterati Member
Italy Destination Wedding Planner Roberta Torresan

The Team

Every professional who shaped this story, listed by role.

Bride
Ugochi Ekpecham
Groom
Adefolarin Adewunmi
Event Planning & Design
Roberta Torresan
Photography
Gianni Di Natale Photographers
Roman Night Venue
Relais Appia Antica
Wedding Day Venue
Villa Miani
Entertainment
Dlala Thukzin