Inside: A Blue-Skied Dorset Wedding Weekend

From a prom night “yes” to saying “I do” at the majestic Pennsylvania Castle Estate, step inside Peter and Sophia Carioto’s intimate Dorset wedding – a weekend where timeless elegance, heartfelt details, and a muted rainbow of blooms came together beneath endless blue skies.

The story so far

We met in high school through a mutual friend. Peter had asked me to go to prom, and we started dating a week after! We had been together throughout college, and in our third year of college. Peter asked me to marry him! He took me to a beautiful botanical garden near the city we live in. From there, he drove me to an overlook in a park nearby where we were able to see a full view of the city skyline. Before I knew it, he was kneeling down in front of me in the grass on the hillside asking for me to spend the rest of my life with him.

In regard to the ring, I knew I wanted something very simple, yet elegant, so Peter and I went to a local jeweler – Trinity Jewelers – and we customized the most stunning ring. It is a 1.5 carat marquise-cut diamond with an 18 carat gold band. Still to this day, I often find myself staring at it as if I just had received it yesterday.

Venue

Peter and I got married at the Pennsylvania Castle Estate – aka the most stunning wedding venue in the world. As we were in the early planning stages of our wedding, we quickly knew that we wanted something smaller, intimate, and memorable. We began looking at venues in many different countries, but we quickly landed on this stunning castle.

Peter and I wanted to host more than just a wedding for our guests, as they traveled so far for the celebration. On the night before the wedding, we held a lovely rehearsal dinner, catered by Dorset Fine Dining, as we welcomed the guests to the beautiful estate. The day following the wedding, we hosted a post-wedding picnic where we had a chance to socialise with each and every guest, eat, drink, and play some lawn games. Oh, and I have to mention the exceptional weather the entire weekend. Blue, clear skies, the sun beaming down, and mid-to-high 60’s. It made for an absolutely perfect weekend.

Fashion

The dress was purchased at a local shop in Pittsburgh called Luxe Redux Bridal. The dress was Alyne – Camila, designed by Rita Vinieris Camila. A stunning matte, satin, strapless A-line ballgown with a stunning, natural waist, and a slight V-neck.

The suits, surprisingly, were purchased at H&M. We figured it would be difficult to return them in time for a rental due to the travel, so my sister and I found these stunning slim fitting suits, with white button downs, suspenders, and gorgeous black loafers.

My something blue was these simple, elegant light blue shoes from Aldo.

If I am being completely honest, I didn’t have any designers in mind, as I was not able to spend much money on my dress, shoes and accessories. I just shopped around all of my options, and was determined to get the look that I wanted at a price that I could afford.

Jewellery

Believe it or not, the only jewellery I wore was my two rings and a pair of simple earrings that I found on pinterest! As I mentioned earlier, all of the rings -including my engagement ring, wedding band, and Peter’s wedding band were purchased from Trinity Jewelers.

Bridal party

The bridesmaids wore various stunning black, crepe dresses from Revelry. We did not have any ushers or a flower girl, but my cute little nephew was (sort of) our page boy. He wore a cute little white button down and beige pants from a kids boutique store and his loafers were from H&M.

For gifts, I kept it pretty simple. I gave each bridesmaid big, knotted gold studs, a charging adaptor for their travels around the country, as well as hair clips, and cute, matching PJ sets.

Transportation

Back in August of 2024, Peter and I had offered to arrange a coach bus to transfer all of the guests to the venue, but all of the guests chose to transport to the venue on their own.

Tablescape

We kept the tablescape quite simple with white tableware and white candles on gold candle stands. I wanted a pop of color to clash with the white tablescape and the black bridal party clothing, so we had our amazing florist arrange stunning muted rainbow florals to decorate the orangery. He also was able to hang some greenery from the ceiling around the beautiful beaded chandelier. I have reference pictures below.

Food & drinks

We had a fabulous 5 course meal with three wine selections. When I was planning the wedding, I knew I wanted the meal to be an extravagant, multi-course meal where everyone was able to sit down for a couple of hours and just enjoy a celebratory, family dinner. I have a reference image of the menu below.

Entertainment

We hired a wonderful pianist, Simon, from Tailored Entertainment. The first dance song was “Favorite Place” by Humbear. Peter and I adore this song, and you’ll know why after listening to the words. The ceremony music consisted of the classics – the intro was “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel and the exit was “All you need is love” by the Beatles. During the reception we kept it classic with artists like John Legend, Elvis Presley, Lady Gaga, Prince, etc.

The dance I did with my dad was “My Girl” by the Temptations, and Peter danced to “You are my sunshine” by Johnny Cash with his mom. Both held great sentimental value. I will attach pictures to all of the dances below.

Beauty regime & wellness

I was blessed enough to have the most wonderful wedding coordinator there is: Chloe Carlton. She was able to send me information for all of my vendors which made the process of throwing a destination wedding so much easier. With that said, she gave me the information for my makeup artist – Lydia Harding with Hollie Danby – and Hollie then referred me to my hair stylist, Sophie Gallagher who owns Simply Gorgeous Bridal. Both of them were absolutely amazing. I did not change my normal face and hair regimen before the wedding, nor did I get any treatments or facials! I put a couple of getting ready photos below that highlight my hair and makeup.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

I did have a wedding gift list registered through my Joy wedding website. Two things that I absolutely love are coffee and cooking/baking, especially when I am able to make coffee and meals/baked goods for others. Therefore, I received a beautiful Bambino Plus espresso machine by Breville from my sister, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. I also received a few gorgeous pots and pans from Our Place, along with a beautiful terracotta dish set from Our Place. I also received a KitchenAid stand mixer, which I absolutely adore when it comes to baking cakes, cookies, and pastries for my friends and family.

Honeymoon

Our honeymoon started in London, and continued to Paris, Edinboro, Bath, and Oxford. Some highlights included biking around various parks through London – St. James, Reagent, and Hyde – as well as viewing the gorgeous Buckingham Palace. In Paris, we laid in the lawn in front of the Eiffel tower, as well as toured the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles. We also hopped on bikes to view Notre Dame and the Pantheon. We then flew to Edinboro, where we strolled around Old town, Dean’s Village, Princess street to see Scott’s Monument as well as a lovely view of the castle. We then went to Victoria street, Grass Market, and the Old College. We then flew to Bath, where we briefly were able to view the town, and walk outside Bath Abbey. Finally, we landed in Oxford, where we took in the beautiful architecture, and walked to several schools within Oxford University. We finished the night with a stroll along trails in the Oxford park, as well as drinks and dinner at the infamous Turf Tavern.

Advice

Be present during the engagement season: I lost count of how many people told me to “enjoy the engagement,” and to be honest, I’m not sure I ever truly took it to heart. Looking back, I don’t regret what I did during that time, but I do wish I had slowed down more often and really embraced the season for what it was.

It’s easy to see engagement as a long and stressful time filled with to-do lists, planning, and pressure, with marriage as the finish line you’re trekking toward. But engagement is its own beautiful chapter. So, I encourage you, check in with yourself daily. Be present in the little moments. Enjoy scrolling through Pinterest, have fun choosing your dream dress with your loved ones, and most importantly, cherish the time you have with your fiancé before he becomes your husband.

Keep the focus on who the wedding is for: This may sound a bit blunt, but it’s one of the most important things to remember when planning your wedding. It’s true, everyone seems to have an opinion when it comes to weddings. But at the end of the day, the only person you can truly control is yourself. So, be gracious, thank people for their input, but don’t let their opinions outweigh what you and your future husband truly want.

Personally, I went through a challenging engagement. I heard countless unsolicited suggestions, and even faced disapproval from some people about the wedding itself. What kept me grounded was constantly reminding myself who this wedding was truly for – my husband and me – not anyone else.

Prioritize peace throughout the planning process: At the end of the day, this is a wedding in the making. The best day of your life is on its way. You’re preparing to enter into a beautiful covenant with your spouse, and that truth is worth holding onto when the planning

gets tough. I know this isn’t always the advice you want to hear – I definitely didn’t want to hear it in the thick of it – but managing stress is essential during this time.

If you find yourself overwhelmed, maybe you’re a bit tired, maybe you had a long day or week, than before you get worked up about your pianist quitting three weeks before the wedding – true story – stop, take a breath, and decide whether it was something to tackle right then or leave for the next day. Not every issue needs to be solved in the moment. Learn to recognize when it’s time to step back and when to give yourself grace. Protecting your mental and physical well-being is key, and trust me, everything truly will work out.