{"id":590965,"date":"2026-08-20T22:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T22:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/590965\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T22:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T22:48:09","slug":"this-jewelry-designer-bride-created-all-her-own-looks-for-her-tuscan-castle-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/590965\/","title":{"rendered":"This Jewelry-Designer Bride Created All Her Own Looks for Her Tuscan Castle Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christian DiCroce knew he was going to marry jewelry designer Rene Barnes<\/a> by their third date. The real estate broker asked Rene to meet for the first time at Bar 167 on October 6, 2022. \u201cI have this mental image I\u2019ll never forget of him walking down the street to meet me for our first date,\u201d says Rene. \u201cI remember thinking how handsome he was as he walked toward me wearing a blue shirt and jeans.\u201d Neither of them wanted the night to end. The pair continued on to Bin 152 and ended the date with a nightcap at the Blind Tiger. \u201cAt the end of the evening, he kissed me, and then asked me what I was doing the following night,\u201d remembers Rene. \u201cIt was the best first date I had ever had. I remember going home so excited to see him again.\u201d Adds Christian, \u201cI knew she was everything I had been waiting for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their relationship grew over the next few years, and on May 8, 2025, Christian finally popped the question. \u201cI wanted it to be in Charleston, where we first met,\u201d he explains. Originally, he planned to propose in Washington Square Park near their home, but a day-of text from the photographer he hired, Anne Rhett, informed him a wedding was taking place in the park and offered an alternative location. \u201cIt ended up being even better than the original plan,\u201d says Christian. \u201cIf you know Rene, you know she loves places with an old soul. Chalmers Street, with its original 1850s European ship ballast stones and beautiful historic homes, felt like the perfect place to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.\u201d He got down on one knee as they walked along the street on the way to dinner. \u201cI had waited so long for that moment, and it was everything I had imagined,\u201d says Rene. \u201cAfterward, we celebrated at our favorite wine bar before heading home to feed our dog, Booka. When we walked inside, all of our friends and family were there waiting to surprise me. I immediately started crying. It was the perfect ending to one of the happiest days of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair decided to tie the knot exactly one year later on May 8, 2026, at Castello di Celsa<\/a> in Italy. Says the bride, \u201cThe first time we drove through the gates, I just looked at him, and we both knew this was where we wanted to get married.\u201d Adds the groom, \u201cIt just felt like us.\u201d The couple brought an intimate group of friends and family to witness them exchange vows. \u201cWe wanted the weekend to feel like an experience rather than just a wedding, so we planned a few days for everyone to slow down and celebrate together,\u201d says Rene.<\/p>\n

The couple describes their wedding planning experience as quite relaxed. \u201cChristian is probably one of the most peaceful people you\u2019ll ever meet, and he brings that same sense of calm to everything he does. I had a very clear vision for the wedding from the beginning, and he never made me second-guess it,\u201d shares the bride. \u201cInstead, he became my sounding board. Some of my favorite memories are just the two of us sitting with a glass of wine at the end of the day, talking through ideas.\u201d The couple also brought on planner Fabiana Vernetti<\/a> to craft all the moving parts of the weekend and partner in their vision. \u201cShe had such a calm, positive energy that choosing her felt natural,\u201d Rene says. Working on paper goods with Nicole Ferguson of Every Little Something<\/a> was also a standout part of the planning experience for the couple. \u201cI shared just a few thoughts about what we envisioned, and she somehow translated them into something even more beautiful than I could have imagined,\u201d says Rene. \u201cShe has such a special gift, and I’m so grateful she was part of bringing our wedding to life.\u201d<\/p>\n