A Fairytale Wedding Celebrating the Bride’s Multicultural Roots at the Groom’s Medieval Castle in Italy (2024)

Tosca Marie Augustin and Paulo Misasi Ruspoli first met over 10 years ago in Brazil. Paulo is half Brazilian and half Italian, and grew up between the two countries, while Tosca was living in Brazil at the time and working as a lawyer. “We had friends in common and met up at dinners and parties,” the bride remembers. “We had a little fling and liked each other, but we were in our mid-20s, so never thought of it as anything serious.”

Four years ago, Tosca underwent a career change and started working in the wellness space, organizing retreats all over the world—and she found herself wanting to host one at a castle. A close friend reminded her of Paulo and how his family owned a medieval castle in northern Lazio, Italy. “I sent him a message over Facebook because I didn’t even have his number or Instagram,” she admits. “I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but I asked him if he would be interested in having a retreat at his family’s castle. He was super excited and said, ‘Let’s do it!’ We started organizing this incredible retreat and that’s where we fell for each other again—but this time it was very serious.”

They got engaged in March of 2023, when Paulo had to go to Brazil for work and suggested that Tosca accompany him. “I never decline a trip to Brazil—all of my friends are still there, and I just love the country,” she explains. “Little did I know that the engagement ring was in Brazil: a family heirloom and is composed of diamonds that belonged to Paulo’s Sicilian great-great-grandmother Franca Florio.” Paulo initially planned to ask Tosca to marry him a few nights after they arrived at the couple’s favorite Japanese restaurant, but ended up being too nervous to pop the question—so he ended up asking Tosca the morning after, over breakfast. “It was very sweet: He told me I forgot something in a shopping bag that I left in the living room and when I went to get it…I found a box,” Tosca recalls. “I thought, ‘Is this what I think it is?!’ and opened it to find this very special ring!”

The church ceremony was at Basilica di Santa Sabina All’Aventino in Rome on May 24, 2024, and a party followed the next day at Paulo’s family’s castle, Castello Ruspoli—in a town a one-hour drive from Rome, called Vignanello.

The wedding planning took about a year. “Our wedding planner Diletta Alliata has worked with my husband at the castle many times, which was helpful as they both knew all the suppliers very well,” Tosca says. “We also had the family decorator, Ferdinando Sciarrini, helping us create the perfect atmosphere for our guests. Having said that, we had the time to focus on surprising our guests and creating something special and different.”

Most Ruspoli family members have married in the church at the front of the castle, which was built by Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli in the 1700s—but Paulo wanted to do something different. “We decided to marry in a church in Rome,” Tosca says. “Paulo’s family has also been very connected to the Vatican, having previous family members that were cardinals and relatives to a previous Pope. My mother is very religious, growing up in the Philippines, which is one of the most Catholic countries in the world, so we were thrilled to have Cardinal Antonio Luiz Tagle to officiate our wedding. He is Filipino and one of the closest Cardinals to the Pope.” To honor Tosca’s Filipino heritage, many guests wore traditional clothing to the wedding: “The Filipiniana for the woman and Barong for the men,” the bride adds. “It was beautiful to add this cultural touch to the ceremony.”

For the church ceremony, the bride knew she needed a look that was covered and traditional. “I went to Paris and London to try so many different brands, and when I saw Phillipa Lepley, I knew that their style was exactly what I wanted,” she says. The designer created the bespoke gown from scratch over eight fittings that spanned 10 months. “Seeing the dress develop more each time was a unique process,” she continues. “The last fitting was very emotional, the dress was perfect. I chose a classic duch*ess satin fabric, with a large overskirt that I removed before the dinner—so I could be more comfortable moving around and dancing!”

Tosca also knew she wanted a veil that would fit with the indoor Italian garden setting, and Luisa Beccaria dreamt up a piece that realized her vision, with delicate white and green flowers woven throughout. “The process of working with the founder’s daughter Lucilla was incredible,” Tosca adds.

At the church, floral designer Andrea Patrizi recreated an Italian Renaissance garden inspired by those at Paulo’s family’s castle in the Basilica. “The church was breathtaking,” Tosca admits. “It was truly surreal.” Andrea Patrizi used topiary art to decorate the aisles and the altar, while they used iron chairs to continue the outdoor feel. During the ceremony, a 40-person choir—Schola Cantorum di Roma, led by Maestro Giovanni Gava—brought the congregation to tears.

At the beginning of the ceremony, both Tosca and Paulo were very nervous. “He was shaking when we exchanged the rings!” Tosca says. “But I was so happy, I would tear up from joy at certain moments. Hearing the choir and the incredible words of His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Tagle, I was so touched. It was the most love I have ever felt. Everything went perfectly.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds drove away in Tosca’s father’s 1964 Lancia Flaminia. “This car is a symbol of the Italian dolce vita, so we knew it was the perfect car to drive away in after the ceremony,” Tosca explains. “The process of convincing my father to send the car to Rome was an ordeal, but everything worked out!” The couple headed from the church to the building next door—“It was a very quick drive!”—and all the guests walked over to enjoy aperitivo in the courtyard. Shortly afterwards, the doors to the terrace opened and everyone was welcomed to their tables with an orange sunset falling beneath the rooftops of Rome, with a view of St. Peter’s Cathedral in the distance.

For the second night, which was held at the castle, it was important to Tosca and Paulo that the town of Vignanello, where Castello Ruspoli is located, be incorporated into their celebration. “I love Carnival in Rio—I’ve gone eight times—and given my husband’s family connection with Brazil, we wanted to host a typical Brazilian street party for the town of Vignanello,” says Tosca. “To make things even more interesting [and personal to us], we wanted to start the show with the medieval Italian flag-wavers and band (called sbandieratori) and then have it turn into the Brazilian street party.”

For the celebration at the castle, Tosca’s Japanese godfather, Yuki Torimaru, made her a unique Japanese dress. “He was a famous designer in the ’80s,” Tosca explains. “He made dresses for Princess Diana, for example, and now, his pieces are exhibited in places such as the V&A Museum in London.” Tosca notes that when most people think of a castle, they think of a princess-style dress, so she wanted to wear something different and more modern. “And something with an Asian twist, since now I am bringing some Asian blood to the Ruspoli history!”

After dinner, wedding guests were ushered to the town square right outside of the castle for the performance—and to party with locals. “The musicians came in from Lisbon and Rome, and we flew the dancer on stilts in from Rio,” Tosca says. “After that, we wanted to surprise our guests with a big tradition that happens every year in the town of Vignanello: A fireworks display to celebrate the saint of Paulo’s family, and the patron of the town, Saint Giacinta Marescotti.” Once the fireworks finished, the Brazilian band kept playing in the square, and the wedding guests returned inside the castle to find two different dance floors with DJs playing.

Friends of the couple, who traveled to Italy from Berlin and who typically organize festivals, drove a van full of decorations and prepared the last surprise for guests: a dungeon rave that lasted until 7 a.m. For this final portion of the evening, Tosca wanted to wear something fun, but also with a medieval touch—since the party was in a castle, after all. The dress was made by Nara Niro, a brand owned by the bride’s friend Noor Al-Rahim. “I wanted something mini but with a lot of sparkles to make it fun!” Tosca explains. Her headpiece was by Magnetic Midnight and was shaped to recall a medieval crown, and made with the same embroidery as the dress. “My friend Lucia Echavarria is the owner, and she made iconic headpieces for me for Carnaval in Rio, so I knew she had to make me one to complete the after-party look!”

Now, a few weeks afterwards, the couple is still floating on cloud nine. “The wedding exceeded all of our expectations,” Tosca says. “We put a lot of work into it and our guests really felt how much we love them. It was a total fairytale.”