Bride Of The Week: Ashliegh Munoz

Written By Kaileah Searcy

Our love story started off very slowly…

Rod and I met in 2009 on a night out with mutual friends. We randomly took a photo together at a nightclub (we often look back on this picture and wonder why we didn’t connect then, given the love and compatibility we have now).

Little did I know, at the time Rod and I took this photo, he had a crush on me and would talk about me to our mutual friends, but he was too intimidated and shy to ask me on a date.

We went about our lives separately for the next nine years, remaining friends on social media and congratulating one another on milestones along the way. Rod finally built up the courage to send me a message, which turned into three-hour phone calls. When we finally met up for a drink, I was so nervous to meet him face to face but felt like I had known him my whole life, given the deep conversations we had and the solid friendship we built over the phone. When we locked eyes for the first time, we both knew this was the beginning of something very special, and we fell deeply in love.

Rod and I took our time getting to know each other, and I believe there is no reason to rush love as you have forever to be together. After three wonderful years together, Rod proposed to me at Crown Towers Perth on the day Covid lockdown began. His original plan of a proposal on a helicopter with a surprise engagement party had to change, so he surprised me on the penthouse suite balcony with a lovely Perth photographer, Erica Serena, hiding to capture our special moment. It was perfect.

We started the wedding planning and discussed our visions. Mine was in front of a lake, and we then fell in love with Lake Como.

I started wedding dress shopping and have always loved Galia Lahav gowns for their class, elegance, and uniqueness. Lisa at Dion for Brides in Perth gave me a sneak peek into the Galia Lahav gowns in the upcoming trunk shows, and I immediately fell in love with the Mona gown and detachable skirt. Lisa ordered them for me, and once I tried them on, I knew it was my dress. I loved the idea of two looks with the detachable skirt; it had the romance I was after but was still unbelievably elegant and classy for our special day.

Lisa’s wonderful team at Dion helped me recreate new sleeves for my Mona dress as I wanted minimal yet finely detailed lace on my shoulder and wrist. It was a dream come true when I picked it up just before we flew out to Europe.

Our wedding day was magical. We eloped on the 2nd of May 2024 at Villa del Balbianello, sharing personalized vows with our gracious celebrant Fabio from Como Lake Celebrant. This was followed by a luxury wooden boat ride with Luka from Lake Como Boat to have our pictures taken by the most creative and professional photographers, Jules and Bjorn from The Tailors Photography, on the pristine lake. Our day was filmed by one of the best videographers in Europe, Andy from The Wedding Valley, and ended at Villa d’Este for our intimate wedding dinner.

Our elopement was perfect and everything we wanted. The suppliers we hired exceeded our expectations, and we are forever grateful to them for helping us achieve our dream.

We stayed at Villa Chicca across the lake from our wedding venue. The days leading up to the wedding, we would look over with excitement and joy, counting down to our special day.

Lake Como will forever hold a piece of our hearts, and we will return to make more precious memories there.