There were tears of joy as Cosima De Vito tied the knot in an exuberant, romantic and very Italian celebration. It follows a whirlwind romance that saw her engaged a mere month after meeting her soulmate Augusto De Romanis.
The former Australian Idol star wed Augusto (“Gus”) on a sunny winter’s day in Sydney, almost 12 months to the day after meeting the handsome bachelor.
The ceremony was full of joy, with Cosima’s proud dad Carlo declaring he’d been waiting for this event ever since the day his little Cosima was born.
Cosima looked radiant as she and Gus exchanged vows in front of 124 guests at Holy Name of Mary in Hunters Hill, Sydney. And she admits she found it hard to keep her emotions in check, even before she arrived!
“When I saw Gus waiting for me at the altar, it was like time just stood still – it’s so difficult to describe it in words until you actually do it. It was amazing!”
Incurable romantic Gus, 50, feared he’d be overcome with emotions if he watched Cosima, 38, walk down the aisle with father Carlo on her arm.
“I waited till she was beside me at the altar before looking at her,” Gus says. “When she was next to me, my heart skipped a beat.”
Dressed in a stunning strapless gown by designer Maggie Sottero, Cosima took hold of Gus’s hand, and held it tight.
Whirlwind love! Cosima and Gus became engaged just one month into their relationship.
“I took a deep breath – I just couldn’t believe the moment was happening,” he says. “I held back tears as much as I could but in the end I just couldn’t.”
Tissues were handed around as Cosima sang the hauntingly beautiful Ave Maria as the responsorial psalm.
“It was breathtaking,” Gus says. “I’ve never been that close to her when she’s been singing.”
Gus knew he wanted to marry Cosima three weeks after meeting her, and proposed in front of her mother, father and grandparents in Perth a mere one month into their relationship.
The 2003 Australian Idol star stunned in a timeless strapless gown by designer Maggie Sottero.
Before she met Gus, Cosima had been single for 10 years.
Desperate for children, she had prepared herself for a future as a single parent, and even made an appointment at an IVF clinic. But then she found the man she had waited so long to meet.
“My dad was hilarious,” laughs Cosima. “He did the whole mafia thing: ‘Come and sit down. What are your intentions?’”
Cosima chose restored manor Oatlands House as the reception venue, and not only handmade her wedding invites but also the table centrepieces, bonbonniere, and menus, as well as paper roses made from sheet music as a nod to her tenor grandfather.
The besotted couple cut their stunning three-tier white chocolate ganache wedding cake moments after arriving at the reception.
Then, accomplished Latin dancer Gus twirled Cosima confidently to The McClymonts’ Forever Begins Tonight, before the couple called for the entire room to join them on the dance floor for an enthusiastic tarantella – a traditional Italian folk dance.
This was a special moment for Cosima to share with her father.
“Dad isn’t very comfortable talking in English, so he won’t be giving a speech,” says Cosima. “I also cry at the drop of a hat and will just die if he talks. So instead we’re doing the tarantella!”
Cosima in her Idol days with judge Ian Dickson, runner up Shannon Noll and winner Guy Sebastian.
Guests were treated to a feast of antipasto, risotto, pasta, salmon, beef and a selection of desserts, with limoncello – an Italian liqueur – to finish.
Also present to help Cosima and Gus celebrate the start of their new life were family friends actor Salvatore Coco, and former E Street star Melissa Tkautz.
Cosima cracked the room up when she cheekily requested all the ladies in the room to move to the dance floor – then hitched up her gown, busting a move to Nutbush City Limits that would have done Tina Turner proud.
The sassy singer topped it off by serenading her new husband with a spine-tingling rendition of the Etta James classic At Last.
“It’s been such a magical day,” gushed Cosima, who says the couple won’t be wasting any time in trying for children.
“He wants to have twins!” says a smiling Cosima of her beau. “At least!” adds Gus.
