SoulCycle Instructor Victoria Brown Gets Married After Meeting Husband in Her Spin Class (Exclusive)

SoulCycle instructor Victoria Brown found love in her own spin class!

The fitness instructor exchanged personal vows with Michael Court at a Villa Medicea di Lilliano in Tuscany on June 17. The couple, who first crossed paths in Brown's class in Washington, D.C., opted for an Italian ceremony because of their shared heritage.

“We're both Italian and have family in Italy,” Brown exclusively tells PEOPLE. “There wasn’t a location in the States that felt quite right for us. Italy just felt right. We wanted to share a piece of ourselves with our guests.”

When putting together their picturesque nuptials, Brown says she wanted their 70 friends and family members to enjoy every moment of the destination wedding.

“Our guests' experience was the number one thing we focused on throughout planning,” says Brown. “How each detail would make people feel, and how we can bring people together to create an unforgettable weekend and night. They are all traveling from so far to celebrate with us, so we really wanted to make it worth it!”

In lieu of a classic tiered wedding cake, the pair opted for Millefoglie, a traditional Italian cream cake topped with berries. With the help of the bride and groom, a chef assembles the pastry in front of the guests, a gesture that Brown says, “symbolizes the sharing of happiness and fortune with all the attendees and family.”

Now happily married, the newlyweds have SoulCycle to thank for their love story.

Brown had a “secret crush” on Court who attended her classes in Washington for several months. They exchanged brief pleasantries and smiles, before unbeknownst to Brown, Court relocated to New York City for work. The fitness expert wondered where "Hot Michael” went, but didn't think much more of it. Nearly two years later, she left Washington for a fresh start in New York City.

Brown began teaching classes in Manhattan and was shocked when one day she looked over and there was Court on a bike. He asked her out on a date and the rest is history.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For her walk down the aisle, Brown wore an off-the-shoulder KYHA Studios gown. “I really wanted to quiet outside opinions and make my choice based on how I genuinely felt,” she says.

The couple opted for simplicity, understated florals and a color scheme of white, green and blue to compliment the gorgeous Italian landscape. “The historic Medicea Villa and rolling Tuscan hills set the backdrop so effortlessly, we really aimed to not compete with too many details,” Brown says. 

Officiated by Court’s father, the wedding was “an embodiment of what we care about most,” Brown says. “Our closest friends and people we can rely on no matter the occasion were present to celebrate with us in a countryside that has remained largely the same for centuries."

Brown continues: “That enduring aspect, unchanging and persistent, is what we hope our love and marriage will be — now and for decades to follow.”

As the couple reflects on their dream day, it couldn't have been more perfect for them.

“To us, our wedding is the ultimate symbol of our lifetime commitment to each other,” Brown says. “We know there will be good days and bad, many highs coupled with many lows, but we choose to tackle this life and all that comes with it together by each other's side."