To all of these reading this blog, surely you were looking for some advice on how to plan your wedding in Tuscany day since months. But now…well, let’ s say that we are all postponing our plans….. only for a few months! Here in Italy we’ve been hitten in a hard way by this virus so what I really want to do now that I have some time to spend at home is reading and thinking about how to organize ( if possible) nicer events than these I’ve planned last year and how to continue doing it in the future.
As I got plenty of time to browse all my favorite websites like SMP, Rock my wedding, my own Pinterest board to get some inspiration I already know it will be not so difficult. Give me one more month and I’ll be as busy as always planning visits to new venues for my couples and new magical weddings! I was just looking for some pictures to show on IG and I found these of a lovely day about last July.
When I got the first contact from K&L was exactly the opposite of today : they wrote me 2 years before their wedding date as they got my contact from a venue owner that was not able to help their big group. I was in the middle of a hot wedding season and I felt so bad and I couldn’t go with them to visit venues….. I started thinking on how to help this young couple when my assistant Rebecca called me to offer support and drive them around Tuscany. After 2 days visiting venue they found the one who touched their hearts and decided to sign a contract with both, the venue and me. It was a long distance planning even if they came back twice to Tuscany to select suppliers and do food tastings. There were many different moments during the three days they stayed at Le Filigare.
Everything started the first day with a Tea Ceremony: having the groom asian origins their parents wanted to follow the tradition with a typical tea ceremony. During this rite the couple offers some presents to the parents that in this way allow them to get married and wish good luck for their new life as a married couple.
On the wedding day, after breakfast it all started with hotel preparation of bride and groom party in two different apartments. The sun was really hot so, as the ceremony was held on the top of a hill, they decided to postpone it. They had the blessing at 5pm. Just after the ceremony drinks and some canapés where served by the pool. In the meanwhile Britpops were singing some songs for us. As the sun was no more scorching we decided it was time to move to the upper part of the farmhouse. A nicely decorated green and white table was waiting for welcoming us.
The newlyweds carefully selected each dish of their wedding dinner. To be honest when I sat down and had the first bite of tagliolini with black truffle I couldn’t think to anything else than this delicious pasta!
A great beef fillet was following and when the wedding cake arrived it was spectacular. A show cooking for traditional Italian millefoglie decorated with figs and olive leaves , to die for! I’m sure all guests loved it as there were just a few pieces left that were brought upstairs were the party started.
Britpops began the show as well as Alberto and his mate were serving nonstop drinks. Look at the nice cutie 500 Fiat they received as present from the open bar company ! It was a magical night and I didn’t want to leave but another hard day of planning was waiting so I had to stay goodbye to this magical place wishing to get back very soon!
To all of you still thinking about a nice wedding in Tuscany: have a look at these pictures: they really share the feeling of relax and amusement they had in these days and hop they convince all of you there reading to drop me a few lines despite the hard moment we’re in!
Venue: Le Filigare
Pictures:Ar J Photo
Flowers: Agriflor
Celebrant: Sofia from Tuscan Pledges
Catering service: Le Cirque
I was having a coffee in a bar with a friend. A&A called me to help planning their amazing wedding in Siena. They announce to me: Hey, we’re in Siena, will you be available to meet us tomorrow and discuss about our plans? Why not… I thought. December is quite a relaxing month for us wedding planners so let’s meet this young couple. They already found a great villa to host all their closer guests and the caterer. It was well organized as they had a specific idea of the dishes they wanted for their wedding dinner.
The bridal party and closer family stayed in the suites of the villa. In the meanwhile all the friends were getting ready in the other apartments. Close to the wedding hour, when we had already half of the table prepared for dinner something unexpected happened! It started raining and we had to run taking off all brass chandeliers from the table not to break them!!
The villa had a big ballroom that we could have used for the dinner but we waited a bit. At the end we decided to delay the ceremony for an hour, to give time to waiters to rearrange for the dinner. The villa has two lovely gardens and lots of green woods and areas all around. In fact we decided to move the ceremony to the garden on the back part of the villa. It was a touching ceremony where the mom of the bride made a reading who touched the hearth of all the guests.
After the wedding ceremony people moved to the gate entrance for some group pictures and the aperitif finally started. Waiters served Spritz ( italian cocktail made with white wine and Aperol liquor) and bubbles to keep guests entertained until the dinner time.
While bride and groom were talking pictures with Carmela and Sissi I tried to rearrange the decoration with Agriflor girls that were always there to grant the best service possible even with that horrible weather!
So the choice was on Delizia Ricevimenti where I met the lovely Giulia. She helped me throughout the planning and the choice of food and drinks.
The villa has a romantic Italian garden with fountains where we decided to have a small “smoking corner”. It was made with umbrellas and white rattan sofas. All items for decoration and dancing area were rented from Toscana Noleggio.
When dinner time came Bride and Groom made their first speech as a married couple. They stayed under a pergola of wisteria perfectly decorated with fresh flowers. The delicious dishes served where a mix of caribbean and italian cuisine, with a touch of spicy in all of them. Guests tasted ravioli, chicken and a chocolate dessert to die for! The wedding cake was covered with white cream and flowers. Obviously it matched the style of all decorations.
It was only a few seconds after they cut the cake that the party starts. The Dj coming from outside already started playing music!
As soon as he called the Bride and groom everybody started dancing under the fairy lights that were set up by Central house in the swimming pool area.
It was a long night full of music and laughs. Despite the weather that hadn’t been exactly a summer one we had a lot of fun with them and Im sure A&A will remember their amazing wedding in Siena forever!
I’m really proud to start the new year showing pictures of this wedding shooting. We did it last summer with the lovely Yulia from YULIYA M. PHOTOGRAPHY
What a fabulous photographer and friend ! Yulia is so passionate about what she does, and it shows. She is based in the USA and began the year with photoshoots through Europe. She is widely travelled and a very successful business woman. She favors the journalistic approach in her photography. She uses natural light and her love for her craft shines through in her photos.
The soft pastels, pinks and elegant tones lended themselves perfectly to our stately surroundings. The abundance of natural light added to the magic of the day and produced the most incredible images. The styling is elegant, simple and classic. The stunning gardens provide endless photographic opportunities with the landscape of Siena as backdrop.
Siena is very famous for weddings for many reasons. It is closely situated to Florence, Pisa and Rome, making it easy for travel. It is one of the most striking medieval cities in Italy. In add the cobbled streets are mostly only for pedestrians so it lends itself perfectly to exploring on foot.
The palazzo we had the first pictures in, is the perfect place to use for a cocktail or reception if you want to get married in the city town hall in Piazza del Campo. They offer an inner garden as well as a courtyard and a cover hall to use in case a plan B. They can host up to 100 people. Here are some more pictures of this wedding venue.
We also had the pleasure of using their villa close to Siena that has the most amazing view of the surrounding countryside.
We wanted to create a table decoration different from all these we normally see. We tried to use fruit as well as gold cutlery and blue tones for tablecloths and napkins. I really love the style of this table decoration: what do you think?
The villa green areas are perfect for a blessing as well as an alfresco dinner. Their Italian gardens are immense and as you can see from the photos there are many stunning spots for wedding photos.
This wedding shooting couldn’t have been possible without the effort of my favorite suppliers: Agriflor fiori for the bride’s bouquet and decoration and Atelier Andreia Cruz for the wedding gowns.
And as always I have to say thanks to the lovely Sofia for welcoming us into her home and giving us the opportunity of shooting around.
This ceremony took place in a country villa near Siena. The lovely couple come from Sweden and they contacted me a year and a half before the wedding date, so we had plenty of time to plan everything in the best detail! As you surely know if you’ve read my post on legal requirements the civil wedding for a couple like them is quite daunting so they opted for a symbolic wedding celebrated open air.
Their whole family came over for the wedding, so it was a big affair with lots of children and friends – they outnumbered the family! Anna Karin wanted a mystic feel to her ceremony but with an elegant and sophisticated feel to. So they decided to have the tables decorated with long garlands of greenery and roses. It was beautiful and very elegant, despite the weather we have had this summer – even before the ceremony it was raining a bit. We are always prepared with a Plan B though and so we covered the tables and at luckily in the end they could have their ceremony under the Tuscan sun and then had their white family dinner surrounded by their many friends and touching speeches in the courtyard of the Villa.
As you surely know guests who have speeches sometimes take a bit more of the time they are given to congratulate with the newlyweds. Well, their speeches exceeded expectations so instead of 11pm, the party started at 1pm, when the open bar was going to end. As wedding cake they opted for a great millefoglie of puff pastry filled with cream. It was decorated with fresh fruit and done in front of the guests. This is one of my favorites cakes as it’s perfect for a summer event and instead of just one , sometimes I like to try 2 pieces, just to be sure it’s very very good!!
We had the dancing area in one of the 2 rooms prepared for the plan B and all the guests enjoyed the great cocktails prepared by Nicola and his staff. The night was magic anyway and all the friends of the couple had a good time and I’m sure they will remember this night forever.
Tuscany has plenty of magic villas like this to offer to foreign couples. Are you looking for some new venue that can host your guests and family for a wedding in Chianti? Just have a look at our website for new wedding venues and you can find the venue that fits your needs: https://weddingvenuesintuscany.info . If you don’t just write us an email and we’ll be glad to send you some more info.
Thanks to all the wonderful suppliers of the day like :
Snowflake photos for the great pictures
Ursula Spicchiaioli for hair and make up
Class ricevimenti for caterers
Central house for lights and music
The first time I met Claudine and Paco, I had the strong sensation like when you meet a couple of friends. They are a young successful couple. She comes from Switzerland, he is from Peru. So we had no problem in speaking both Italian and Spanish with them. That made me feel at ease from the first moment.
We had a look at 3 Villas and the last one was the perfect place for their romantic wedding. Being close to one of the most beautiful romanic churches in Tuscany. It was easy for them to decide to get married there.
The weekend started with a buffet party the night before in the courtyard of the Villa. All the guests helped themselves to the generous food and we had a suckling pig prepared just for us. People from every part of the world would have enjoyed. In fact our Porchetta is world famous!!
The next morning, we went to the beauty centre for a manicure with the bride.There I got a fine on my car as I didn’t pay attention that the streets were going to be cleaned the same morning… We had a rushed trip back to the Villa for hair and makeup, getting the bride dressed and everyone ready. Then, we finally proceeded onto the church.
The couple chose rustic, elegant decorations for the church to match the gorgeous setting and let the beauty of the venue shine through. It was a touching ceremony with violin and trumpet music from “The Italian wedding band”. Once back at the Villa, guests enjoyed an aperitif with Class Ricevimenti. They served them a scrumptious aperitif in the villas’ garden.
They took advantage of the fun photo booth with props and the reception dinner started. The table was one long setting, with stunning décor from Agriflor. The most amazing single hung lightbulbs provided from Wedding Music and Lights looked incredible once it got darker. Several courses were served, which is typical of Tuscan food, and a delicious millefoglie cake to cut for dessert.
Before we knew it, it was time for the first dance. Just after, an epic battle with a Star Wars theme entertained all the guests. Open bar was organized by the professional Nicola of Eventin Exclusive Bar who created a wonderful piece of furniture just for these guys. It was really worth the effort! I love love love this style!
The night was truly full of fun as the couple danced until 3am with all their guests, enjoying the cool Tuscan night. Of course this could have never happened without my great assistants, Claudia and Letizia who helped me during the whole day. Another thanks to the wonderful job of Claudia and Luca of Rossini Photography, two of the most professional people I always love to work with. A huge thanks to them all for a perfect days that this couple will always remember!
First time I read an email from Kathy it was one year and a half before her wedding day. After a couple Skype calls she introduced me to her lovely mum. That wonderful woman was the one who came first to Tuscany to select the right venue. She was really a big help and took care of every detail of the wedding in Tuscany. She did it as Katy decided to fly to the Emirates to start her new career in a big company.
After a couple of visits to different farmhouses with Kathy’s parent she came back to me with a decision. Villa Elena was the right place for their wedding in Tuscany. And so a long year and a half of planning started, with options for both a symbolic ceremony at the Villa and a civil one in the amazing townhall of Siena . Time flew by very quick and the big day approached fast so last details were decided directly at the bride arrival in Siena. Kathy had a busy working trip before getting to Tuscany. Due to I didn’t want to stress her with some many details.I needed just a short meeting in the afternoon to finalize a couple of things.The following day was the big day. The sun was shining around the Chianti hills. Everything looked perfect for the blessing in the garden. I took care of the flowers and decorations with the help of Kathy’s mum. When the bride came with her bridesmaids everything was ready for their moment.
As the Villa host a very famous restaurant the dinner was prepared by the house chef and It was served by the pool.
As the sun went down it was time to cut the cake. The bride asked for an ice cream cart and she enjoyed her favorites gelato.In the meanwhile guests take some pictures.
I love every wedding I organize but this was really special. I spent many many years of my life living just in front of Casa Elena so still keep good memories of these hills. It reminds me their colors and their perfumes… Chianti Classico, such a nice place to have your perfect wedding!!
A huge thanks goes to Federico Pannacci www.fedepan.net for the hard work and great job he did with my couple… It’s always a pleasure to work with you guy!
Everybody has in his life a certain number of places where you feel like at home. A summer house where you spent holidays when you were a child. A nice garden where you used to play. Either a shop in which you only buy a certain kind of clothes ….. Well, this wedding in villa in the Chianti area reminds me of a lovely period! I spent it in one of the most romantic and lovely places of the world, Chianti. It is also known by the english people as “chiantishire”
It wasn’t difficult for Monika and Marcel to choose their final wedding venue. Once they tried the delicious menus prepared from the house chef: from salads made with organic vegetables to pastas. Unmissable the scrumptious meat paired with wine sauce. The couple was delighted to start planning their dream day at Villa Delia. This farmhouse was built in the Xth century with a small group of houses surrounding a church. Since these days they started producing a great Chianti Classico wine. After a while the small village started grow up and today it is has been reconverted. It is a 5 start hotel with 2 swimming pools, ballroom for weddings and a restaurant that only serves organic food with a touch of modern cuisine. Views all around are breathtaking as always!
The planning task was really easy as the bride already knew how the day had to be. Something simple but elegant, in the middle of the country with the closest family and friends. They decided to get legally married in the townhall of Siena and then to have a symbolic ceremony back at the villa. We created a board on Pinterest where we could share ideas with our florist. Then the idea of creating some decorations with fruit and flowers for the dinner appeared. It could have not been possible without the creativity of the bride. She wanted something elegant but natural as well. So silver cups and tea pots, lots of season flowers and peaches were the main theme.
The ceremony was in the garden overlooking the valley under the shadow of an old oak tree.
After the rite all the people had an aperitif in the small garden where all the guests enjoyed a glass of bubbles with some Tuscan delicacies. The table for the wedding breakfast was set in the same spot of the ceremony with some country lights hanging from the trees. The dancing floor was in the main stables to allow the couple to dance the night away until very very late….!
I’ll remember this wedding as one of the best I’ve ever had in my life. If you like this wedding and want to see more pics from the talented Rossini Photography just scroll down!! Ciao ciao Hewelin XXX
Weddings: I know it has been a lot since my last post on a romantic wedding in Tuscany;-) This is the reason why I want to share pictures from this romantic wedding in Tuscany with all my brides. It has been a great year, met lovely people and colleagues. I had many weddings in different cities of Tuscany some hidden, some totally new. I just discovered this new farmhouse where Ben and Stephanie decided to host their wedding. I was really excited to help them in the planning and everything was easier than thought. Having lived close since years helped me to find suppliers for every need.
Being Stephanie a smart bride, she already found the make up artist who came to Tuscany especially for her wedding. She also booked the florist by herself.
Flowers and decoration played an important role in this wedding as they were really admired by all the guests . Colors chosen were burgundy, white and light pink with some green accents of olive leaves all around.
Being at the beginning of September the weather is normally mild and nice. But this day was really above and beyond any expectation. Stephanie since the beginning was asking for a religious ceremony. So they got married in the beautiful church close to the farmhouse. After the ceremony, to give us enough time to prepare the reception set, all the guests were invited for a snack. An ice cream directly from the cart in the garden opposite the church.
Of course the sun was still shining so many people started driving to the farmhouse as another bride was coming in an hour in the same church. (She even phoned me to make sure we did not throw any petals on the ground before her!)
Well, despite the hard job I have to say that it was a pleasure to work with this venue. In fact both, manager and the chef made our job really easy. The aperitif was served in the courtyard at the entrance. The dinner instead on the main gardens facing the pergola and the valley.
Here you can enjoy some more pics of this day. If you like the style just drop me an email and I’ll be more than glad to help you in organizing a day like this!!
Credits: www.peterandveronika.com for the pictures
http://fioristalagardenia.it for flowers and deco
Lights : http://www.weddingmusicandlights.it
MUA thanks to Lidia Malinovskaja: http://www.malinovskaja.com/
When I got Joelle’s first email it seemed like a classic destination wedding, the kind I often do. The bride and groom born in one state but live in another and have family and friends scattered all over the globe.
“Great!” I thought, “a nice multicultural Tuscan wedding, my favorite kind!”
They did not delude my expectations: the French-born bride was also a citizen in Belgium. This country is also her parents and groom’s home. On the other hand, the groom was born in East Germany and had family and ancestors in Russia. Logistically they both lived in Australia, thus making it almost impossible to gather all of the documentation needed for a civil marriage…! A symbolic ceremony was the most logical choice. It gave us the opportunity to go wild with the decorations and afternoon activities. Oh yes, after spending the Epiphany weekend here, Joelle and Toli decided to get married in a beautiful liberty-style villa. The couple’s closest family members stayed in the main part of the villa. Their friends booked the apartments on the farmland.
A few days before the wedding I accompanied Toli and Joelle to try out the hairdresser and the catering. The bride chose to have her hair up on one side. In this way she suited her wonderfully and would be perfect with her pearl-grey gown.
The catering was a success! Bride and groom walked out with the final draft of the menu, table arrangements and décor decided. A special thanks to Super Gabriella’s suggestions.
Early start on the wedding day to get hair done. The five guests were unrecognizable once the hairdresser was done with them!
Jen, the photographer, had also started early that morning, taking pictures of the villa’s outdoor locations. Even if it was the end of September, the weather was still warm. We were able to have both the ceremony and the dinner outside, in the villa’s front garden.
The ceremony was held in the shade of a secular cedar tree. Guests were arranged around the couple like a theatre, overlooking the marvellous panorama of the Val d’Elsa hillside. Afterwards, while the guests congratulated the newlyweds, the waiters started to serve the aperitifs in the garden.
Dinner was served on the ground floor of the villa, where the band had set up for the party. When the time for the cutting of the cake had come everyone was ready to start dancing! Bridesmaids had a hard time convincing everyone to leave them some space to set up for the pranks they had in store for the couple…!
Finally, the music won everyone over and all of the guests were dancing. It was a magical evening with wonderful September weather and I’m sure that the bride and groom as well as their guests will cherish that day in their memories for a very long time!
MUA thanks to Lidia Malinovskaja: http://www.malinovskaja.com/
Last wedding season has been really amazing! Lots of new venues, bigger weddings, lots of menu tastings. But above all my first experience in a real medieval castle in the Chianti. I already had the opportunity to visit many castles in the surroundings but the Chianti is definitely my favorite region. I always wanted to have a wedding there. So, Sophie and Wulfric came to Italy and made their decision for this venue. I was more than happy to start the planning project!
People were coming from all around the world so it was a good opportunity to show how weddings are! The night before all the guests had a pizza party in the pic-nic area of the castle. This moment gave the opportunity to know each other better.
The following day when I arrived to the venue everybody was already preparing for the big event. Table plan, flowers and even the bride’s brother watching at the last smaller spot on the bride’s car.
Sophie and her bridesmaids got dressed in the Bridal suite on the ground floor. No plugs were provided for the hair dresser so I had to send one of my colleagues to buy 3. Fortunately the closest village was just 5 kilometers driving!!! No panic, all the girls were ready for the big moment. When Sophie wore her Caroline Castigliano gown she really looked like a princess. The dress was made with white lace and had a long veil all around.
The ceremony took place on the highest hill overlooking the Castle.
Then the guests walked downhill the pebble road “under the real Tuscan sun” !!!
The aperitif was organized in the herb garden. Everybody had the chance to taste any kind of appetizers paired with wines from all around Italy. The string quartet continued playing despite the July sun when temperatures arrived until 42°.. Tough guys!!
After several pictures and drinks all the guests moved to the main courtyard of the castle were the tables were set for dinner.
A typical tuscan menu chosen by the bride and groom with dishes suitable also for their vegetarian guests. But the best moment of the dinner was having the chef preparing the wedding cake in front of guests.A real millefoglie with cream and fruits done express for Sophie and Wulfric.
Then Andrea Dj helped us dancing the night away and after a few hours taxis and vans came to collect the last guests who were still dancing…
When I arrived at my hotel’s door I had real problems seeing the hole where to put the key.But the cat of the hotel came and started scratching to the door that was incredibly open.. I fall asleep as soon as I reached the bed. When I woke up I realized that the wedding was the day before as soon as I saw the big bunch of flowers the happy couple gave me the night before to say thanks for my help….I slept with it on my bed!!
I always leave Chianti hills with a little bit of sorrow. Remembering the period when I was living here but now I’m really happy because I know I helped another couple to realize their dream of getting married in an amazing place: Tuscany!
If you want here you can see a trailer of their Wedding video. Hope you enjoy watching it as I did and thanks to Fulvio Greco Films and James Allan for the great video and pictures!!
