Now that the words Italy Covid wedding rules 2021 are on top of Google trends as research we still want to continue sharing some real love. This has always been our passion , to celebrate love and life with our couples.
And as weddings are still going on ( even if in a different way ) today I want to show you the last ceremony we had in Fall with Jo and Dave, an amazing couple from Uk.I was recommended to them by a friend who got married in Tuscany a few years ago with me in the beautiful abbey of San Galgano
Now that the words Italy Covid wedding rules 2021 are on top of Google trends as research we still want to continue sharing some real love. This has always been our passion , to celebrate love and life with our couples.
And as weddings are still going on ( even if in a different way ) today I want to show you the last ceremony we had in Fall with Jo and Dave, an amazing couple from Uk.I was recommended to them by a friend who got married in Tuscany a few years ago with me in the beautiful abbey of San Galgano
As Jo works in the tourism and hotels management and Dave is a chef they started 2 years ago to plan their destination wedding. They came to Italy just before the Corona Virus pandemic started: were lucky enough to see a florist, meet 2 caterers and other suppliers! I remember that day with happiness as even if it was in February we had time to drive around Tuscany.
It was a sunny day and do the most important parts of the planning . Then a hard period came and some of the guests had to cancel their stay but the day before they had flights booked. The PM said british citizens were allowed to fly to Italy and they finally landed in Pisa!
The first day was relaxing and a nice dinner at the venue with all the friends and family. The weather was mild enough to allow them to have a swim and enjoy a bit of the famous Tuscan sun!
The following day Jo got ready in the upper floor of their suite.In the meanwhile all guests were relaxing in the garden while Elizabeth was taking pictures of them all.
The symbolic ceremony was celebrated in the garden under a romantic wisteria roof. All people were waiting for the bride to walk down the steps when a few drops of rain started to fall!!! It was just a moment and very funny as the bride started walking a bit faster trying to arrive down the pergola for the most exciting moment without being totally wet! It was just a moment and then the sun came back again and with the amazing landscape of the Borgo it was the perfect scenery for the pictures!
I was trying to check the aperitif buffet and the beautiful flowers decoration but as it was getting closer to 1pm. We decided it was time for a 5 minutes break and I had a spritz cocktail with my assistant Rebecca and the caterer ( I think really deserved it after all this period spent planning against Corona Virus and rules and laws changing every now and then!! ;-))))
If you want to know about rules you can see that they were all seated with more than a meter distance, (unless those who were family, of course….) and were wearing face masks when indoor. The venue gave us hand sanitizer and the guests brought some more from home, just in case there was not enough here
The only negative point was all the stress we had before. They came here as we didn’t know if they were able to fly, or even to stay in Italy without having to quarantine once back home. But apart from this all the guests were so happy to be able to visit Italy and taste the food and wine that they offend during their stay!
They had a great lunch with a huge buffet of aperitivi as well as many cocktails and white wine, a first course of macaroni short pasta with pecorino cheese, figs and rocket.and an. incredible Lemon risotto with chives herb, one of my favorite dishes!! The main course was a delicious Chianina beef fillet in Wellington crust even if some guests opted for a beef fillet in Wellington crust paired with some veggies and potatoes.
After cutting the millefoglie wedding cake the bride decided it was time for a dress change and decided to go for a sequin outfit to get the party started.
I was home when Rebecca sent me some pics of the bar decoration and the guests having fun and dancing all together with the children. The day ended with an amazing landscape covered in pink and orange like the cocktails poured in the glasses.
And it was also when I realized that we did the right thing, always respecting rules to protect the health of all the people, the guests and the workers. We were able to create a day that will last in their memories forever.
Hope you like my post and if you want to see more pics about the venue here is a link to their website: weddingvenuesintuscany.info/listing-item/borgo-campanelli-2/
All the pictures in this post were taken from the super talented Elizabeth Armitage, an English girl living in Tuscany and the caterer is Class Ricevimenti . The gorgeous flowers you can see displayed were created by Bianchi Fiori, Poggibonsi.
See you on the next post about a wedding in Tuscany !!!
September wedding in Siena
It was 2 years before their September wedding when Janel contacted me for her special day in Siena. She wanted to be sure that all was perfect for such an important moment so we started the wedding planning a long time before. September weddings are lovely, mild temperatures, and chill nights to party with your guests. I really love this weather as it is perfect to enjoy every moment. I checked first Siena availability and they confirmed that their wedding date and time were free.
Civil wedding in Siena
One year before Janel got the list of documents for her legal marriage . As you surely know Brexit will be in just a few days, but at the moment, documents are still the same as I explained in one of my old posts . Be sure that the Officer knows that they have to put the whole address of the city . Town halls don’t accept documents that are not 100% correct ; but they only tell it a few weeks before the wedding!
Wedding during Corona Virus
But then the Corona Virus arrived! We all know how stressful these months have been Here in Italy we started with total lockdown in March; suddenly no more requests, many couples asking to postpone their weddings and me struggling to rearrange all services! Then summer came, the season started and the first weddings with some restrictions were finally celebrated!! First small groups, 6,12 then bigger and then fall came, with more requests and big parties allowed! In September we still had some small restrictions for Covid but we were able to celebrate ceremonies also indoor.
Civil wedding in Tuscany
Siena’s town hall has an amazing Council room totally covered with frescoes: Janel got ready in a beautiful suite at Campo Regio Relais very close to the Townhall. Janel walked down the aisle with her father: I love Scottish dresses and he was wearing a kilt with wool socks, perfect for this season!
The Civil Officer was waiting for us inside the majestic council room: the violin started to play when Janel walked down his husband to be. All the guests were seating after all the months spent waiting and planning Graeme and Janel finally said I do!
It was a day full of emotions but all the guests were finally able to be in Siena for the big day!
Now that I have a bit more time to relax I started writing some posts about all the events I did last year. Samantha and Gia’s was surely one that I will never forget! It all began with a phone call. I was driving when Stephanie called me to ask if I wanted to help her for her sister’s wedding in Tuscany. She had already chosen a nice villa in the Chianti region. She was lucky because I know this area very well as I’ve been living there for many years. When I first visited the villa I discovered this luxury hamlet with a gorgeous Spa in some of the main Suites.
The panorama from the house is incredible as it leans all over the landscape of Panzano. The wedding day, as soon as I arrived I went to the suite of the girls where Suely was taking care of their hair and make up. The bridal party started and the photographer was there to take some pictures during the “getting ready”.
Being a wedding planner in Florida herself she carefully thought about all small details of the brides and tables. Gia and Samantha wore two white leather jackets with her name and wedding date on. This look matched with the same pair of white trainers made with lace in harmony with their dresses. It was a very emotional moment when Samantha read the letter that Gia wrote her the day before!!
The table was set up without tablecloth in the most typical country chic style. It was decorated with white ceramic dishes and ivory napkins, cristal glasses with gold rim and golden silverware. All the guests had a name tag made of transparent plexiglas that was paired with a small shot of liquor especially made for the wedding. Every women had a pashmina scarf on their chair to cover her shoulders in case they get cold. The cocktail after the ceremony was served in the terrace area while the dinner was outside in the garden of the Villa Delle Donne.
Chianti Cooking experience took care of both moments, the pizza party on the day before and the wedding dinner. All the dishes they prepared were sooo good and they had a a yummy 3 tiers wedding cake served with a nice transparent topper with the name of the brides. The sun shined during the whole day and all the guests ended up dancing under the starts with the music of Lorenzo Borneo’s dj. I am really thankful to Stephanie who invited me to this wedding and gave me the opportunity to know these two incredible families. I’m sure that Gia and Samantha will have a great future together and even more with the love of all their relatives and friends!
Brides: @samanthalmarion + @giacastellino
Planner + Stylist: @bystephaniemarion
Day of Coordination: @marrymeintuscany
Venue: Villa Delle Donne + Villa Le Scuderie @luxuryretreats
Floral Design: @lillaflorals
Catering: @chianti_cooking
Photographer: @kyaranatale
Videographer: @matteofotografia
Entertainment: #lorenzoborneo
Dresses: @inesdisanto via @chicparisien + @wtoowaters via @baciobaciobridal
HMUA: @suely_hair_makeup
Stationary + Details: @brandspired
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!
When you decide to plan a destination wedding, there’s a lot that goes into it. From the venue to airfare, and everything in between, it can be easy to exceed from the wedding budget when it comes to the planning process. To avoid overspending and draining your bank accounts before you even say “I do”, follow these tips when planning your destination wedding!
The most important part of planning any wedding, especially a destination wedding, is setting a realistic wedding budget that works with your personal finances. You’ll want to go over your savings accounts, debt, and bills before committing to anything. Figure out how much you have to spend so that you can stick to that dollar limit throughout the planning process. In order to avoid going over what you can afford, you can consider utilizing a low-interest loan to keep you in check and give you some wiggle room if needed.
With all of the moving parts of a destination wedding, try to cut costs by booking an all-inclusive plan. If you can find a bundle for you and your partner that covers your flights, hotel stay, and excursions around the resort, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money. Encourage your family and friends who are attending to do the same so they can more easily afford your trip and increase their chances of coming.
Both a blessing and a curse of a destination wedding is that everyone won’t be able to make the trip. While it will be a bit of a bummer to not have everyone you’ve ever met at your wedding, you’ll be able to save a lot of money by only inviting your closest friends and family. Keep your guest list as small as you can. You might still get “RSVP no”s from a couple of your guests, which will only shorten the list further. Check out this article for more tips on how to cut down your invite list.
There will likely be popular dates at the venue you choose for your destination wedding where the price is a lot higher than usual. Pick a less acquired date to save a big chunk of money. Instead of getting married on the usual Saturday, get married on a weekday to get a discount on your venue. If your schedule allows it, plan a wedding for a Monday or Tuesday.
A huge plus of destination weddings is that the beautiful location pays for itself! With a destination like Hawaii or Tuscany, your ceremony and reception will be decorated by nature. You won’t need to spend your money on decor or clever signs. All you need for a gorgeous wedding is the backdrop before you, so you won’t need all of those extra details most weddings do. For a fall wedding in tuscany, you could use leaves as your backdrop and decor to create a beautiful scene.
Take advantage of the beautiful location you get married in, and continue your trip right into your honeymoon. You’ll cut down on costs by not having to fly elsewhere after your wedding, and you could inquire with your resort location to see if they give discounts on hotel stay or excursions when you book your wedding with them. Take the time to research unique activities or events in the area. Since you won’t have to travel to another location for your honeymoon, be spontaneous and leave the venue your wedding took place at to explore the location even more!
Photo credits Livio Lacurre
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.
Dear Brides, I don’t think there’s another wedding that can be called more destination wedding in Tuscany then this one! Andrea and Camilo arrived this last September after having the experience of hurricane Irma visiting their homes…. To be honest , here in Europe we’re not that used to this kind of event and I can’t even imagine which problems this can cause to your ordinary life….Anyway, Camilo, Andrea and their families made it safely to Tuscany where they booked a wonderful Villa surrounded by nature and plenty of animals like horses and ducks .
After several Skype calls and a couple of email to explain which documents were required to get married in the church their papers were finally ready to obtain the Nulla Osta of the Priest who met us the day before in a lovely church of the village. Religious wedding are more and more requested by couple wishing too get married in Italy and this is not always easy to accomplish as priest may be a bit reluctant to marry a foreign couple .
But looking at the tears of guests and empathy of the guests you really understands that this wedding in Tuscany in the church was really important for them.ùEven of September can be a bit risky as for the weather, that day sun was shining bright to their happiness and they all came safely to the church and back to the Villa with the magic vintage school bus!! I loves it and was sad not to be able to hop on as I had to be at the church before to check music and last details!!!!
Even of September can be a bit risky as for the weather, that day sun was shining bright to their happiness and they all came safely to the church and back to the Villa with the magic vintage school bus!! I loves it and was sad not to be able to hop on as I had to be at the church before to check music and last details!!!!
Despite the hard times they’ve just had at home it was a day full of joy and happiness spent together with family and friends and ending with good food and wine provided by the villa owners. If you wish to see more pics just have a look at the website of the talented photographer who captured the day: Beatrice Moricci. Thanks for the great pictures and hope to see you again in the next destination wedding in Tuscany!
Credits: Flower by Agriflor Fiori
Make up and Hair from Wedding allover, Mauro Vitali.
As you surely know I love Fall weddings: mild temperatures, bright colors and above all avoiding the scorching hot Summer sun. This last September I
had the pleasure to be the wedding planner of the most lovely and nice couple I’ve had this year: Francesca and Tom. I met Francesca and his passionate mom last April. They first came to select their favorite venue from the bunch I had selected for them. It was love at first sight with a nice Fattoria (farmhouse) in the middle of Tuscany between the Chianti and Arezzo regions. The great landscape, the good food and the nice accommodation made it easy for them to choose that spot for the wedding.
The planning was quite easy as the bride already knew what she wanted. She dreamed to a relaxed country wedding with lots of pastel flowers and a great party with family and friends. So step by step we booked all the suppliers to help organize and build the Big Day. Once we met back at the Fattoria in September for the last trial and I saw Peter, the husband. He shared that he had an announcement to make. Francesca was pregnant and they were very happy to discover it before coming to Tuscany! With tears in eyes I decided to buy a present for this couple and it was a real challenge. Choose between all these lovely baby things in the shop was not easy! Anyway, time was running fast and I had to drive up and downhill to get to the Fattoria to be on time for the bride preparation. Francesca was very relaxed and we went together with some of her bridesmaids in the living room to get ready .
Hair and make up artists were waiting for us. Unexpectedly Francesca’s Dad came in with a bottle of Prosecco to calm down the nerves
The photographer was there to start taking picture of the getting ready. In the meanwhile the florist also came to set up the ceremony and deliver bouquets and corsages for women. In a moment the whole party was ready to go down the aisle! The music started playing and the Major officiant could celebrate the rite with a nice poem read especially for the newlyweds.
After the ceremony, all the people moved to the upper garden to take some family pictures and were delighted by a grande aperitivo served in the garden. A couple of hours after a little bit of rain started so we had to move inside for the last pictures and the dinner.
Tables were ready inside the main Sala della Macina (the old mill) and the wedding breakfast started with a speech by the father of the bride. What he
said brought tears to everyone in the room; remembering Francesca’s childhood. The best part of course was when the groom Peter announced that they would soon be parents! An explosion of applause and rounds of congrats to the bride and groom. A beautiful evening ensued, with the most spectacular moments including the cutting of the cake and dancing until the first hours of the morning. A perfect, unforgettable night and wedding!
Thanks to all my wonderful suppliers:
Photos by Federico Pannacci
Flowers by La Gardenia
Hair and Make up Weddingallover
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
