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’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
When you imagine your wedding you don’t surely think about getting married in fall or exactly on Halloween day. But this is what I’m going to talk about today: a couple or even more reasons to get married during autumn season.
First of all, I LOVE fall! I’m of course blessed to live in a nice romantic country were colors change a lot in a short period. Leaves go from green to brown to yellow and reddish in the blink of an eye. They leave us time for nice pictures that are only waiting to be sticked on your wedding album.
It will be surely easier for you to find availability at the end of the season. I’m having problems now in finding venues for next summer. Some places have already started selling their 2019 availability so good for you to know: low season and good/best price!
Of course the problem of a rainy day is to be consider but think that most of the venues have always a plan B included. If not, a marquee or a romantic gazebo will be perfect to host your guest for dinner and dancing.
Getting married in fall is great not just for colors but also for decorations! Think about orange/brownish shades, sunset light, pumpkins, wood berries and pine cones. They can give you plenty of inspiration to create your own palette for the reception and also for the dinner table. In fact you can use these natural elements and mix them with white or lightly colored candles and why not, fruit and small vegetables to obtain natural effect.
If you want to entertain also your smallest guests what’s better than using “halloween themed” candies and lollypop to create a table only for them . You can also use lollypops as table names and it’s easy to create them by yourself as it’s explained in this pin ( I know I always talk about Pinterest but if you follow my blog you surely know I can’t live without ;-).
As I wrote before I love this finishing soft touch that autumn light gives to pictures. Be sure to have an early wedding so you can enjoy sunlight before the dinner and take advantage of what beautiful natures offers around you.
It is one of the two central things the wedding in terms of decoration. Of course feel free to do something classic but why not incorporate some elements of the decoration in your flowers? So go with reddish, brownish flowers like dahlias, roses, and also orange, green and rusty green. Using some branches together with berries will give your bouquets this messed touch that got the look right now!
What’s better than the dessert? A friend of mine says that “desserts word is stressed spelled backwards” so choose your favourite taste, can be creamy, chocolate or fruity and go with your fantasy to decorate it . While just icing sugar or fruits or berries or pumpkin shape, your cake will be the perfect finishing touch to a memorable day!
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
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!
For most brides, that long road from the moment he pops the question to the moment you both start planning your tuscan wedding can seem like a never ending one that’s full of tulle, peonies, countless vendors and deadlines. The planning process can be daunting to some and downright horrifying to the procrastinators. This is why the team at Adorn invitations have put together a comprehensive wedding timeline to make your planning just that little bit smoother so keep reading to find out their favourite tips and tricks. You’re welcome girls.
Sort out your budget in the early days and not just your overall figure. Do your research and know how much of your money you want to allocate to every service and vendor. This will be a huge help down the road and ensure that you still have some cash left at the end of all this. Follow this formula for an easy guide –
48 to 50 percent of total budget to reception
8 to 10 percent for flowers
8 to 10 percent for attire
8 to 10 percent for entertainment/music
10 to 12 percent for photo/video
2 to 3 percent for invites; 2 to 3 percent for gifts
8 percent for miscellaneous items like a wedding coordinator.
Keep an extra 5-10% of your budget tucked away for any extra expenses like reprinting additional invites.
Put your beauty on trial.
Hair, makeup, nails and especially fake tan are important to trial. Not only will trials make sure you’re happy with the final look but it also gives you a chance to experiment with different hair styles, lip colours etc. This will also help you to avoid looking like a tangerine on your wedding day (go easy on the tan.)
Have some fun with your appointments following the wedding timeline.
Over the year – you’re going to be swimming in appointments. Whether it’s to decide what flavored filling you’ll have in your cake, tours of potential venues or whether to have fish or chicken – make sure you go into these appointments and have fun! Make a day of it and enjoy the occasions.
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!!
