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
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.
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!
Last summer I was honored to celebrate a family wedding. It was one of the funniest I’ve ever had with one of the photographers I love to work the most: Domenico Costabile. Megan and Dillon chose to get married in Tuscany, in a beautiful Villa in Valdambra. This place was special because Megan’s family has rented since she was a young girl.
Their family and closest friends decided to join them. This happy event was a celebration that lasted 3 days, full of food and happiness!
Megan’s mom visited Tuscany in early December. She met the caterer and viewed the church where the couple would be married. The family was delighted with the quantity of food prepared for them, so much so that they couldn’t finish even half of the meat! The Villa they choose is close to one of the most beautiful romanic churches of the area. Don Pierluigi recommended us and anEnglish speaking priest. He helped Megan and Dillan in preparing their order of service giving hints for the readings too.
Time flew and before they knew it they were in Italy to start preparing their documents. After a few days spent in and out of offices to take care of the legalities,Megan and Dillon were ready to be married. Finally their special day arrived. The couple rented a house in Valdambra for all the guests to stay. The ceremony was held in August in a stunning church with beautiful floral arrangements of olive tree and white roses.
Once they came back to the Villa all the guests were having some yummy appetizers. It was a typical Tuscan al fresco aperitif. Wedding aperitif and dinner were served from Cappelli Catering. They arranged fried bites, typical conducts and cheese, canapés and a mozzarella corner to die for! Then the married couple wanted to have 2 first courses: ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta cheese with sage and butter plus some pics noodles with meat sauce.
Their day was full of sunshine, good food, happiness, friends and family.They had an incredible time in Italy and their wedding day ended with a disco until late into the evening.
I’m sure their families will never forget this nice day in Tuscany and sure you’ll enjoy seeing their pics down below.
If you like the style and want to see more just click here!
Have you just started planning your wedding in Tuscany, perhaps in Florence. You have no idea of where to start?? I’m sure this post will give you a lot of hints of what to do next.
Doesn’t matter where you come from, if you are british, you come from the Us, New Zealand or Siena. Simply ask a friend who got married there and when you start talking about document required… They’ll all show the same face :”WHAAAT? Are you really going to do it all by yourself? No kidding, ..it will be a nightmare!!”
This is what most of the people are told when facing with italian bureaucracy. Speaking with some colleagues we always tell us our stories in the different town halls,with civil officer. While some of them are extremely helpful and try to make your couple feel relaxed even if they have no passport to show, most of them are not at all:
1) don’t speak a single word of English and refuse to understand anything that doesn’t sound italian.
2) have no idea of what office hours are and can go for a coffee even 5 minutes before the ceremony begins ( happened to me next May…)
3) can switch office, close the door to work without anybody else disturbing them and decide that all the papers you’ve prepared for the most important day of your life can wait until before the wedding day to be processed (if you don’t believe it have a look at this review)
So with the lovely picture of this Christmas tree in the main square of Fiesole. Think a lot before starting doing all the legal side by your own and above all start inquire for a good wedding planner!! Whan I received Alexandra’s email I thought, oh my God, the town hall will never accept a winter wedding on December 23rd but this exactly what they did!
They arrived just a few days before in order to be able to get the documets at the American Embassy by the Lungarno. Once we had our precious declaration we headed straight onward to the town hall with my car. I was driving like a crazy to get there before 12am when the office close. I was really lucky because the girls working there were fantastic. More important than this they are used to deal with couple arriving late due to the times of offices !!!
Anyway, on the following day they got married inside the Council room as the chilly temperatures didn’t allowed us to stay outside . As they choose this lovely city the Deputy gave them tickets to visit the Roman Theatre. It is just a few steps far from the town hall. They got there with a couple of friends to take some pictures before heeding back to Via Tornabuoni where they had a lunch booked.
The talented photographer, Sebastian Bonacchi was there to help them capturing this special moment. If you like to see more pictures just scroll down. I’m sure you will love his style! If you are thinking about getting married in Florence, Fiesole cold be the right choice for you!
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!
As a Destination wedding planner in Tuscany I sadly don’t normally get involved with helping a bride to find her perfect dress and only see the breath taking gowns in the flesh either as I'm running them to the Lavanderia to be pressed pre wedding or on the morning of the wedding usually hanging up all ready for the bride to step into it and look utterly gorgeous. So you can imagine how delighted I was when I got invited to meet wedding gown designer Lucio Antonucci from "Le Fiabe di Lucio" (Lucio's fables) and visit him at his studio, which is located just a stone's throw away from the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
I first met Fabio his marketing manager on the famous bridge and we walked the short distance to meet the maestro, when the door to his studio opened I was greeted by the sweetest, kindest man who welcomed me as an old friend made me a delicious strong Italian coffee and made me feel at home instantly. I felt as if I had known him for years as we chatted about his work and all things weddings. I can see why brides would trust him with the most important decisions for their wedding, he's fun and so easy and interesting to talk to that you can easily be swept away with the creativity which is buzzing in the room.
Lucio's studio is like an Aladdin's cave and there are so many wonderful things to fest your eyes on it’s difficult to know where to begin… Lush fabrics are just about everywhere, the mannequins’ with dresses seemly ready for the bride to pop in for her next fitting and finished dresses hanging up just waiting to be collected for their grand entrance be it in a church or civil ceremony you just know that the bride is going to feel like a million dollars, the groom is going to be blown away with how wonderful she looks and the guests will gasp when they see her in her unique "Lucio" creation. There are shoes, veils and accessories and boxes and boxes of wedding goodies all beautifully arranged, I was like a kid in a sweetshop with all those tactile, yummy fabrics to touch and see and there was lots of oohing and ahhing coming from me during my visit.
Lucio Antonucci, is a designer of Haute Couture, high end totally unique wedding dresses, no two designs are ever the same and his wedding gowns are almost etheral, so light and playful, just perfect for a hot summer's day wedding in Tuscany. He works closely with the bride to come up with the perfect wedding gown for the occasion and then sews them all by hand, a true labour of love and as you can see from the images below there are some truly gorgeous creations.
As I left Lucio he gave me a wonderful little gift of a black feather brooch which will no doubt make many appearances at future weddings and something that I will cherish for a long time to come.
Thank you Lucio for giving up your morning to give me a glimpse of your wonderful Haute Couture world, now all I need is a bride who would like one of Lucio's wonderful gowns so they have a truly Tuscan wedding.
JX
