Planning a destination wedding involves more than choosing a beautiful venue. It means creating a celebration that works for two families, respects different cultural traditions and offers a comfortable experience for guests travelling from abroad.
For K and L, this meant bringing their British and Asian backgrounds together during a three-day wedding at Le Filigare, a country estate surrounded by the Tuscan hills.
Their celebration included a traditional Tea Ceremony, an outdoor blessing, an Italian dinner beneath the evening sky and a lively party that continued until late night. The programme also required flexibility: when the afternoon temperature became too hot for the planned hilltop ceremony, we adjusted the schedule to protect the comfort of the couple and their guests.
This is how the wedding weekend came together.
Before we dive into K & L’s story, make sure you’re clear on the legal requirements for getting married in Italy so nothing stands between you and your Tuscan “I do”.
A venue owner had shared my details with them after realising that the property could not accommodate the couple’s group. At the time, I was in the middle of a busy wedding season and could not personally accompany them during their first venue visits
Rather than leaving them to continue the search alone, my assistant Rebecca stepped in and accompanied them around Tuscany.
Over two days, they visited a selection of properties and assessed more than their appearance. They needed a venue that could accommodate their guests, host several events in distinct areas and maintain a relaxed atmosphere throughout the weekend.
Le Filigare was the property that met those requirements and felt right for the couple.
K and L signed contracts with both the venue and our planning team, and the long-distance planning process began.
Although most decisions were managed from abroad, the couple returned to Tuscany twice. These visits allowed them to meet suppliers, experience the venue at different stages of the planning process and taste the dishes that would later appear on their wedding menu.
Why the celebration lasted three days
A destination wedding often brings together guests who have travelled for many hours. For this reason, K and L did not want their families and friends to arrive, attend a single formal event and leave shortly afterwards.
They wanted the wedding to feel like meaningful time spent together.
Le Filigare allowed the celebration to unfold gradually across different areas of the estate. Guests could settle in, meet one another and experience the Tuscan countryside before the main ceremony. The three-day format also gave the couple enough time to honour an important family tradition without compressing every meaningful moment into the wedding day itself.
The first day centred on a traditional Tea Ceremony celebrating the groom’s Asian heritage.
During the ceremony, K and L served tea to their parents and offered gifts as expressions of gratitude and respect. In return, their parents gave the couple their blessing and wished them happiness in their married life.
The Tea Ceremony was not treated as a decorative addition to the wedding weekend. It was a personal family ritual with its own meaning, rhythm and place within the programme.
Holding the ceremony on the first day allowed both families to recognise the couple’s cultural heritage before the wider celebration began.
It also created a gentle introduction to the weekend. Rather than meeting for the first time immediately before the wedding ceremony, guests had time to connect and understand the traditions that were important to the couple.
Venue: Le Filigare
Pictures:Ar J Photo
Flowers: Agriflor
Celebrant: Sofia from Tuscan Pledges
Catering service: Le Cirque
Changing the ceremony time because of the heat
On the wedding morning, the bride and groom prepared in separate apartments with their respective parties.
The outdoor blessing had been arranged on top of a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside. The location offered a beautiful view, but the afternoon sun was stronger than expected.
Keeping the original schedule would have required the couple, their families and their guests to remain in direct heat during one of the most important parts of the day.
We therefore postponed the ceremony until 5 p.m.
Changing a wedding-day schedule is never a casual decision. The ceremony, catering service, entertainment and movement of guests must remain coordinated. In this case, however, guest comfort had to take priority over the original timeline.
The later start proved to be the right choice. The temperature became more manageable, the light softened and everyone could focus on the ceremony rather than the heat.
The change also reinforced an important planning principle: a destination-wedding timeline should not be designed around photographs alone. A location may look perfect at a particular hour, but shade, temperature, walking distances and guest comfort are also very important.
After the blessing, guests moved to the pool for drinks and canapés.
This transition gave everyone time to relax while the Britpops performed live. Their music introduced a clear British influence into the Tuscan setting and naturally shifted the atmosphere from ceremony to celebration.
As the strongest heat passed, we invited the guests to move towards the upper part of the farmhouse for dinner.
A long table decorated in green and white was waiting for them.
The design complemented rather than competed with the countryside. Greenery, pale flowers and understated table details reflected the surrounding landscape, allowing the architecture and natural setting to remain part of the dinner experience.
K and L had carefully selected every course during their tasting visit to Tuscany.
One of the most memorable dishes was tagliolini with black truffle. It was followed by beef fillet and, later, a traditional Italian millefoglie assembled in front of the guests.
The live preparation transformed the cake from a final course into part of the evening’s entertainment.
Layers of crisp pastry and cream were assembled and decorated with fresh figs and olive leaves, creating a visual connection between the dessert and the Tuscan landscape.
Very little remained at the end of the service. The final pieces were taken upstairs, where the evening party was about to begin.
Once dinner had finished, the celebration moved inside.
The Britpops returned to the stage, while Alberto and his colleague served drinks at the open bar. The atmosphere became less formal, and guests quickly filled the dance floor.
One of the most unexpected details of the evening was a small Fiat 500 provided by the open-bar company. More than a display, the car became a playful visual element and one of the details guests repeatedly photographed and remembered.
By that point, the weekend had moved through several distinct moods: the intimacy of the Tea Ceremony, the emotion of the hilltop blessing, the calm of the poolside aperitif, the long Tuscan dinner and, finally, the energy of the party.
Each part had its own identity, but the transitions between them made the celebration feel connected.
The beauty of the venue contributed to the experience, but it was not the only reason the celebration succeeded.
The weekend worked because Le Filigare could accommodate several events in different areas, the couple made time to visit Tuscany during the planning process and the programme remained flexible when environmental conditions changed.
Most importantly, the celebration reflected both families and the couple’s shared identity.
The Tea Ceremony was given a defined role rather than being compressed into a standard destination-wedding schedule. British live music was chosen as a meaningful cultural reference rather than generic background entertainment. The Tuscan menu was selected through a personal tasting rather than from a standard package.
Each element had a clear connection to the couple and to the experience they wanted their guests to share.
K and L’s celebration offers several practical lessons for other international couples.
Choose a venue for your needs
Do not evaluate a property only by how it looks in photographs. Consider where guests will sleep, how they will move between events and whether the estate offers comfortable alternatives in case of intense heat or rain.
Build flexibility into the timeline
Outdoor ceremonies in Tuscany may need to be rescheduled according to temperature, sunlight or weather conditions. A flexible timeline allows the planning team and suppliers to adapt without disrupting the overall guest experience.
Give cultural traditions enough space
When a ritual is important to either family, it deserves its own time, setting and context. Compressing it into a few minutes may reduce both its emotional meaning and the guests’ ability to understand it.
Use tasting and planning visits strategically
Visits to Tuscany provide opportunities to evaluate decisions that are difficult to make through photographs or video calls. These include food quality, walking distances, accessibility and the movement of guests between different spaces.
Consider the complete guest experience
A destination wedding is more than the ceremony itself. The welcome, shared meals, music and informal hours spent together often become some of the most memorable parts of the celebration.
A wedding in Tuscany does not need to imitate every celebration that has come before it.
The landscape already provides a distinctive setting. The more important task is to create a programme that reflects the couple, respects both families, works for the guests and remains enjoyable when the original plan needs to change.
For K and L, that meant three days at Le Filigare, a traditional Tea Ceremony, a later-than-planned hilltop blessing, black-truffle pasta, a millefoglie prepared in front of their guests and a party that nobody wanted to leave.
The celebration was unmistakably Tuscan, but it was also unmistakably theirs.
FAQ
How far in advance should we plan a large wedding in Tuscany?
K and L began planning almost two years before their wedding date. A long lead time can be particularly useful when the celebration requires accommodation for a large group, several events or a venue with high seasonal demand.
Can we include a Tea Ceremony in a Tuscan wedding weekend?
Yes. In this wedding, the Tea Ceremony took place on the first day and had a distinct role within the three-day programme. Its timing and format should be planned with the family members involved rather than treated as a generic wedding activity.
What happens when it is too hot for an outdoor ceremony?
The schedule may need to change to protect the comfort and safety of the couple and their guests. For K and L, we postponed the hilltop blessing until 5 p.m. Any adjustment should be coordinated with the venue, catering team, musicians, celebrant and other suppliers affected by the timeline.
Is a multi-day wedding suitable for international guests?
A multi-day format can work particularly well when guests are travelling from abroad. It gives them time to settle in, meet one another and experience the destination without concentrating every activity into a single day.
What should we examine during a venue visit? Look beyond the main ceremony view and follow the complete guest journey. Examine the accommodation, preparation rooms, ceremony access, cocktail area, dinner setting, toilets, parking, party space and alternatives available in case of bad weather.
