Wedding in Castello di Vincigliata

I have been blessed many times during my career with the chance to organize weddings in probably the most famous venue in Florence, Castello di Vincigliata and among all those times, Lauren & Daniel’s wedding has been hands down one of the most romantic and exclusive weddings I have been honored to work on.

The Castle is for sure one of the most elegant, unique and breathtaking venues all around Florence and it’s surprisingly flexible and suitable for many different types of events, so I don’t have to add how easy it has been to create a sophisticated mood with blush pinks and light dusty pinks, colors that Lauren (and myself) adores.

The day was an incredibly sunny and not so hot day of late June and we expected to have a bit of rain but ended up being so incredibly lucky on having a stunning day instead, fresh and slightly windy, just what we needed in a summer day.

The preparation has been done in one of my Partner Hotel where the atmosphere is classy and modern at the same time creating that luxurious feeling of pampering and cuddles that only selected hotels have and that the couple wanted for their special day.

The ceremony, a legal civil one held with the authorization of the City Hall of Fiesole, has been held on the main panoramic terrace of Castello di Vincigliata, where a stunning packed flowered romantic arch was waiting for the bride and her lovely bridesmaids entering with the gentle music from a harp. After a very intense ceremony, a rich traditional Italian buffet of aperitifs and antipasti has opened in the garden of the Castle where guests have been entertained by a swingy jazz group.

The stunning dinner U shape table has been set up in the outstanding Court inside Vincigliata Castle, where goldish tablecloths and white plus blush pink flowers created a statement flower arrangement. Every single detail has been carefully studied with the precious help of the bride, from the gold handmade name tags for every guest, to the mini bottles of Limoncello that have been presented as a gift along with some tasty Cantucci biscotti with chocolate chips.

The general look of the Court has been enhanced by many Led uplifter lights in the warm and deep gold color to give a glow and wow factor when the night has fallen on us The after dinner has been held inside the amazing Loggia just beside the Court where the Dj and his incredible lights and sound equipment has thrown the best party ever possible.

Mood of this wedding has been elegance, class and a sense of serenity that I’ll never forget.

Elegant castle wedding in Tuscany

Seems I have a thing for international weddings and the evidence was the fabulous event held in the most amazing venue of Florence, Castello di Vincigliata, for a polish gorgeous bride a really handsome swiss with brits origins groom living in Zurich, with guests arriving from every corner of the world including Hong Kong and completely in love with Italy. Justyna is still in the memory of all her suppliers and of course in mine, for being the most detailed and precise bride we have worked with and that was a major factor for the wonderful work process we all had experienced with her.

The style for the wedding had to be elegant and chic from the very first step in deciding for such a spectacular and classy venue as Vincigliata , the rest of the styling work had been from that point on a relatively easy job considering the joy I always feel when working in this venue and with a style that I so adore. The second step had been selecting a small intimate and fantastic Church inside the heart of Florence near Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery, a Church that has a private space in front of the main door to allow the official arrival of the bride with her maid of honor and flower girls after the getting ready moments held in the spectacular Eden Rock hotel set on Fiesole hills with its glorious panorama on Florence.

After the Catholic ceremony held in English and partly in German to allow the Swiss part of the guests to follow the readings and prayers , the couple spent some time alone with the photographers and videographers around the most iconic spots in Florence for their photos sessions, while guests had been transferred to the Castle with some buses waiting for them at the side of the Arno river.
While bride & groom were finishing their photos, guests once arrived at the venue, organized themselves for a surprise for the newlyweds with dozens of white and red heart-shaped balloons and a traditional polish romantic songs to wish them a long loving life together. At the couple arrival with their wedding car, a stylish white Bentley, the balloons had been released in the air while the polish song welcomed Justyna & Basil who were very moved by this kind gesture.

The aperitifs and antipasti moment was held on the luxurious garden of the Castle while a jazz band delighted the party and delicious food was served by the qualified caterer.
The moment of the dinner was instead a great surprise for guests from the bride & groom who organized a baby grand piano just in the middle of the dinner Court to delight them all with a pianist and a talented singer. The visual impact of the piano at the centre of the Court had been a wow factor for all guests who enjoyed the pampering event Justyna & Basil had wished for them to give the most pleasant experience possible

After a very rich high-end dinner, the group had been escorted back to the panoramic terrace for the dancings and the open bar lasted till early hours of the next morning while the grand couple initials logo projected on the facade of the Castle was shining on them.

CERTALDO WEDDING

Deciding to hold your wedding at the opposite part of the world from where you seem mental to others not involved. I know it as I have done the same for mine when I got married in Fiji islands. But I have found in Fiona & Hamish an incredible sense of serenity when they contacted me from the really far away New Zealand telling me they wanted a “Tuscan wedding”.

The Villa chosen for the stay and for the wedding reception is among the most beautiful venues in the Chianti countryside and it’s called Castello di Cabbiavoli having a history as a proper Castle, the landscapes where it’s immersed are among the most breathtaking view you can hope for a stay in Tuscany. It’s a very intimate venue with only up to 20 guests capacity, but the court is just perfect to set up, as we did for Fiona & Hamish, a long imperial table with some romantic lights and a very Tuscan and easy full greenery made with baby’s breath and olive tree branches and some cute fairy lights to give a magical mood to the dinner.

After a very relaxed getting ready moment at the Castello, all guests have been transferred to the amazing Certaldo medieval village where we held a soulful ceremony in the Cloister of the City Hall. A good aperitivo afterwards to rest after so many emotions and to give time to the couple to enjoy the village with some good memory photos shot around the so famous streets with locals toasting with their vino to the newly wed.

Back to the Castle, we had a rich aperitifs and antipasti served in the panoramic garden of the venue, the dinner served in the court was gladdened as a surprise to the bride from her mother in law with an opera singer who has dedicated the couple a moving Ave Maria and a joyful Brindiamo a Capella.

The night danced away with the Dj and his glamours lights, with a gelato Ape car to refresh the hot summer season and with the promise to be back soon in such a wonderful piece of Tuscany.

Nigerian wedding in Italy

This had been the first Nigerian (or at least partly Nigerian) wedding I had the pleasure to work on in my career and I had so much fun and had a really great time. Peggy is a gorgeous Brit lady born in Nigeria, tall and feminine, clever and funny, Alex is an even taller, a bit shy, sweet, kind, wise British man. And the combination between them is incredible in every way.
The organization of the wedding started a good overwhelming 2 years ahead to get the venue they wished and to have time to organize everything in all details while organizing also Peggy’s sister wedding, so that had been a hugely tough period for them, but still had always the time and serenity to work with me on every task with diligence and effort.

The chosen location in Tuscany was a not so famous spot compare to the more renowned Chianti, we opted for a Borgo on the mountains near Florence, a place called Poppi where good food and breathtaking panoramas are at their best.

The getting ready had started very early as the special thing of this wedding had been the double ceremony, one at the Castle and a religious blessing held at the Borgo, so everything must be started very early to fulfil the long day the couple dreamed for so long.

The makeup artist coming from London as long as the great photographer, friend of the bride since their childhood, were so nice and professional to create a very friendly and relaxed preparation mood to let the quite nervous bride to chill out a bit before the ceremony.

The Castle of Poppi, an aching Castle overlooking the valley, was the setting for the legal ceremony officiated by the City Hall and won the hearts of all the 150 guests from Nigeria and Uk with its medieval rooms and history.

After the ceremony at the Poppi Castle, we all headed back to Borgo I Tre Baroni for the second ceremony where the set up of a stunning flowered arch and the worship team band were ready to welcome all.

The aperitifs and dinner had been served in the recently renovated dining room of the venue with its fantastic immense windows to enjoy the Tuscan mountain at their best.

The huge wedding cake had been cut on the outdoor terrace and traditional Nigerian dancings along with British music delighted all of us till early hours in the morning and we all discovered a truly talented dancer in the bride!

Chianti elegant wedding

Silvana & Jak are two adorable persons arrived on a cold winter day in Tuscany looking for the perfect wedding venue of their dreams and just by chance they bumped into me and we got along together immediately perfectly. Their research was focused on outstanding Tuscany venues in the famous Chianti area, a venue with a luxury touch and style to welcome and host their guests arriving from Uk in a sunny and hot day of the end of July and Castello di Gabbiano was the absolutely perfect solution for their requests.
Silvana being of Italian origins had the specific request of a good real Italian food menu for the reception and had an aesthetic sense of style that helped immensely in building a grandiose wedding.

The ceremony was held in the most beautiful Church in the Chianti area, inside the famous village of Castellina in Chianti, where the Catholic ceremony had been held by a sweet and caring priest. After the ceremony and the ritual group photos and toastings, the couple departed heading the Tuscan countryside for their private photos on board of a Fiat 500 while the wedding group headed directly to the Castle for the welcome cocktail held on the amazing panoramic garden in front of the building facing the Tuscan vineyards.

The aperitifs and antipasti were held at the arrival of the newlywed couple at the Castle while an Italian folk band entertained guests with traditional songs from central and south Italy. The elegant dinner set up in the back garden of the venue was covered with a one of a kind marquee arrived specifically for the couple from north Italy from a specialized rental company of Arabian tents and marquees and was decorated on the ceiling with great golden pattern and classy outstanding chandeliers.

The rounded dinner tables were enriched with white and light blue flowers and golden touches with many soft and romantic candles and after the excellent dinner, the party continued in the indoor living rooms of the castle with the help of a live band cheering up all guests with upbeat international music.