Fashion elopement in Florence

Among all elopements I had the honor to organize and for good part of them to officiate as their celebrant in a symbolic ceremony, Jade & David’s one is the one time I can take a look at the photos and say “Wow this is the first time I can “breath” so much Florence from these photos”.

I have learned with Jade & David’s help how Florence is seen from a nonresident and what I found out is the most precious gift a Florentine could have hoped for: the true nature of this wonderful city.

This happened thanks to the couple attention to details and for their wish to “live” Florence at its best, choosing an early preparation that allowed them to be ready to go very early and take advantage of a still very relaxed city before all tourists passage. They really wanted not only an Italian elopement, they looked for and created with me a Florence elopement.
 From the amazing terrace overlooking Ponte Vecchio, one of the most famous spots in the city, to the wonderful photos around the hidden narrow streets, the ones I only know of my city. The ones I pass each day, that I live personally as my “Florence”.

When they told me they wanted to have a Canadian photographer for their photos in Italy, I was happy but at the same time slightly worried of not getting the essence of such a special city, but oh boy if I was wrong.

Kelly had the most delicate and intense way to represent and showcase every single little detail I love Florence for, those details I have always thought no one could have figured out being too focused on photographing Palazzo Vecchio, Uffizi Gallery and many other hugely famous pieces of arts. But he did.

And I can say he has been able to go beyond the “famous” Florence and get into the heart of it, having shot incredibly significant and vibrant pieces of real Italian life. A day to remember for sure, a grand Italian elopement, a wonderful destination wedding in Florence but more than everything else a huge lesson of love.

Same sex boho wedding in Tuscany

This is a very special wedding to my heart, one that I have been dreaming about for long, one that allowed me the freedom to style the event basically with no limit and with such a joy and excitement that it still feels unreal. Federica is a young woman working as a designer in the fashion and theatre industry and had been the first one to contact me to get a help to produce and translate into reality her wishes with an accurate attention to details and to create the most romantic but joyful mood possible for her wedding with a special lady called Claudia.

Apart from being two of the most beautiful women I have ever had the pleasure and blessing to work with, their relaxed and kind manners and their clear views of the project, have been fuel to my creativity and to the fantasy of a blissed Tuscan wedding in a traditional Villa near Florence.

Despite the wedding being really intimate with only a few closest friends to participate to their happiness sharing their special day, the brides asked me to take care of the scouting of the venue first of all and all the other suppliers in the same manner of a big wedding would have required and in fact the Villa is usually perfect up to hundreds of guests, but was exactly what they were looking for, a traditional Tuscan Villa, with a immense Italian garden, not too far from the city and with a fabulous Lemon House to host the grandiose imperial table they had always dreamed to have.

The chosen date was a late May sunny day, with a ceremony held late afternoon at 6.00 pm to get the most of the “golden light” for the photos. The preparation of the brides had been really one of a kind moment being done inside the Lemon House itself. Federica & Claudia did not want to be separated for the preparation and decided that doing it directly in the ceremony and reception venue would have been a terrific solution also for their photos and oh boy if they were right. The getting ready photos are among the most beautiful I have ever seen in all my career.

The style chosen for the ceremony and the overall style for the outfits for the Federica and the bridesmaids and the “relaxing corner” with the Indian tent and the wedding cake showcase was a boho-chic combination, instead for the wedding dinner table we have agreed to get a wow factor for guests setting up a wonderful and ultra-rich imperial table with golden and marsala colors , with candelabras and full of romantic and dark greenery. A quite “dark” table indeed but a very elegant, mature and classy wedding table for sure.

After the ceremony held in the Italian garden, the couple spent few moments together to relax while guests were enjoying some good Prosecco and canapés, the dinner was served afterwards and after the really amazing food, the cake had been cut back in the Italian garden where some liqueurs and pastries were served along with a little gift from the brides: a Native American “dream catcher” to wish all to reach their dreams.

Luxury Intimate Italian wedding

Something amazing happened the first time I received Aileen’s request for an elopement in Italy with her partner and her two adorable girls: she was completely ready to trust my personal suggestion on the best solution for her romantic and exclusive wedding and that trust was the real fuel of all the quality and effort all the wedding team put on realizing her dream to perfection.

It has been an incredible journey as despite being an elopement for only four persons, Aileen & Matthew wished to live their project as a common wedding held with a group of guests without cutting any service “just because we are in four”, that meant to have at the end more professional team staff than guests, but it was that wish of looking to gift each other the most romantic and exclusive wedding in Italy that brought us to what you can see from these amazing photos.

The couple decided first of all for a private Villa in the luxurious countryside of Umbria, not too far from Perugia, for a long week of stay to enjoy fully the Italian experience and set their wedding date for the 15th June. Aileen was looking for a special venue to hold their ceremony that has been a purely symbolic one but full of emotions and deep with feelings thanks to the wonderful help of Fr. Mihail who personalized their ceremony in a very moving way, ended with a special union prayer to bless the new family. And what is more special about a ceremony like this than choosing the smallest Theatre in the world to hold it? A spectacular Theatre that has only 99 seats and it’s the perfect copy of the Prague one, that was really the wow factor that boosted their project.

After the lovely ceremony, a good Italian aperitivo was served on the panoramic square of the village that was hosting them: Monte Castello di Vibio. A good Prosecco toasting, few chips and some fresh water for the girls and the couple enjoyed the narrow and medieval streets of the village for a photo shooting.

The exclusive dinner was held at their private Villa with the help of a professional chef who delighted us, including the wedding team, with all the best from the Umbrian tradition but with a modern and contemporary twist suitable for a young American couple.

When I say that Aileen and Matthew wished to have the beauty of a proper wedding, you can understand what I mean taking a look at the incredible flower arrangement done for their table. An impressive outstanding small imperial table full of white and pinkish flowers with two stately crystal candelabras and many vintage tea lights holders to give a romantic and extremely rich look.

An adorable small naked cake expressly done was served on the Villa porch while a bit of rain was blessing the wonderful new family who taught us all that the word intimate does not exclude the word luxury.

Four Seasons Wedding in Florence

The story of this wedding has an incredibly moving feeling of romance and love. The bride-to-be contacted me at the early stages of the organization and was looking for a professional help for their legal ceremony to be held in the fabulous Sala Rossa inside Palazzo Vecchio, an assistant for their legalities to produce all the correct documents and complete the needed procedures. But then I have been involved in the magical creation of their glamorous wedding in one of the most exclusive luxury hotels all over the world which is the Four Season collection hotel in Florence. The wedding day has been a pretty long one for the couple who have been involved first of all during the morning in an intimate ceremony at the Florence city hall while outside was heavily raining and after a little lunch break and a fantastic dress changing of the bride, they have a symbolic ceremony where to vow their love in front of all their guests coming directly from Us.

The ceremony has been held in the stunning and unique Sala Capponi with its magnificent fresco in a lovely autumn atmosphere. After the ceremony and while the spouses were taking their photos in the great garden of the hotel, guests have been entertained with a superb cocktail held in the foyer of the lobby, one of the most iconic areas of Four Seasons Florence.

The dinner has been then held again in Sala Capponi with a wonderful classy imperial table with silver candelabras, wonderful orangy colored flowers, and many small tea lights to give an intimate and glam mood to the table