Buon Giorno! We are starting off this magical Monday with a romantic beauty all the way from Florence, Italy. Marisa Holmes’ photographs, which are like little fairytales themselves, are more whimsical than ever with Italy as their dreamy backdrop. The rest of the details pretty much sum up exactly how I imagine an enchanted European wedding to be, in a true life castle no less. The full gallery is bursting with more elegant and exquisite inspiration!
Click here for more inspiration in the full wedding gallery!
Just when we were feeling like this whole Italian affair was another one of our wedding fantasies, Elysium dropped in with this gorgeous film to give us a little virtual pinch. Yes, this beauty is a dream come true.
When Mike and I started our wedding planning adventure, the one thing we knew was that we wanted to get married in a location that resembled “us”. We wanted a location where we could turn our celebration into a weekend, or even weeklong event. We visited San Francisco, across the bay to Napa Valley, east to Lake Tahoe, and all around home in San Diego, but nothing made us want to sign up. We jokingly started looking into a destination wedding, and to our pleasure, found out it was actually doable and fell in love with the idea of a wedding in Firenze, Italy (aka Florence). Given we both love to travel and his Italian heritage ( his last name is Firenze), it only seemed fitting for the Firenzes to get married in Firenze. After many hours of online research and phone interviews with wedding planners in Italy, we chose Sonia Gallina from Wedding Italy to plan our big day (and week of celebration and various wedding events)! We chose the Castello di Vincigliata, a beautiful castle set amidst the hills of Fiesole with spectacular views of Florence, for our wedding location.
Given it was so inconvenient to communicate via phone, our sole mode of communication was email. That being said, I wanted to make sure my ideas and aspirations were communicated correctly. Unfortunately, I am not blessed with a creative eye, so SMP was a huge source of inspiration for the wedding. Since I was not able to communicate my ideas to my wedding planner in person, I created an inspiration book where I cut and paste images and ideas from magazines , Elysium Production’s Blog, and many from SMP.
Our vision was to create a Tuscan themed wedding. There were also a variety of elements we wanted to include from my Peruvian heritage, so we served authentic Peruvian cocktails (Pisco Sours) during cocktail hour and filled the welcome bags with Peruvian beer and snacks. Some of my other favorite details were dinner served on long rectangular tables in the courtyard, gold candelabras, doves released during the ceremony (one laid an egg during the ceremony) , personal love letters during the ceremony, honoring our parents during the ceremony with thank you letters, the first dance ending with a fireworks show , cigar bar, and lots of dancing to house music Also, instead of having escort cards, we set place cards at each table setting that duplicated as thank you cards; we handwrote personal messages to all 82 of our guests - thanking them for making the long journey to Italy to be part of our special day. It wouldn’t have been the same without each and every one of those guests!
Overall, we couldn’t be happier with our decision to proceed with a destination wedding. We had 82 of our closest family and friends joining us for four nights of wedding events, including a welcome party in the famous Piazza Signoria, wine tasting through the hills of Tuscany, rehearsal dinner at a restaurant adjacent to the Ponte Vecchio, and our wedding set in a castle. Wedding Italy went above and beyond their wedding planning duties, which included organizing the entire week of events, hotels/flights, and my husband’s bachelor party on the Italian coast. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.
Wedding Photographer: Marisa Holmes / Wedding Cinematographer: Elysium Productions / Wedding Coordinator: Wedding Italy / Venue: Castelo di Vincigliata / Catering & Rentals: Galateo / Hair Stylist: Din Hair / Make-Up Artist: Azzurra / Floral Designer: Floralia / Officiant: Jim Cascino / Music: DJ Till / Dress: Lazaro / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Invitations and Paper Goods: Love at First Invite
Jane, i like the first image, about girl wear mask..
hmm that can be some idea for me, wedding themes : mask
just bride and groom who didnt wear the mask, how do u think?
Seriously amazing setting!
I die!
To say the least - it was amazing to watch such a beautiful setting and amazing ceremony . To have the privilege to travel and extend that to your family and friends and share your love in a beautiful country is truly extraordinary. I enjoyed the video/audio that was displayed , very creative , and a forever memory keepsake.
Stunning-- like something out of a dream! Marisa Holmes shot my wedding and I am in love with our photos-- she is so incredibly talented.
Amazingly beautiful... woa.
wow great images!!
AMAZING! Love the setting and the flowers are so prettyful :)
Probably the most gorgeous setting for a wedding.
What a true life fairy tale!
Fabulous, and how lucky the couple who has the amazing Elysium to capture it all for them!!!!!!!!
As someone planning a destination wedding in Italy, I'm amazed by this beautiful wedding! The setting, details, the bride, EVERYTHING looks beautiful! To top it off---awesome video by Elysium Productions!
oh my goodness my heart is skipping beats left and right.... this wedding is a dream!
Bello! That is stunning. Every detail.
so dreamy and elegant! the florals are to die for
Those flowers are amazing!!!! One of the best posts I've seen, the bouquet and tabletop florals were romantic, artistic, full and soft. Awesome.
Every detail of your wedding was absolutely gorgeous... may i ask were you found your dress, designer?
This is a DREAM wedding! I always dream about a destination wedding but I am scared to not really know what I am doing. (obviously I wouldn't be able to see the place) I also know they are very $. This is just gorgeous and a fairy tale! I wish I had the money for something like this!
My dress was made by Lazaro!
I had such a magical time photographing Stephanie & Mike's wedding in Italy. Not only was their wedding beautiful and romantic but so is their love for one another. Congratulations again Mr & Mrs Firenze!
This is so beautiful!!! So many weddings this year, including one of my very best friends. I am sending this link to her RIGHT NOW! :)
It was truly such a blessing and an awesome time working with Stephanie & Mike on their invitations and paper goods. But I never imagined a wedding could be so beautiful. Amazing job by Marissa Holmes and Elysium! I'm so happy a little part of me was there, but I'm so glad to see the photos and video to feel like I was there! Thanks Stephanie & Mike and many happy wishes for an amazing future together!
What a lucky girl! this IS a DREAM wedding!!!!
I loooove Love at First Invite!
Simply sublime!
I loved every minute of filming this wedding! The couple's love is infectious and it was a truly magical week! Thanks for featuring this one SMP!!
I think my heart just stopped!!
Che Bellisima!!! I lived in Florence for a few years and have been dying to design a wedding there. This absolutely stunning wedding showcases how gorgeous Firenze is for your destination wedding location.
I know this is personal but is there anyway you can give me a rough idea of how much it cost but without photo, dress, video or airfare? Your wedding makes anyone want to cancel theirs and do destination!
Haha, I second Amber's comment...
I'm in love with this wedding... <3
Love those Jimmy Choo's - any idea what the name of those particular ones is?
I am in LOVE with those Choo's! I have looked all day for them online and cannot find them anywhere! I would love to know where you found them?? Fabulous!
I’m speechless after seeing these pictures and video from Marisa Holmes and Elysium. It was such an honor to be invited to such an amazing wedding. Marisa Holmes definitely showed exactly how I remember this magnificent wedding. I teared up again after viewing the preview as if I were there all over again. The wedding was classy on its ambiance and color, their first dance was glorious, it was so meaningful when you walked down the aisle and everybody cried (well at least I did). It was excellent when the entire wedding guests stayed through the very end of the wedding (I don’t think anybody took the early bus back), it was inspiring and admirable when everybody made applause, loudly cheering you and Mike on. But most importantly , it was breathtaking to see the love Stephanie and Mike had for one another and being able to capture it all. Marisa Holmes and Elysium did an incredible job on showing that and more. Well done!
I'd be happy to discuss with anyone about planning a destination wedding, including pros/cons, costs, etc. Please feel free to email me at stephanie.firenze@gmail.com. Overall, it's a lot less expensive than you could imagine! You get much for bang for your buck (euro)! I truly enjoyed the whole process, so please dont hesitate to email me!
Stunning wedding and beautiful location, congratulations
I'm also attempting to plan a wedding - at this point probably in Tuscany - but am on a tight budget and pretty clueless! I wonder if you could give any advice for planning and budgeting? Also, I know this is a personal question, but I'm not sure of etiquette when it comes to how much cost the bridal party cover for other peoples' airfares/stay/excursions. No matter where we have our wedding people will have to travel FAR so this is an issue for us! Thanks
Gorgeous, gorgeous wedding! The people (bride/groom), the location... Just a stunning wedding! The photography and videography definitely made me feel the love =) Congrats!
I'm not sure which I love best; the beautiful masquerade mask, the castle, or her gorgeous dress!
GOSH THE jimmy choos are last season! I searched everywhere for them and thinki I got the last pair!
This is stunning!
This is incredibly gorgeous! I love every thing about it! A dream wedding for sure!
Gorgeous wedding! Just a quick question, loving those bridesmaid dresses anyone know who they're by?
Simply breathtaking! Wow!
Wow, wow, wow!!! Sublime!
Italy says Romance in Style!
Love it!
Joyce Goeppinger
Colorado
Wow! I looked at getting married in Italy but they required you to be there 45 days (around there) before you could get your marriage license. Is it different in other areas?
absolutely beautiful...i will be in florence in april and this post just got me all the more excited!
This wedding looks amazing through these photos, these are absolutley gorgeous. I have never been to Florence, but now I know I want to go. And I want to go to a wedding there, especially at this location....wow!
bridesmaid dresses are by Priscilla of Boston!
I'm happy to report that I was one of the 82 lucky guests to attend Mike and Stephanie's beautiful wedding last summer. Marisa, you've outdone yourself with these photos. They bring back so many wonderful memories of that wonderful week in Florence. Thanks!
What a beautiful wedding! The essence of Florence is so vividly captured, and the setting is beyond words. What a special day for a special couple and their friends. I'm confident that everyone who attended will always remember your special celebration of love.
AMAZING
What a simply stunning wedding. Absolutely beautiful, and a beautiful couple! Best wishes for a long and wonderful life together.
This might be the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. Wow. What a lucky bride! Magical!
Bravo!!!!
It was beautiful then and it is beautiful to look back on now! Congratulations again <3
Oh my gosh! This was so amazing... What a beautiful setting and an outstanding video memoir of this very special event. I almost felt like I was there and began to cry as I watched events unfold. How wonderful!
My wedding this past june was there too! What a surprise to see it featured on my fave wedding blog!
i DIE!
What a wonderful wedding, everything was PERFECT, Bilisemo.
Beautiful Wedding. I am getting married in Italy in May and seeing this wedding made me even more excited.
OMG!!! This wedding is absolutely STUNNING!!!! There are no words for how WONDERFUL this wedding is! Congratulations!!!!
Amazing! Beautiful! You must have felt you were living a fairy tale. What a wonderful time for all.
What an absolutely stunning wedding and perfect venue.
Breathtaking! What a beautiful wedding. Everything was perfect!
What a beautiful wedding, Myra DiBlasio shared it with us. Florence is one of my favorite places in the world. May you always be as happy as you were on your wedding day. Beth & Bill McMorrow (Mac)
Steph - I want to go back and do it all over again! This was truly an amazing week. Every single moment of it! I never thought a camera could capture how breathtaking the venue was, how stunning Steph was, or how amazing and rare Steph and Mikes love for eachother is. Elysium and Marisa, you guys truly did capture it all! Thank you for sharing this with us, and allowing me to relive it!
love it!
Siete bellissimi!!! I cried the whole entire video and I don't even know the bride and groom.
So glad my home town brought you, your dream day!
I too will be getting married this summer and was wondering if anyone knew the soundtrack used during the short film. The songs chosen were the perfect "marriage" to the this day.
Auguri agli sposi!!!!! Viva Firenze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Micaela
These are amazing pics and video, Steph! We were so honored to be a part of this perfect wedding! Watching the video reminded us of what a great time we had. Congrats again...we love you:) Steph and John
Hi Micaela,
I can email the titles to you... I don't have them handy (I'm at home right now) but can do that for you when I get into the Studio on Monday! I'm glad you like it! Just email me at julie@elysiumproductions.com.
This wedding is unreal!!!! So romantic, timeless, and magical!
This is truly spectacular, nothing less than stupendous!
A wedding made in heaven - so fortunate I could share Michael & Stephanie's special day with them.
hi everyone...this wedding is amazing...i saw the full video of their wedding on the Ellysium blog and was wondering if anyone knew what dress she wore when shes walking on the streets of Italy with her Fiance. Its white tight and sweetheart neckline i would greatly appreciate it..
hi! i see the dress is lazaro but i can't find that style anywhere on their site .. does anyone know the style #?
@ Lauren....Hello. I searched high and low to find this dress and I believe its LAZARO BRIDAL GOWNS, WEDDING DRESSES: STYLE LZ3900 without the Alencon lace shrug. the link to the dress is http://www.jlmcouture.com/Lazaro/Bridal/Additional/Style-3900 and check out the alternate views im almost 100% sure this is the one. Hope this helped!
@ Irene
@ Courtneymac13
The shoes are Jimmy Choos and the style is called Lavelle. I think that its still available but if you call the store directly :)
This is amazing! I love this wedding! everything looks so perfect! congratulations to them!
one question: on the video, what is the song that played at the beginning? the first song that played. It sounds familiar and it's killing me because I can't figure it out where i've heard it before!! :(
if anyone can answer that, please do! Thanks :D
Hi Joyce!
The title of that track is O mio babbin caro from Gianni Schicci. This particular version was recorded by the Cincinnati Pops orchestra. Hope that helps!
@ dayanara garcia
My white tight ruched dress was Nicole Miller!
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