I’m not exaggerating when I saw my jaw literally dropped at these photos. Do you know, half of them are at the art historian bride’s home? You’ve simply got to read all about the wedding below and then block out your entire afternoon. You’re going to need at least that much time to devour every Tuscan inch of the full gallery from Innocenti Studio Photography & Video.

 

From Innocenti Studio Photograhy & Video… When Kira contacted us for the first time, she was looking for a photographer that would capture two particular moments of her wedding day: her own house in Florence where she would get ready for the wedding, and the Ceremony in one of the most beautiful churches in Florence, Santa Maria dei Pazzi. Before moving back to her home city of Paris, Kira (an art historian) and her fiancé Damien decided to celebrate their marriage in the homeland of Renaissance culture, in real Tuscan style.

Although we were expecting to meet Kira in a beautiful location, our jaws literally dropped when we saw the house she was sharing with her artist friends… huge rooms decorated with old frescos and pianos, contemporary paintings, dried flowers, whimsical objects and the air was still smelling of fresh paint… we were totally speechless!

The house was the perfect frame for the total simplicity of Kira’s dress, in perfect French chic style, and for the pink palette chosen for the bridesmaid dresses.

The ceremony took place in a secluded religious complex in the centre of Florence dated back from 1257, that includes the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi and a former convent, in Borgo Pinti. The reception was then held in the fourteenth Century residence of Il Trebbiolo, nested between the hills of Fiesole and surrounded by olive trees, with a breathtaking view of the valley at sunset.

The wedding was a triumph of understated elegance and simplicity, and the main design was the perfect choice of venues and location made by Kira, that we think couldn’t represent better the real essence of Florence, bringing together its two essences: the city of the Arts per excellence through the artists’ house and the Renaissance Church, and the beauty of the landscape and its cousin at Il Trebbiolo.

From the Bride… The main idea for me and Damien was to have a beautiful Tuscan wedding in Italy. As I am an art Historian, I was living in Florence at the time, and I wanted to have my wedding in a beautiful Renaissance/Baroque church and a decoration inspired by Italian Renaissance sculpture (Della Robbia’s).

Even the food we chose was not just Italian, but typically Tuscan, and the menu was prepared according to the season. For the catering we chose Guidi Lenci, the best ever really in Florence, and food and service were perfect indeed!

The designer of my dress is Berengère Saint Pierre and the invites were made in Florence as well from the Il Parione, the owner Stefano is quite amazing and I would say he’s the best in Florence – as my photographers Emma & Esther from Innocenti Studio – the pictures are absolutely beautiful and we LOVE them!  

Wedding Photography: Innocenti Studio Photograhy & Video | Ceremony Venue: Chiesa Santa Maria dei Pazzi in Florence, Italy | Reception Venue: Il Trebbiolo in Fiesole, Italy | Catering: Guidi Lenci | Ice Cream: Gelateria Carabè | Wedding Invitations: Il Parione | Wedding Dress: Berengère Saint Pierre: | Bride’s Shoes: vintage Charles Kammer Paris | Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Wilvorst

Hoo Films, I love you.  I love you more than I could ever put into words.  Because this stunning Honolulu film?  It has seriously made my week… and many more to come.  But that’s what tends to happen when I meet two of the sweetest cuties ever and get to spend my day wrapped up in their gorgeous seaside affair.  It’s a mesmerizing look into a wedding that is all about the pretty and all about the LOVE… and those vows (“You have the power to make people love you”)?  Taking my breath away.  Click play and prepare to be amazed.

From Hoo Films… Between the United States and Japan lies the Hawaiian islands, so that is where Shigeko and Josiah landed for their destination wedding.  Shige moved to the United States after high school.  Josiah is a good old fashioned southern boy from Texas who moved to California to find better work in the animation field.  The two of them met at a sushi party with friends in LA.  I loved hearing the story of Josiah asking Shige’s dad for her hand in marriage.  

He skyped her parents and had a translator with him to ask her dad in Japanese for Shige’s hand in marriage.  Shige’s parents mentioned this moment in their speech and went on to say that know Josiah is perfect for their daughter.  Although I listened to this in Japanese, it was such a sweet and meaningful speech! Tears everywhere!

Friends and family flew in from both countries to Oahu to bask in this beautiful week in paradise. So first on the list was swimming with sharks in the North Shore and it was awesome!!  We were dropped down in a cage with just bars standing between us and the sharks.  On the day of the wedding, we headed over to kathy Ireland Weddings Beachfront Oasis for the wedding.  Kimo Taylor, the officiant did some in English and some in Japanese.  Josiah and Shige wrote their own vows, which were adorable.  Then Shige said her traditional vows in Japanese.  Next on the agenda was to take Shige and Josiah to the beach for a trash the dress shoot.  This might be my favorite so far. Shige surfing in her wedding dress!  Having surfed myself, this was beyond fun to film with them.  The dress was SO heavy once it was wet.  I picked up the train only and it was quite heavy.  The two of them just couldn’t stop giggling and are so care free with each other.  Josiah is consistently loving with Shige.  It is obvious she is the light of his life.  And then Shige’s laugh and smile is one that will stay with you. 

Wedding Cinematography: Hoo Films | Wedding Venue: Kathy Ireland Weddings, Beachfront Oasis in Honolulu, Hawaii | Wedding Photography: Adam A. Palmer | Officiant: Kimo Taylor | Wedding Coordination + Floral Design: Melissa Laudise from Lets Do This Weddings | Catering: Keneke’s Catering | Wedding Cake: Paradise Pastries | Music + Entertainment: Art Kalahiki | Rentals: Pacific Party Rentals

Hoo Films is a member of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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Saturday means introduction time in SMP land, and today’s talent is a destination bride’s dream come true. They go by the name of Weddings Romantique, but you’ll be calling them a lifesaver if you happen to be planning a wedding in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, or in sunny Mexico. Because not only will they make sure your day goes off without a hitch, but they’ll also make sure it’s pretty as a picture too. Consider them the fairy godmothers of destination wedding planning, and you’ll see why after taking a peek at all the pretty they produce here and here…

 

About Weddings Romantique… Wedding Romantique is a premier destination wedding services company that offers several level of services, including destination event management, event planning and design, vendor management and personalized group travel services, in addition to producing and executing entire weekend events, such as welcome parties, farewell brunches and themed events.

We love helping our brides create stylish destination weddings full of color, texture and imagination that tell their stories and make a statement!

We understand planning a destination wedding is often challenging to manage because everything takes place far from your home town, which is why we will manage your wedding planning process by providing snapshots of wedding design elements to all vendors and help them play their parts perfectly, so the band plays on cue, the plates are placed in elegant harmony, and the candles are lit on time so you can start the celebration!

We take enormous pride in delivering world-class destination wedding services to all of our customers by taking on a small number of events every year to ensure our clients’ big days are our top priority. Our professional destination wedding planners are certified with over 10 years of experience in the industry, leaving no doubt that your destination wedding details will be handled with the utmost care.

Welcome, welcome Weddings Romantique! We are thrilled you joined the SMP Destination family! xoxo

Weddings Romantique is a member of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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