Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… We wanted to make our wedding as personal as possible and began with a “key” motif for our stationery — the key to our wedding & our hearts. This lead to our theme, which was our favourite things from all across our lives. We outlined the theme in several ways, through our table names, our Italian newspaper-styled menu and our escort cards. Since we had guests traveling from across the UK to celebrate with us for the 3 days we were there, we wanted everyone to leave having met new friends. The newspapers were a fantastic way to get everyone talking at the tables. We included a light-hearted quiz about ourselves, a “baby how far you’ve come” feature with baby photos of the wedding party, a beautiful Celtic blessing that the best men read, the story of how we met along with what was on the menu!

Our two pugs, Louis and Mungo, are very special to us so we drove to Italy for the wedding so we could bring them to celebrate with us. They dressed for the day in black bow ties and featured heavily in the event and photography! We went for a fairly neutral colour palette of blush and taupe as we had such a beautiful setting we wanted to stay in keeping with the tone of the venue. With the bridesmaids in floaty romantic dresses and soft, full David Austin roses in blush and cream with deeper pink snow berries and green foliage. My bouquet consisted of cream David Austin roses and peonies, my favourite flowers.

We followed the service with aperitivo on the upper terrace and in the villas main reception, where guest where offered, prosecco, beer and soft drinks along with canapes of game pate, mozzarella, tomato and basil, olives, prosciutto and salmon pate. During aperitivo we were entertained by three traditional Italian musicians, singing the classics and moving through the guests. Following this we moved into the marquee for the wedding breakfast, where we dined on a traditional menu of spinach & ricotta crepes, wild boar tagliatelle, asparagus chicken and mille foie as our wedding cake.We drank prosecco and Il Borro’s own red and white wine which was delicious. During dinner we were entertained by the fabulous singing waiters who began by pretending to be waiters and announcing a lost item, this was followed by a sung disagreement and a crescendo of the most amazing singing I have ever heard sung live. They had guests laughing, cheering and dancing by the end of their performance. For the speeches we toasted with vin santo and amaretti biscotti which is a tradition we have created amongst our families on our trips to Italy. It was truly a weekend that exceeding all of our expectations and more. I was really pleased at how much people appreciated all the small touches we had put so much time and effort into. We are so grateful to our families for making it happen and supporting us.

Wedding Photography: Morlotti Studio / Wedding Venue: Il Borro / Food + Bar: Lenci Caterers / Entertainers: Three Singing Waiters, DJ + Singer / Bongo Player: Booked through Liz Taylor of TLC Events / Three Italian Performers with Harpsichord: Booked through Love & Lord / Wedding Dressing, Flowers + Legal Arrangements: Love & Lord / Wedding Dress: Blue by Enzoani / Bridesmaids Dresses: French Connection / Dogs Wedding Outfits: Puppia / Wedding Stationery: Louise Richardson / Hair & Makeup: Erika Swinn & Becki Matthewman

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Post tags: Blue by Enzoani, Destination Wedding, French Connection, Il Borro, Italy, Lenci Caterers, Liz Taylor, Louise Richardson, Love & Lord, Morlotti Studios, Pink, Puppia, Purple, TLC Events, Tuscany
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings, Italy Weddings

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The gorgeous just keeps on coming with this fabulous film by White Designs!  Enjoy! (PS – Prepare for some very happy tears!)

From SugarLove Weddings… Sarah Berends & Allan Ghiassi were married in the town centre of San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy and enjoyed a spectacular marquee reception on the grounds of the Castello Di Tizzano, Tuscany, Italy. Sarah & Allan have travelled the world in the name of love and first met over a decade ago however chose a 16th Century Tuscan villa to celebrate their wedding day surrounded by the closest of family & friends. The couple treated their guests to several days of sightseeing & indulgence which include a Fiat tour around the Tuscan hills along with a traditional pizza making evening & wine tasting.

As as award winning Art Director, Sarah chose a “Alice in Wonderland meets Phillippe Stark” theme where antique furniture was placed amongst modern pieces for a luxurious & surreal feel. Sarah chose 3 colours for the theme - poppy, baby blue & chartreuse. One of Sarah’s dearest US based friends made confetti out of little pieces of tissue paper in the same colours which made for an extraordinary celebration moment post ceremony in San Gimignano. The couples’ 50 guests were served a 7 course dinner seated on one long imperial dining table under a marquee in the garden. With amazing attention to detail the gardens were transformed and included lanterns suspended from tree branches, sofas, urns, rocking chairs and vintage books with candelabras throughout the gardens.

Wedding Photography: SugarLove Weddings / Wedding Cinematography: White Designs / Flowers: La Rosa Canina / Event Design: The Bride, Sarah Berends / Wedding Ceremony Location: San Gimignano Town Hall / Wedding Reception Location: Private Villa, Bagno a Ripoli, Florence / Wedding Invitations: The Bride, Sarah Berends / Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet via Priscilla of Boston

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Destination Wedding, Florence, Italy, La Rosa Canina, Melissa Sweet, San Gimignano Town Hall, Sarah Berends, SugarLove Weddings, Tuscany, White Designs
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings, Italy Weddings

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From the bride…Our wedding was a blend of so many images and ideas I had over the course of our year-and-a-half-long engagement.  I am not the most decisive person and it took 5 months for us just to decide to have our wedding in Italy!  Once that was set, we were able to really concentrate on what was important to us. We knew we wanted a destination wedding and when we pulled up to Podere Ciona in the heart of Chianti, Tuscany in 2010 we knew it was the place.  The view over the rolling Tuscan fields, the scent of lavender & rosemary in the air, and the golden light cast by the setting sun on the ancient stones of the family home enchanted us.  How could we get our best friends and family to see it?  Plan a wedding there! We wanted to create a magical world for our guests.  A complete escape in a world of whimsy and imagination.   My inspiration?  In a teacup! I have a collection of teacups and love their swirls of color and mixture of florals.  The teacup became our inspiration for a vintagey garden party set in this gorgeous backdrop.

One of the most important aspects to us was marrying our cultures.  From my side, my family is British and Scottish.  I absolutely love that my family always shows up to weddings wearing a hat or fascinator so I encouraged guests to follow suit.  My bridesmaids and flower girls had the most amazing and whimsical fascinators  – it added such a fun touch and made them all look like flowers on a teacup. I was also able to find a bagpiper in Siena to complete my Scottish side. As my husband is Chinese, we payed homage to his culture with a short tea ceremony.  It was so important for my family to participate in this tradition because it really felt as if our two families were uniting. My husband and I couldn’t thank our guests enough for traveling so far to Italy.  When it came to making our program fans (a hopeful way to beat the heat!), we wrote a fairytale that incorporated how much all our guests, family and wedding party meant to us.

Our amazing decorator collaborated with our florist in Italy – and together they were able to truly transform our meal into a magical fairytale with ribbons, lanterns, and every possible flower in an Italian garden. And, of course, each table was laden with teacup candles and vintage milk jugs brimming with bright florals.  Each table had a unique theme from ‘Ancient Roman Garden’ to ‘Flights of Fancy’ to “Tuscan Night’ – guests took turns sitting at each others tables! The best part for us was being in the breathtaking countryside and dancing well into the night with our best friends and family who we still can’t believe made the trek across the Atlantic.  We drank champagne, ate gelato and snacked on Italian confetti (candied almonds) as fireflies lit up the trees and the lights of Sienna sparkled in the distance.

Photography: Aubrey Joy Photography / Venue:  Podere Ciona / Decorator: Jeanette Kornealson from DeLovely Creative / Planner:  Samuele Gallorini of Il Cerimoniere Italian Weddings / Invitations: Felice Design / Bridesmaid Dresses:  Frocks Modern Bridesmaids in Vancouver, Jenny Yoo, Thread / Bride’s Jewellery: Elsa Corsi / Bride’s Veil: Tessa Kim / Bride’s Pink Flower Fascinator:  Starz Selection / Flower Girl Dresses: Dream Spun Kids / Tea Cup Bracelets: Stay Gold Mary Rose / Groomsmen’s Ties: Apple and Ivy / Groomsmen Vintage Map Cufflinks: Arete / Fascinators: Miss Ruby Sue / Program Fans, Welcome Postcards, Thank You’s:  Stefanie Astronaut / Tissue Poufs: Party Poms / Pinwheels: Rule 42 / Birds and Bunting Cake Topper:  Vintage Green Limited / Bunting:  Little Kitten Homemade / Keep Calm and Say I Do Sign: Barn Owl Primitives / Signage:  Go Against the Grain / Parent’s Embroidered Handkerchiefs: A Bit of Alexandria / Vintage Handkerchiefs: Nathaniel23

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Post tags: A Bit of Alexandria, Against the Grain, Apple and Ivy, Arete, Aubrey Joy Photography, Barn Owl Primitives, DeLovely Creative, Destination Wedding, Dream Spun Kids, Elsa Corsi, Felice Design, Frocks Modern Bridesmaids, Italy, Jenny Yoo, Little Kitten Homemade, Miss Ruby Sue, Nathaniel23, Party Poms, Podere Ciona, Rule 42, Samuele Gallorini, Starz Selection, Stay Gold Mary Rose, Stefanie Astronaut, Tessa Kim, Thread, Tuscany, Vintage Green Limited
Post categories: Destination Weddings, Italy Weddings, Whimsical

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From Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations…For this romantic Tuscan inspiration shoot I wanted to combine the rustic elements of the surrounding vineyards and hillsides with the modern and fashionable side of Florence. Think Town and Country, Italian style. We started by incorporating rough woods, ceramics and raw elements such as horn  and layered on hand-painted Valentino silk fabric and 18th century china ware. While keeping in tune with the juxtaposition of styles, we incorporated modern lucite louis ghost chairs, mirrored cube risers and sleek lucite candleholders. Large and lush arrangements of white and soft peach peonies were presented in cut crystal vases while purple lisianthus and lilac garden roses were tucked into vintage gold goblets. To bring in authentic elements of Florence magenta and lilac scarves from the Florentine Markets were used to create napkins which were tucked inside of vintage silver monogrammed napkins rings.

I couldn’t possibly leave you without offering up some ideas on how to bring this marvelous Tuscany wedding on home.  There is no reason why this luxurious look needs to break the bank either!

1. Of course, my favorite dress needs to make it into this buying guide.  All you lucky, engaged ladies in the market for a gown can pick up this beauty from BHLDN for under $1500!  It doesn’t get much better than that!

2. Decorating with lucite candelabras might be breathtaking but not quite so budget worthy.  That’s where Z Gallerie comes to the rescue.  I love scouring their website for unique decor ideas for weddings and my house!  This white candelabra and matching chandelier would be perfect to create an elegantly modern ceremony site similar to the draped alter in the photo shoot.

3. OK, I know that ghost chairs may not be the must budget-friendly item in the world.  They are, however, available to rent from some rental companies now which is all kinds of awesome.  Plus I love the look of just two special ghost chairs for bride and groom combined with gold dining chairs for the guests.

4. Monogrammed napkin rings for all your guests?  A little excessive.  Monogrammed napkin rings for just the two of you?  A nice touch that you can bring home with you.  Jamali Gardens, a fantastic wedding resource, has a set of four silver napkins rings for under $10!

5. The gilded, opulent look of this shoot is easy to replicate with just a couple of simple touches like renting gold-rimmed china.  I would feel like royalty even eating a burger and fries off of these beauties!

6. Lisianthus is one of my absolute favorite flowers.  They are oh-so pretty in white or purple and a very wallet-loving alternative to roses or other expensive blossoms.

Photography: Mike Larson Photographers, Inc. / Design, Styling + Coordination: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations / Invitation + Stationery Design: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations / Calligraphy: Calligraphy by Durante / Floral Design + Furniture Rentals: Floralia / Table Settings: Small Masterpiece [ We Set The Table ] / Wedding Cake: Erica OBrien Cake Design / Venue: Villa La Selva / Bridal Gown (white): Angel Sanchez via M Bride Salon / Bridal Gown (cream ruffle): BHLDN / Jewelry: Rachel Leigh Jewelry

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Post tags: Alchemy Fine Events & Invitations, Angel Sanchez, BHLDN, Erica O'Brien, Floralia, Inspiration Shoot, Italy, M Bride Salon, Mike Larson Photography, Rachel Leigh Jewelry, Small Materpieces, Tuscany, Villa La Selva
Post categories: Destination, Photo Shoot, The Blog

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From the Bride…We met, 5 years and 3 days before the wedding, at a pub through a mutual friend, (who went onto be our best man) We got engaged in a wind-swept beach in New Zealand at sunset, just over 18 months ago. I am a wedding photographer myself, based in London and photograph weddings most weekends, and just felt I wanted something a little different from what I see each weekend.  I knew I wanted something outside, which counts England out as you just can’t guarantee the weather, (mind you, we have since found out the same can be said for Italy!!!) My cousin who lives in Italy got married there a few years ago, and I loved the informality of everything, and more to the point I loved the food – so much nicer than wedding food in the UK.  I spoke to my aunt saying I would like to find a venue where we could have the wedding that also did accommodation so everything was in the same place, and she said she knew just the place.  I went to visit in the February, and it was perfect.  Ben and I went out again in June, both instantly loved Inalbi, had a look at several others, then decided we were wasting our time as the first one was perfect!  I also loved the idea of having a destination wedding, as a lot of my guest would be traveling from the US, and it meant that everyone was staying in the same place, and you could spend time with your guests either side of the wedding, and so on the wedding day there wasn’t the pressure to socialize with your guests, so you could spend more time doing photos and enjoying the wedding aspect of it.

I had a lot of sentimental things on me on the day: my great great grandmothers handkerchief, my great grandmothers necklace, my grandmothers broach, my godmothers perfume, the silk flowers my other godmother gave me from her hair on her wedding day when I was 7, my great aunt’s sapphire ring, mostly borrowed from my mum, covering my old, new, borrowed and blue.

The ceremony had to be moved at the last minute as it had rained so heavily the day before the chairs would have all sunk in the lawn, but actually it had a real intimacy that it wouldn’t have had if everyone had a seat.  I had written the service the week before, mainly based on the very traditional Anglican church wedding, which I always love, despite not being religious myself.  We included the hymn Jerusalem, as it was my school song, and really patriotic, and gives me tingles every time I hear it.  We had Shakespeare sonnet 116 as Ben is a Shakespearean actor. We had a reading from a childhood book of mine. I walked in to Marc Cohen’s “True Companion,” and we left to Queen’s “Your My Best Friend.” Before the service the dog who lives at the venue decided to join the bridal party, which I thought was hilarious, and then I came very close to tripping over him as we were walking back down the aisle. (beautifully captured by Dennis) My favorite part was the 2 little flower girls, walking down the aisle to Ben, and then they just kept going, up the path and away from the wedding. Very funny – proving that rehearsals are probably a good Idea!

Location, Catering, Wedding Cake + Desserts: Agriturismo Vecchio Borgo di Inalbi / Wedding Coordination: The Bride (Simone Germaine) / Wedding Photography: Joe Cogliandro of J. Cogliandro Photography + Dennis Orchard / Wedding Videography: Friend of The Bride, Alan Ward Collins / Floral + Decor: Alesssandra / Entertainment: Friends of The Bride + Groom / Wedding Gown: Angela Stone / Bridesmaid Dresses: Vivien of Holloway / Necklace: The Bride’s Great Grandmother’s / Wedding Rings: David Webdale / Groom’s Attire: Marks & Spensers / Hair + Make-up: Friend of The Bride, Audra Smith / Invitations: Love Wedding Print / Favors: The Bride / Beaded Hearts: Enigma / Fans + Parasols: Beau-Coup / Celebrant: Samuele Gallorini

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Post tags: Agriturismo Vecchio Borgo di Inalbi, Angela Stone, Beau-Coup, Chic Weddings In Italy, David Webdale, Enigma, J. Cogliandro Photography, Love Wedding Print, Marks & Spensers, Samuele Gallorini, Tuscany, Vivien of Holloway
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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From the Bride… When Danny asked me to marry him, we were in Italy. We both love all things Italian, and so it was a natural choice to plan our wedding to be in beautiful Tuscany. What we did not know was that soon after deciding this, we would also make the decision to move to Singapore.  So, planning our Tuscan wedding with 54 guests from England while living in South East Asia was to be the way!  Enter Clara, the best wedding planner in the world. Together, we sent pictures and ideas back and forth across continents through the power of email, and had a huge amount of fun planning our wedding, which turned out to be, we think, just perfect!

We chose Vignamaggio as our venue as it is truly stunning. All our guests could stay there together, and the art history of the place added a special connection as I am an art teacher. The most important thing to us was that our family and  friends had a good time, as it would be the first time we had seen most of them in a year. We therefore wanted to spread the celebrations over 3 days, so we could relax and spend time with everyone. So, Clara helped us plan a pizza party, with amazing views of the Tuscan hills, pots of herbs and tomatoes on the tables and a big barrel of wine for the night before.

On the wedding day we had a beautiful orange theme, with paper parasols, paint brushes in jars for the table setting, lights hanging from the trees, a yummy candy bar, and an amazing live band we had found on our previous visit to Tuscany. The tables were named after Italian artists, and the cake was made from wheels of cheese. A projector screen played a message from my very pregnant sister who was 2 days over her due date! We laughed, danced, ate, drank and loved. The photo booth pictures make me giggle every time I look at them! It was a wonderful day, even more beautiful than we had imagined. The next day we had a BBQ party with a big hammock, big orange and pink lanterns hanging from the trees, and photos of my Mum and Dad on their wedding day hanging from the trees as it was their 40th wedding anniversary.

The whole thing was so much fun to plan, and Clara was inspirational and romantic and made us feel like anything was possible.  Having friends and family involved made it personal.  Our good friend Gurjinder designed the logos on all the stationery, Mum hand tied all the brushes and labels for the table settings, two of our best friends Claire and Jane did readings during the ceremony, our good friend Young was the DJ and my Godmother managed to sneak the photos of Mum and Dad out of their house after some conspiring long distance phone calls! It was relaxed, fun, beautiful and my husband and I have not yet had a day without looking together at the photographs and smiling as we remember the most fantastic and fabulous three days.

Wedding Photography: Lelia Scarfiotti Photographer / Venue & Catering: Vignamaggio / Wedding Planning & Design: Chic Weddings In Italy / Florist: Marie Lou / Music: Baraba’s Band / Hair: Mej Staff

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Post tags: Baraba's Band, Calla Lillies, Candy Bar, Chic Weddings, Destination Wedding, DIY Photo Booth, Italy, Lelia Scarfiotti Photographer, Marie Lou, Mason Jars, Mej Staff, Orange, Outdoor Wedding, Paper Lanterns, Parasols, Tuscany, Vignamaggio
Post categories: Casual Elegance, Destination, Destination Weddings, Italy Weddings

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From the Bride…Andy and I were really keen to have an intimate wedding day. We have a large extended family, but feel that sometimes huge parties can take away from the importance of the occasion itself. So we decided to have a small event for immediate family only, followed by a large bash on our return for our family and friends. For us La Bandita ticked all the boxes- excellent food and wine and most importantly, the most incredible views we have ever seen.

I took inspiration from my dress for the theme. The antique lace and tulle of my dress was stitched with butterflies. Our wedding invitations were large cream pop-up cards with dozens of glittering gold butterflies which literally flew towards you. We scattered gold butterflies on the table, and stuck some into the candles to blow in the breeze. Andy’s mum spent months crocheting butterflies to hang down and sway over the table.

My Dress is by Jane Bourvis. She designs wedding dresses using antique fabrics and also sells original vintage at her magical shop in Notting Hill, London. She made SJP’s final ‘carrie’ dress in the final episode of the SATC series.

Wedding Photography: Warm Pears / Location + Flowers: La Bandita / Bride’s Shoes: Harriet Wilde / Wedding Dress: Jane Bourvis

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Post tags: Butterfly, Garden Wedding, Harriet Wilde, Intimate Weddings, Italian wedding, Jane Bourvis, La Bandita, Tuscany, Warm Pears
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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From Eternal Reflections Photography… Meg has lived in Italy for 8 months before and knew that she wanted to be married there.  Though she lives in Edmonton Alberta, she decided to take her closest family and friends to Italy and say “I Do.”  The planning that Meg put into this wedding was extraordinary! She had so many amazing ideas to create this very special day.  Meg and Mike’s wedding was a chic modern vintage styled day. Prior to the wedding day, I had the opportunity to meet Mike, who simply adores Meg. The chemistry between the two of them is truly inspirational.

Throughout the planning time, the ideas were getting bigger and more beautiful. The vision for the big day came together beautifully. Meg had two styles for her wedding! She started out with a fashion-vogue veil that was lush and beautiful, and she ended with hot red lips and a birdcage veil.  She incorporated small intriquite details including a childhood photo of Mike on her bouquet. Each guest received a welcome bag that and Italian trinkets inside.  Her Thank You cards couldn’t have been more perfect! She went into Siena, Italy and bought local post cards and wrote on the back of them.

Not a details was out of place. Her wedding was spectacular.

Wedding Photography: Eternal Reflections Photography / Wedding Location: Villa Corsano via RentVillas.com / Wedding Dress, Bracelet & Ceremony Veil: Novelle Bridal Shop / Birdcage Veil: Etsy / Groom’s Suit & Tie: Armani via Henry Singer / Floral Design: DIY, The Bride / Linens, Stemware, Etc.: Villa Corsano via RentVillas.com / Place Cards: Michaels / Welcome Bags: Etsy + Michaels / Chargers: Kijiji

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Post tags: Armani, Birdcage Veil, Destination, Destination Wedding, Eternal Reflections Photography, Etsy, Henry Singer, intimate wedding, Italy, Kijiji, Michaels, Novelle Bridal Shop, Outdoor Wedding, RentVillas.com, Tuscany, Vintage Chic, Yellow
Post categories: Destination, Destination Weddings, Italy Weddings