This, my friends, is Italian wedding romance done right. And we have David Bastianoni to thank for serving up all the pretty in the form of this sunlit gallery. With Villa La Vedetta as the backdrop and an adorably happy Bride & Groom, look no further than this for laid back love in Italy!
From David Bastianoni… Florence is one of the most famous destination wedding cities in the world, its beauty and its romantic atmosphere have allowed me to photograph this magnificent Jewish wedding celebration organized by Fabrizio Mengasini which took place in the Synagogue of Florence and thereafter continued in one of the most beautiful Villas of Florence with a breathtaking view of the city.
The religious wedding which took place in the early hours of the afternoon, allowed me to give a romantic theme with natural colors and lighting to the photography as sunset drew near.
The morning started off early that day in the Villa, whilst the future Bride and Groom were left to relax and enjoy their breakfast, the group of hairdressers and make-up artists took care of all the ladies.
Once the bride and her close female family members went into the matrimonial suite apartment, her own personal make-up artist and the hairdresser chosen at the hair trial focused all their attention on her. The lighting in the room was perfect and we were able to take some fantastic shots of the preparation activities.
The guests were all ready and followed the wedding planner to the transfer bus awaiting to transport them to the Synagogue. My assistant joined them to capture some photo shots.
The Synagogue in Florence is by far, one of the biggest and most beautiful Synagogues in Italy. The emotion that one feels on entering is unique and unforgettable, the singer that the couple had chosen together with the Rabbi and the wedding planners, played an important part in creating this magical atmosphere. Many different special moments captured in my photo shots of the ceremony, express, by themselves the emotions and the atmosphere experienced by the wedding couple, family and guests.
At the end of the wedding ceremony, the guests were invited to the exit and once they reached the exit door, they were each given a white balloon which allowed me to take some beautiful photo shoots of a moment that everyone present, including myself and my assistant, a once off natural emotion of joy to an important moment of wishes towards the couples love for each other. The embraces and wishes of all the guests to the couple were endless as they were offered water to drink by the wedding planners and departed towards their bus.
The newlyweds left in their own personal wedding car and I followed them to take some intimate photo shoots around the beautiful romantic city of Florence, whilst my assistant went directly to the welcome cocktail to capture some shots of the guests.
The welcome cocktail served on the garden pool terrace was definitely inviting with its beautiful Italian sunshine highlighting the lucky couple’s special day. Guests enjoyed the delicious variety of finger food and prosecco wine whilst the artists of the live music band, all dressed in white attire began cheering everyone up. It was a very special moment, you could breathe festivity in the air and the guests surrounded by the festive Italian atmosphere under the beautiful blue sky had now embraced the romance of this Italian wedding.
The cocktail was only the first moment of joy, the guests, in fact were unaware of the decor that had been organized on the beautiful terrace overlooking Florence as they began to climb the stairs to go to the sit-down dinner. Once on the terrace, their faces lit up and they let off a sigh of surprise as they reached the wonderful upper terrace decorated in white, with square tables and beautiful dainty orchids set as centerpieces.
The band with Jewish and non Jewish music cheered the guests up so much that, before they sat down for the formal wedding meal they began to dance and give life to the festivities. Part of the terrace had been left free so that there was a dance area and a dinner area. An open Bar was also placed on one side so that the guests could freely go and enjoy their favorite cocktails and drinks.
The square tables that seated 8 persons were decorated with tall glass vases containing a cascade of beautiful orchids and various glass cylinders in different dimensions with candles. A big important decision was the choice of the chairs but in the end chiavari chairs in the natural colour of wood were chosen and they beautifully harmonized with the color of the trees around us.
The food was strictly kosher, it was served on various food stations and included the caprese corner with various cheeses, the vegetable corner, the fish corner and the pasta corner. The various food stations had a large variety of dishes and was served by waiters.
The sun was setting and the atmosphere became always more intimate and romantic. Fabrizio Mengasini had designed a lighting based mainly by candlelight. In fact, along the entire perimeter of the terrace there were bowls hanging from a line with candles and along the balustrade of the terrace, glasses with a heavy base containing candles.
The various cylinders used for the table centerpieces lit up the table area for the guests. This magical atmosphere was also helped by the color amber, which is the facade of the Villa and typical Italian cypress trees.
But one of the most vibrant moments was the cutting of the cake with a backdrop view of the city of Florence. The cake prepared in front of the guests by the master chef, delighted the curious guests for about 20 minutes, confetti and streamers accompanied the cutting of the cake, then the band that played music and sang songs, everyone had a wonderful, unforgettable evening and danced until midnight.
Photography: David Bastianoni | Wedding Planner: Prestige Weddings Italy | Floral Design: Stiatti Fiori | Catering: Guidi Lenci | Hotel: Villa La Vedetta | Jewish Music: Benny Fadlun And The Mazaltov Band | Lightning: Alma Project | Synagogue: Synagogue