A medieval castle in Florence, Italy is really all the introduction this wedding needs to fulfill princess dreams. But then you add in the fact that every angle of the Bride’s lace dress is pure perfection or the fact that Castello di Vincigliata was draped in handwritten poetry and it becomes clear, this is a real life fairytale. With design by SposiamoVi, florals by La Rosa Canina and all captured by Taylor & Porter, pore through every last detail of this romantic Italian celebration.
Sweethearts Mike & Celine chose to marry in the sensational European city of Florence, Italy. Flying in from Jakarta, Indonesia they exchanged vows in the grounds of the stunning Castello di Vincigliata followed by a cocktail reception and dinner within the castle itself. There were so many thoughtful and stylish touches throughout their wedding weekend, like guide books to Florence, thoughtfully designed by the couple with their Stationer and presented to guests in beautiful leather purses, to welcome goodie bags containing some delicious Italian treats to eat and drink. The weekend’s celebrations started with dinner at B-Roof in Grand Hotel Baglioni in central Florence followed by a morning at The Westin Excelsior Florence before heading to the Castello for their ceremony. Oodles of beautiful florals and some extra special styling and design elements followed including a backdrop covered in handwritten poetry and a water colour artist on site to capture miniature pictures of guests. During dinner the surprises continued with a performance by an Italian Operatic Tenor in between courses. Truly a sensational moment as his incredible voice echoed around the ancient castle walls. A fun party followed with performances by another surprise guest, Indonesian Musician Sandy Sandhoro.
Photography: Taylor and Porter | Videography: Velare | Floral designer: La Rosa Canina | Wedding Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Venue: Castello Di Vincigliata | Accommodation: Westin Excelsior Florence | Accomodations: Westin Excelsior Florence | After Party Shoes: Mui Mui | Bridal hair and makeup: Phalapa Bakti | Catering company: Galateo Ricevimenti | Ceremony & Reception: Castello Di Vincigliata | Ceremony Dress: Biyan | Favours & Gifts: Made By The Bride | Goodie Bag: Amaru Indonesia | Grooms Formalwear: Canali | Lighting, music, sound and setups: Alma Project 24/7 | Party Dress: Sapto Djojokartiko | Stationery & Calligraphy: Veronica Halim Calligraphy | Watercolor Artist: Shhh My Darling | Wedding planning, design and styling: Sposiamovi Italian Wedding Planners
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Pick 3 primary colors for each of your designs – A great design starts with three colors that you can add various shades of each into the mix. For the more feminine design I started with pink, gold and white. Select your base colors, wrapping paper in this case, and keep them neutral. I felt that the gold and white were the best neutrals for this design. Then I used various shades of pink for my pops of color and even added in other white and gold textures. For the more woodsy design I started with green, brown and white. I used kraft paper and white wrapping paper with brown watercolor antlers painted on it from minted. Com, as my neutral base. I then added various brown, green and white ribbons and embellishments. Incorporating the variation is the fun part, so trust your gut and go for it!
It starts with great paper – I can’t stress this enough. How many times have you been wrapping a precarious package and the wrapping paper ripped because it wasn’t high quality and couldn’t bend under pressure? To me, it’s worth the investment in high quality and beautiful wrapping paper. Not only are my presents easier to wrap, but they look crisp and the box underneath is hidden completely. Paper Source is one of my favorite sources for wrapping paper. For this year’s gifts I even experimented with their fine paper for the first time and loved them!
You can never have too much ribbon! – My growing ribbon collection is one of my favorite things. In my opinion you can never have too much and there are endless widths, textures, colors and types to choose from. As you begin to create your wrapping paper design and pull your elements together, be sure you have a variety of ribbon to work with. My favorites include raw silk, satin, velvet and cotton ribbon. Blush twine and a new chocolate brown suede ribbon were fun additions to my collection this year.
You don’t always have to tie a bow – While a simple bow can sometimes be the default, challenge yourself to try something new! Maybe that’s simply tying ribbon flat around the package (I like to use double sided tape on the back to hide my mechanics), and adding embellishments. Or perhaps you like the geometric look. For this one I used one continuous piece of twine and tied it around and around the package in various patterns and directions. Sometimes it’s helpful to adhere a little tape on the back in a few places to keep things intact, but the final look is stunning. Even if you default to a bow, try centering it off to one side so it appears in an unexpected spot.
Add fresh foliage – Being a floral designer (as well as an event planner and designer), I can’t resist the opportunity to add fresh foliage to my packages. Here in the Northwest the winter still offers an abundance of foliage from fir, to pine, winterberry, holly, and more. Simply head outside to see what you can forage and slip onto the top of your presents. You don’t need much and you’d be surprised how glamorous it can make your gifts.
Gift tags in various sizes/shapes – It’s crucial to have a gift tag on each of your presents, so we’ve made it easy for you by sharing the exact gift tags we used from Anchored Paper and Co! 
