A Romantic & Intimate Tuscan Villa Wedding

Villa Medicea Tuscany Wedding – Giulia Alessandri Wedding and Event Planner – Kir and Ira Photography 33

As it’s Valentine’s Day we decided to share a real wedding dripping with romance – it should be no surprise that said nuptials take place in the dreamy Tuscan countryside.

We’ve swooned hard for Villa Medicea di Lilliano before thanks to this styled shoot by a certain favorite photographer of ours. But given its ornate & unbelievably beautiful nature, it’s even more stunning to see a real wedding take place in this historic mansion.

Andrea & Patrick let the Tuscan villa & surrounding hills shine – you don’t need much in terms of decor in a venue this beautiful! Complementing the surroundings, their florist & planner filled the space with olive branches & beautiful white blooms.

If you’re dreaming of an Italian wedding – we have plenty more real weddings & inspiration for you to see – and even a local’s guide to your Tuscan honeymoon from our monthlong stay last year!

Our Love Story

We were in the same class in our vocational school during our commercial apprenticeship in 2010 at the age of 18 and 19. Even though it was not ‘love at first sight’, after some months and many party nights, we fell in love.

As children, we both spent our summer holidays with the family in Italy. This might be the reason why we love Italian food, wine and culture. We often spend days or weekends somewhere in Italy and this was the case in April 2018, when we visited Piedmont. We booked a beautiful boutique hotel in the vineyards.

On the first evening we ate at their famous osteria, which has a Michelin Star. The food & wine was amazing, and we immediately fell in love with the place. After dinner, we went back to our room, which had a large panoramic window.

We both were staring out the window, watching the lights in the vineyards. I didn’t realize Patrick had pulled out a box with the ring. And there it was, the moment he asked me to be his wife.

The Planning

To be honest, we didn’t really have a vision at first. We didn’t want a pompous wedding. We wanted the people we love to come together and share with us what we love – good food, wine and lots of laughter and all on a normal budget.

So, it was clear to us that it would be a weekend from Friday to Sunday. The location had to be easily accessible from Florence. We wanted a location where our close family and friends could stay overnight. It was also important to us that the rooms were not too old-fashioned but rather modern but still had the Italian style. The colors should be neutral in green or olive tones. Some parts were more rustic and the others elegant.

The Dress & Attire

Patrick wanted to get a tailor-made suit. He wanted a suit that he could wear in the future. I had no idea what color or style would be, so his choice was a surprise for me.

I wanted a dress that didn’t have too much tulle – so no ‘princess dress’. After two stores, I found the dress, which was an A-line silhouette, with lace & ‘tattoo’ effect

The Flowers

I didn’t have any specific flowers that I wanted. Just that it should be in olive tone and white. When I saw pictures of Luca‘s work, it was clear to me that he was making the most beautiful arrangement one way or another.

Favorite Moments

Wow, there are too many favorite parts – it’s too hard to decide. However, some highlights were definitive: the ceremony my sister created, the vows and all the love we felt from everyone around us. We had a great party after our fantastic dinner.

The Details & Favors

Each guest had a small bottle of olive oil on the table. We also put a homemade lavender soap and a homemade BBQ salt in each guest’s hotel room. In addition to that, my sister created the invitations and place cards. I cut all the wine corks for the place cards. I also made the flower bracelet for the bridesmaid with my sister. She surprised me, so together with a florist we designed and made the bracelets the Sunday before we left Switzerland for the wedding.

The Cake

Oh…I would love to eat our cake again. At the test meal I had a whole piece for myself. At the wedding itself, however, my hunger kept within limits and I only tried a few bites. It was the best millefoglie we ever had.

Advice to Other Couples

I think I’m the wrong person to give advice. The wedding was very important for us, but we didn’t want to plan every small detail or have everything too perfect. I just say like any other bridal couple: enjoy this unforgettable day!

Oh and one little advice, Youtube has some amazing videos on how to practice your wedding dance!

Villa Medicea Tuscany Wedding – Giulia Alessandri Wedding and Event Planner – Kir and Ira Photography 34

The Honeymoon

Well, this is a bit special…we went on a three-month-honeymoon. It was always our dream to have a longer break after the wedding. So, we travelled to Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Hawaii, LA and Vancouver.