Classic & Romantic Tuscan Destination Wedding

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Photo by Daniela Nizziola via Bridal Musings

What images does the phrase ‘classic Tuscan wedding’ conjure for you? Rolling hills of vineyards & sunflowers? Rustic villas spoiling guests with platters of prosciutto, cheese, olives & crusty bread? How about romantic lace gowns & an alfresco dinner under the stars?

Anytime a friend or client says, “We’re getting married in Tuscany” it’s easy to imagine why. With idyllic backdrops, old-world charm and simple yet undeniably delicious Italian fare – it’s even more difficult to imagine why anyone wouldn’t. Admittedly, I’m writing this to you from the cultural epicenter of Tuscany – Florence – and after two weeks of Chianti and gelato I may be ‘drinking the Koolaid’ as they say.

Tanya and Matt, having traveled the world themselves, knew Tuscany was the obvious choice for their wedding. With so much natural goodness to their disposal – the scenery, the food, the wine, the charm – the couple celebrated their nuptials the classic Tuscan way.

Little details distinct to their destination of choice included olive oil and Campari favors, olive branch greenery, and a classic Italian mille foglie wedding cake – a divine confection made of layers of sweet flaky pastry dough filled with luscious Chantilly cream.

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Our Love Story

We’re both slightly embarrassed to say that we met online! After chatting for a while we soon realized we had a lot in common, in particular, travelling and experiencing many of the same adventures the world has to offer. Matt eventually convinced his future wife to be to meet him and after Tanya tasting some of his excellent Kangaroo Lasagna, the rest is history!

We were on a vacation to Morocco for Tanya’s birthday. After a fairly interesting start to the holiday in Marrakesh involving our drone and the Moroccan Police (turns out they’re illegal in Morocco!), we eventually were released after 2 days (!) and drove our way deep into the Sahara Desert to experience camping among the sand dunes.

One beautiful morning we woke in the dead of the night and set off on camelback to watch the sunrise on the dunes. Just as the sun was waking up and raising its head above the horizon, Matthew got down on one knee and proposed! It couldn’t have been more perfect! Having camels in your engagement pictures was a bit strange though!

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The Destination & Wedding Style

After traveling much of Italy on numerous occasions, we knew straight away that we wanted to get married in Tuscany and after a few evenings of researching various venues, Terre Di Nano in Montepulciano was the obvious choice. We wanted a venue with rolling Tuscan hills as far as the eyes can see, stunning Italian architecture and of course, amazing wine! Terre Di Nano had it all.

Regarding the desired colour and style of the wedding, we wanted a very traditional Tuscan wedding with a soft style using pastel colours and flowers.

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The Dress & Attire

For Tanya: I always knew what I wanted for my dream wedding dress – something elegant but sexy at the same time, and definitely unique with details. Ever since I laid eyes on the gowns designed by Israeli wedding dress designers, I knew they were the ones to go for and very quickly the designer Birenzweig won my heart.

Before trying on any dresses I only wanted to have an a-line one, never did I know the mermaid and trumpet styles actually suit me the best, I was surprised how much more flattering it looked. The beautiful lace work on my dress caught my eye and the dripping pearls on the sides of the sleeves was definitely one of the main reasons why I chose it. It is just too stunning to say no to. After our first dance I changed to a little white dress, with lace again, from For Love & Lemons, so that I could dance the night away (that is until all my friends started trying to get me drunk very soon after the first dance was over!)

For Matt: Choosing my wedding suit was not as quite straight forward! Being a more ‘casual’ dresser, I struggled initially to feel comfortable in what I tried. After getting nowhere and with the wedding date looming, I enlisted some help from my closest friends and with some tremendous support, I eventually settled on a lovely Italian-style Napoli Blue suit from Suit Supply. To make the final look complete I decided on a decorative bow tie and dark brown Italian shoes.

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The Wedding Week Events

As we both live in Hong Kong and having friends and relatives arriving from all corners of the globe, it was important to have a venue that could accommodate us for a few days and not just the actual wedding day. We were able to make the occasion last over four days with a BBQ and a Pizza Evening on the first two days and the wedding itself on the third. This way, everyone already knew each other by the time the main event arrived, making the final celebration even better!

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Favorite Moments

Obviously, for both of us, the most memorable moment was the ceremony itself. One of the key features to Terre Di Nano is that it is situated on the top of a hill, meaning that the back drop to the ceremony is breathtaking, with rolling Tuscan hills in all directions. It truly was postcard worthy.

The other aspect of the ceremony that made it so special to both of us was the Celebrant. Before the wedding, she tasked us with privately answering some serious and also some more lighthearted questions about why we love each other so much. She then was able to convert that into two lovely speeches as though they were from both of us directed to each other. It really helped to summarize our love for each other and help cement why it was that we hold each other so dear.

The final more amusing highlight of the day, particularly for Matthew was finding out our band did Karaoke! Weirdly many of his friends have an affinity for singing Disney songs as well as their current favorite, The Greatest Showman! Although we’re both not sure the guests enjoyed it quite so much!

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The Planning

The most important thing would have to be the venue. When planning a destination wedding you have to ensure you find a setting which ticks all the boxes. We always knew it would be Tuscany but we also both knew that finding one dream location to host the most important day of our lives would be slightly more challenging. There are so many separate events throughout the day which have to be perfect, from the ceremony itself all the way through to the first dance and the after party, everything needs to live up to your expectation. That is why we couldn’t have asked any more from Ilaria and her amazing team at Terre Di Nano.

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The Honeymoon

If we hadn’t had enough fun for one day, the very next day after the wedding we were able to catch a direct flight from Florence to Santorini for a weeks fun of relaxation in the sun. As well as seeing all the beautiful sites Santorini had to offer we also took a ferry to Milos for a few nights to help unwind even further as well contemplate everything we have achieved and everything we will continue to achieve for the rest of our lives together.