A wedding in Tuscany

Mark and Landi's destination wedding story provided by Chiara Sernesi, from Weddings in Tuscany

A year of intense emailing had gone by when we first met with Mark and Landi, upon their arrival in Italy. A year of emailing may sound like a lot but this becomes the average when a couple starts creating a relationship with their wedding co-ordinators that is not only pure business. The couple will start sharing much more, and we are always happy to be included in their list of friends.

After meeting them at the airport, we drove them to the charming farmhouse we had recommended for their wedding. Their 35 guests, all coming from North Carolina and Canada, were to stay there for a week. They could not believe their eyes. Everything was so beautiful - the Tuscan landscape, with the narrow country roads leading through lush vineyards and olive groves were simply enchanting. Mark said the pictures we'd emailed him were beautiful but they didn't do the landscape justice. During their week there we organised interesting tours around Tuscany, including visits to San Gimignano and Siena, and wine tasting in typical wine farms. Mark and Landi were so excited, and their guests were even more so.

Mark and Landi had decided to have their civil wedding at the small town hall of the nearby village, but the main celebration was held at the farmhouse, where we organized a symbolic ceremony to be performed in the olive grove, and their wedding dinner on the terrace, overlooking the superb Tuscan countryside.

Their civil wedding was on a  Wednesday and the same evening, as tradition requires, Landi and her bridesmaids spent the night in a superb hotel a few kilometres from the farmhouse. Mark was suffering from the separation so I suggested  he serenade  Landi, to let her know how much he was already missing her. Mark was overjoyed at the idea!

 

That evening, with the help of her bridesmaids, who knew about the plan, a mandolinist playing Italian love songs serenaded Landi in her room. Landi was thrilled at the romantic surprise - half an hour of Italian love songs, chosen specially for her by her partner. And all this in the amazing environment of the Tuscan hills, immersed in the smells, the peace, the sound of the night crickets; outside the window, the fields of ripe, golden wheat gleaming under the sun setting behind the hills; and all around, farmed land marked off by lines of tall cypress trees, and more vineyards and olive groves.

The wedding day
Mark was really nervous on his wedding day. He was always next to me, asking if everything was all right; he wanted to be reassured, and I did my best to make him feel at ease. We set up the celebration area with the guests’ chairs facing the breathtaking view of the valley, and a small white table, two green apples, green candles, and a bunch of green-white roses. Our celebrant Jo was ready with her chalice of sweet Sicilian wine, and a parchment for the couple to sign after the wedding. At 5pm all the guests were seated and Mark was trying to remember to breathe deeply, as Jo had advised.

Landi arrived fashionably late, but Mark was already panicking. She arrived in a black Mercedes and walked across a carpet of rose petals, while a trio was played Pachelbel’s Canon.

The ceremony was sweet and simple. Some guests shed a tear or two and everybody commented on how appropriate and beautiful it was.

Aperitifs were served at the swimming pool as the couple had a few photos taken  in the stunning countryside. Dinner was served on the panoramic terrace, opening onto the rolling hills displaying an amazing palette of colours: the ochre of the wheat merging into the silver green of the olive trees and the lush green of the vineyards. The candles around the terrace created a very romantic atmosphere; the beautiful flower centerpieces and olive oil bottles as party favours enticed the hungry guests who were now ready to appreciate the typical Tuscan menu. After dinner everybody moved to the pool area, for music and drinks. Comfortable beds and spacious rooms welcomed the tired merry-makers, and at the end of the event, Weddings in Tuscany knew they had made another couple happy.

For more informtion about a fairytale wedding in Tuscany contact Chiara and her team at
info@weddingsintuscany.info or visit their website at www.weddingsintuscany.info

Photos courtsey of Roger Hawkins.