Julie & Alex

This elegant Italian wedding is spine tingling good. Taking place at Vincigliata Castle in Tuscany surrounded by gorgeous scenery, colourful flowers, candles and love. All arranged by the super talented Weddings in Tuscany with each area of the wedding looking as breathtaking as the next. Talking of breathtaking have you seen the first look portraits captured by Stefano Santucci yet? If your jaw doesn't hit the floor I'll be surprised. Not only does he captured Bride Julie's magnificent Modern Trousseau 'Eveline' gown and veil to perfection, but he also captures some stunning angles of the castles parapet as the gorgeous couple meet.

The Wedding

Julie the Bride: It’s a funny story actually. Years prior to the engagement, we were in a coffee shop together while Alex was studying – he looked up at me and said, “wouldn’t it be awesome if we could get married in a castle?” I looked at him and laughed – I thought he was crazy. I’m the planner in the relationship but he really is my muse, especially with his big ideas. I kind of got him one – I also stated this fact in my vows. Florence had a little bit of that Boston vibe – a walkable city full of history and culture. We also love, love all things Italian wine and food. The rolling hills and fashion hinted to the chapter in our lives when we lived in California for four years. It made perfect sense. I designed a three- day wedding adventure for everyone: welcome rooftop drinks overlooking Florence at the Continenale, a castle wedding, followed by wine tasting at La Borriana in the countryside. Our friends and family travelled from all over the world to celebrate our love.

The Ceremony

Farah and Mitchell did us the honor of marrying us in Florence. They are two individuals we both love and respect a great deal. The idea of having two officiants originated from my idea of wanting to have a dialogue with our friends and family, honoring our love. Farah and Mitchell channeled strength from their own marriage coupled with their understanding of our relationship – together, they delivered a beautiful exchange with us. Alex and I also wanted our friends and family to see our faces and not the backs of our heads, like a traditional wedding. To soak in our facial expressions. The placement of everything was very non-traditional but purposeful.

The Venue

Castello di Vincigliata was beautiful and I loved the open layouts of the areas. It was oozing with romance and happiness – to say our vows outside with the rolling hills behind us then dancing around in a castle later was the perfect combination. The venue didn’t need much in terms of decoration – we were in a castle after all that already had greenery everywhere. We loved bright colours and wanted everything to pop off the green vines. It was easy, simple, perfectly us.

Colour Scheme/Décor

Bright colours to pop off of the simple greenery. We complimented the castle – letting it shine through. The wine boxes from the castle were repurposed for the flowers. We love Italian sodas and used them as our escort cards. Our florist Jardin Divers and our planner Chiara from Weddings in Tuscany did a marvelous job bring our bright colour wishes while maintaining the integrity of the castle to life.

Entertainment

DJ Simone Alinari was fantastic. Like our other vendors, we met up for drinks during our visit in January. It is important for our partners to get to know us – get them to be a little bit invested in us. DJ Simone knew I was planning a fun dance with my dad – he even created a scratch transition to lead us from Michael Buble to my big rap number, “Gangstas Paradise” by Coolio – my dad’s favorite song. You’re going to have to ask me for the full wedding film to see me rapping in my blush dress! We danced all the way till the end – he did a great job bringing out the energy in everyone.

Wedding Planner

My video interview with Chiara from Weddings in Tuscany was pretty clear – I needed someone like me in Florence. Someone to collaborate with. She respected my questions and helped me understand the nuances of Italian weddings. Together, we somehow created a wedding that honored the venue while adding in our non-traditional touches. She provided much more than support. Chiara became a friend through the process.

The Dress & Look

My wedding dress was perfect for Castello di Vincigliata while featuring a little flair like my personality – I rocked that Eveline blush dress, designed by Modern Trousseau. It would also be the one time I truly wanted to embrace that princess vibe. I’m so used to helping everyone else be their best (life as an assistant and planner) – this was my chance to embrace that romantic, girly side of me. The long veil added to the romance, blowing around us in the wind made the first look even more magical. Hazel from The Wedding Atelier was perfect during the entire process. I went for a long veil, adding to the romance. It blew through the wind around us – adding that magical touch to our first look. You can tell I like colours – my Manolo Blahnik's were a non-traditional floral pattern. A perfect pair for the rest of my outfits. My earrings were David Yurman and my something blue – a gift from Alex on the morning of the wedding. I loved Consuelo Cardella and the team. I am all about that natural no makeup makeup look. She more than nailed it. We danced and sang to my favorite songs during the getting ready. I think I was bopping around in my chair so often she’d smile and ask me to sit still.

Groom

Alex and I happened to have stumbled into The Suit Supply store in SoHo, New York one of our visits. His fashion sense has always very much been European inspired – sharp, extra slim fit, shortened the hem to have his ankles peek out a bit from his shoes. Alex went with colourful no show socks to go with his Too Boot shoes. His pocket square was Grand Frank – we made sure the key men in our wedding received ties that matched his pocket square. We tied in all of the details together, organically. I love that he loves fashion. His outfit was topped off with a gift from me, a rose gold watch from Corniche. The morning of the wedding, Alex and two of our closet guy friends went to Blues Barber for a special wedding treat – men like to be pampered too. They took care of every strand of hair perfectly. Alex looked like he belonged on the cover of a GQ magazine! I’m such a lucky gal.

Photographer

Stefano Santucci is an artist and fully immerses himself into the lives of his "subjects." He's able to capture small moments that truly displays your personality and "lost" moments you didn't think you'd have to look back on - but you do with him! His unique style adapts to your unique persona - that's a true gift! We are deeply in love with the results of our engagement session and wedding photos. Thank you for being a part of our journey and thanks for becoming a friend. Can't wait to work with you again and perhaps share travelling adventures together! This wedding has been shot entirely with Leica Q and with the precious help of Giuseppe Marano as second shooter.

Videographer

Paola and Angela from Gattotigre truly were amazing partners with Stefano. It’s helped that they’ve worked together before – everything was seamless. They brought some of the most romantic photos that Stefano took – to life, literally. It was important for us to have a video since this was a destination wedding. They also caught so many expressions from our friends and family that I didn’t have a chance to appreciate at the wedding itself! I was too busy focusing on not crying every second.

Advice

Be true to you and your partner – that’s the only rule.