Follow my blog with BloglovinToday is the day you spend in Tuscany, and thanks to Italia Celebrations, it’s going to be beautiful. Fist on the agenda from the fabulous destination wedding weekend, we’ve got both the Welcome Dinner and the Rehearsal Dinner, both captured by Magnus Bogucki. Then pop back in this afternoon for the beautiful, full wedding feature!
I’d die if I were welcomed to Tuscany in such an amazing way. And that’s just the beginning. I hope you’re ready for the rehearsal dinner, because here it comes…
From Italia Celebrations… Meghan and Steven had a stunning three day wedding over the July 4 week in Tuscany. Meghan is from Chicago and Steven is from Scotland. When Brenda of Italia Celebrations suggested Il Borro in Tuscany it was love at first sight. The magic of finding exactly what you are looking for when you didn’t know how to pull together all the thoughts and feelings into a concrete visual of what you were looking for.
The planning spanned 18 months with countless emails and meetings, tastings and trials to make sure that every little detail of every event would be absolutely perfect. The bride loved the process so much that she has now changed careers to become a wedding planner herself (Extraordinary Days in the UK).
The wedding began with a Welcome Pizza Party in the Medieval Borgo of the villa. Tables were set up near the outdoor pizza oven in the tiny piazza that dates back over 500 years. The mood was rustic, vintage but refined. The tables were decorated with aromatic herbs that are typical of Tuscany as well as figs and lemons. We suggested an Italian folk duo to perform at the welcome dinner and it was the perfect way to break the ice and to get everyone in a festive party mood. From that moment they were under the spell of Tuscany with its abundant charms honed over the centuries.
From the stunning bride… The night before the rehearsal dinner the weather forecast predicted a sixty percent chance of rain at some point during our planned dinnertime. Let’s just say, I did not handle it very well. Knowing what a spectacular night we had planned outside and that it wouldn’t be nearly as amazing if it had to be moved inside, I woke up virtually every few hours and checked the weather, pleading with my iphone to show me good news. But the forecast never changed. Yet, when we got up in the morning and all through the day there was nothing but brilliant sunshine. While I was away biking in Chianti, our wedding planner Brenda kept a careful watch on the weather radar. She called me mid-afternoon and told me that the bad weather was missing Il Borro and that we would be able to have the entire night outside; it was truly one of the happiest moments of all three days.
And so then the time came. Everyone returned from their day time activities that I had organized and went to their rooms to put their suits and dresses on. My mom and I had our hair and make-up done. When Steven and I walked over the bridge into the rehearsal dinner garden, holding hands, everything seemed to turn to slow-motion. And yet somehow the night went way too fast.
The night started with a cocktail hour with his & her cocktails. All of our stationery – from cocktail sticks to menus – for this night was done by Paper Moss, who were an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. A jazz band kept things lively and the night ended with a spectacular fire show. There were so many details that I poured my heart into on this night but two of my favorite were little things designed to help keep the guests comfy. The entire night took place on grass and when selected this site the year before I immediately viewed this as a potential problem – who wants to stand in sinking heels all night? Well, problem solved: We had our ushers fit the women with plastic heel protectors when they arrived to stop them from sinking and it worked brilliantly. Also, as the sun set and the air got slightly chilly pashminas selected to coordinate with the colorful decor were handed out. Nothing keeps a party going like happy guests!
However, the true highlight of the night was a complete surprise. As we sat down to dinner, my 12-year-old brother stood up at the microphone and explained that he had been practicing for months to learn Steven’s and my song on the piano (Hey there Delilah by the Plain White T’s). He then sat down on the keyboard and played it in front of our 64 guests. He was a bundle of nerves. When he finished his perfect rendition, I was shaking and his entire captivated audience erupted in a standing ovation. It was the best wedding present I could ever imagine.
As the evening progressed and the sun set, the lighting took over and all the trees had been lighted to become a rainbow of colors. This was pure magic. To be seated among the colored trees just took my breath away. Several times I stepped away from everyone and watched the women wrapped up in colored pashminas, the kids running among the lights and everyone laughing as they sipped wine and I thought “my god, I can’t believe this is happening.” Somehow, far too quickly, the evening ended and I was swept away to bed. I was heartbroken when that night was over. The only thing that made me feel a bit better was reminding myself we had an amazing photographer and videographer who had captured it all. Well, that, and of course there was the excitement of the wedding day that was to come…
Photography: Magnus Bogucki | Videography: CineMate Films | Event Design: Brenda Babcock Celebrations | Event Planning: Brenda Babcock Celebrations | Floral Design: Noosheen | Catering: Il Borro | Bride's Rehearsal Dinner Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bride's Rehearsal Dress: Erdem | Bride's Welcome Party Dress: Dolce And Gabbana | Tuscan Villa: Il Borro | Vendor: Cate Says Hey | Welcome Party Shoes: Dolce And Gabbana