Earlier today, we brunched in style with Lisa Poggi & Gianluca Gasperoni—South African style with a bit of Tuscan influence, that is. And we’re continuing the festivities this afternoon with the jaw-dropping wedding portion, drenched in burgundy, lavender and blush. Tuscan Dream, Wedding Concepts and La Rosa Canina each added their charming touches and you can see it all right here.
From Lisa Poggi & Gianluca Gasperoni…When we left Rome, we had no idea what to expect on arrival in South Africa. Not only had we never traveled so far south before, but also we had never been so far away from home! However, our biggest fear in the end was not being able to interpret the light that we may find in this distant country! How would it be different to Italy, would we be able to distort it, work with it and produce work similar to what we would create back home? Who knew!
From the minute we stepped off the plane we realized that this would have been impossible. The light in South Africa is unique and inimitable. The constant wind that sweeps everything away creates a clear and fresh canvas, full of facets, even on rainy days. We hoped we would shoot on a beautiful sunny day, but an unusual spring thunderstorm greeted us and accompanied us throughout the shoot.
Despite this, the light that we found was perfect and unique. Totally in line with what we had in mind of “union” and “marriage” between Africa and Tuscany! We love to harness the natural light when we shoot and in this case the constant changes in brightness and contrast have led to a result extremely heterogeneous and totally in line with our general ideas.
The work of the wonderful team of people from both Tuscany and South Africa have led to a result creating the perfect balance between raw and rural elegance. We loved all the colour contrasts between cooler cypress and lavender mixed amongst warm earth African tones!
From Carolina Casini of Tuscan Dream…When planning my latest trip to South Africa I would never in my wildest dreams imagined that it would be so different from all my previous ones. I had always loved the time at my parents’ house on the beach where yoga, running, swimming and reading were my favorite activities, which I always guarded jealously…but not this time…
A week before my departure, completely out of the blue, I received a call from Tommaso saying that he met Lisa & Gianluca in Milan the previous weekend and that they were all wondering what I was up to because they hadn’t heard from me lately. During our last dinner I shared with them my deep love for South Africa, talking about its blue skies, the energy and creativity of this gorgeous country as well as its commitment to change and told them I was planning to return to Cape Town at the end of the wedding season.
Next thing I knew, by the end of the phone conversation we had 4 tickets to South Africa, and I wasn’t flying alone anymore and guess what…I wasn’t going to be attending any yoga classes or relaxing, instead I would be planning an inspirational wedding photo shoot!
Now how to plan an inspirational shooting in a foreign country in less than 2 weeks that’s another story and involves my company TuscanDream having had the privilege to meet and get to know our friends at Wedding Concepts, a leading wedding planning agency in Cape Town. Like TuscanDream, Wedding Concepts specializes in working with a distinctive international clientele and are committed to deliver beautifully customized, luxury weddings.
Many of the best things in life are those that happen serendipitously. Our inspirational wedding project in South Africa has brought together creativity and friendship as a beautiful unexpected gift to an awesome photo shoot!
Tommaso of La Rose Canina Firenze…When Carolina Casini first spoke of the idea of potentially one day shooting an inspiration bridal shoot in the Cape Town wine region of South Africa – the idea immediately both impressed me and filled me with joy! This simply had to happen!
The presence of our close knit creative team, which included photographer and friend Lisa Poggi, gave me the confidence that we could, together, be able to create a beautiful result and find a real new inspiration in a country rich in energy and history. For me, this would be my first time visiting South Africa. So I knew this experience was going to be incredibly new and exciting!
When we first started scouting locations in Cape Town, I was struck by the similarities between certain characteristics of Tuscany and the Cape Winelands, the presence of cypress and olive trees as well as plant species typical of my region back home. I began to foster a strong sense of familiarity and at the same time I finally got to admire the indigenous flora in the beautiful botanical gardens of Kirstenbosh and how all the many varieties of Proteas grow so naturally here. I then tried to find inspiration for the entire design of the shoot in this extreme contrast between familiarity and extraordinary.
The “contrast” thus became the main focus for the whole shoot. Color contrast between the dark tones of the leaves we sourced, the fruit of the blueberry and the fig tree, and the brightness of the colour white of the winelands landscapes and Cape Dutch architecture. Contrasting materials were very elegant and others more textural, blending styles that were extremely classic with and ethnic atmospheres – typical of this rich country. All we knew was that we wanted to create together a shoot that spoke about a story of balance, love and joy.
Photography: Lisa Poggi | Event Planning: Tuscandream Weddings | Jewelry: We heart this | Venue: Hawksmoor House | Bridal Shoes: Aliverti | Cake Design: Roxanne Floquet | Calligraphy & Stationary: Betty Soldi | Design & Florals: La Rosa Canina | Female Model: Ross Chaplin from D&A Model Management | Groom Suits And Shoes: Fabiani | Hair & Make Up: Yolande Du Toit | Hiring: Urban Tonic | Male Model: Ross Chaplin from D&A Model Management | Menu & Seating Cards: Secret Diary Designs | Wedding Dress & Bridal Outfits: Stefania Morland | Wedding Management: Wedding Concepts