A Timeless and Elegant Destination Wedding at Villa Cetinale in Siena

Samantha Melei
November 8, 2020
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog

For these two high school sweethearts, a destination wedding in Italy was a no brainer after both spending time there! Taking place at the Villa Cetinale, a historic villa, the couple invited their guests to their magical day inspired by the venue itself with its natural beauty – timeless, elegant and full of love. Molly Carr Photography captured it all from the delicate details like the romantic florals by Siloh Floral to the divine scenery! Take a look below and be sure to check out the full gallery to see all of the images of the couples wedding weekend!

From Molly Carr Photography…Clarissa and Daniel went to a very small high school together in Oregon. They had physics class together and used studying as an excuse to spend time with one another. A deep friendship turned into a romantic relationship and they have been together ever since.

Fast forward to June of 2018 and the couple, now living in Santa Monica, went to the beach to watch the sunset when Daniel brought out their special cooler containing glasses and a bottle of champagne. They decorated the cooler during their four-year long distance relationship in college and used to take it on trips together. One side had been left uncompleted, which Daniel had finished with a painting of them sitting on the beach at sunset with the words “The Beginning of a New Adventure”. When Daniel left for college their freshman year, he left her with a letter that promised me one day he would marry her. Each year after that he would write me a going-away love note as sort of reassurance that they could get through another year of long distance. Senior year she never received a letter, instead, Daniel choosing to keep that last letter until the day he would propose. There, watching the sunset, he pulled the letter out of his pocket and asked her to marry him. Of course, she said yes!

For their wedding, Clarissa and Daniel knew they wanted to be able to spend extended quality time with their guests, which is when they turned to the idea of having a destination wedding where they could have several days with everyone together. Daniel studied abroad in Rome and traveled through Italy with Clarissa, so it seemed like a natural choice.

The ancient Medieval town of Siena, Italy played host to Clarissa and Daniel’s elegant affair. Upon leaving the city walls, a twenty-minute drive through the rolling countryside, dotted with olive groves and vineyards, led guests to the village of Cetinale. There, perched regally on top of a hill, they found the historic Villa Cetinale – a papal villa that is now a private estate which plays host to the most exclusive and luxurious destination weddings in Italy. Charmed by the historical architecture, olive groves, and statues around the grounds, the couple booked all of the property’s four villas to accommodate their 60 guests. “We enjoyed meals out on the terrace together and most nights stayed up late, accompanied by more than a few bottles of Brunello,” said Clarissa. “The wait staff is absolutely five-stars. The food is exquisite, even compared to the already delicious cuisine found in the area. In our minds, it would be hard to beat the combination of intimacy and extravagance the venue provides.”

The goal of the wedding design was to create a timeless, classic and old world event, full of gorgeous details and personalization. The source of inspiration came the villa. The soft beige/yellow tones of the walls of the buildings, paired with the tuscan stone and the fall foliage colors, inspired a neutral color palette, founded on oyster, oatmeal, ivory, and some deeper tones of green and black to add interest and contrast. All the styling choices, from the paper goods to the decor, to the floral artistry and fashion choices, had this timeless class and old world elegance in mind. They wanted guests to feel like they had stepped into a real life fairytale, like they were transported inside a movie.

The night before the wedding Clarissa and Daniel hosted their guests for a cocktail reception and dinner inside historic Limonaria. Guests dined at one long table accented by blush florals, arranged in the Ikebana style, which ran the entire length of the table. The multi-course meal featured platters of antipasti, local cheeses, and homemade pasta. Clarissa and Daniel’s guests enjoyed the communal atmosphere, helping fill each others plates and refill each others glasses with some of the most incredible wines in Italy. The starry night sky glittered above Villa Cetinale as Clarissa, Daniel, and their guests laughed the night away. It was absolutely idyllic and the perfect prelude to their elegant wedding.

Nicole of Every Little Letter created the most beautiful invitations and day of paper designs, as the couple wanted every guest to feel special. The suite was designed with thoughtful details and elements that represented Villa Cetinale as well as the day. The invitation card was done on thick cotton in a blind letterpress with a detailed floral border, the wording was set in gold foil as well as the church illustration. The welcome invitation, printed on thick vellum also set in gold foil. Guest addresses were done in calligraphy to match headers through the suite. To keep all the pieces together in the envelope, the paper was wrapped in vellum and held with an oversized wax seal of the Villa.

On the morning of the wedding day, Clarissa and her bridesmaids sipped champagne inside of the noble villa’s royal suite. Clarissa wore a bespoke Monique Lhullier gown. She knew from the very beginning she wanted a timeless silhouette without any embellishments, as that would be the best reflection of her personal style and make me feel the most like herself. To match the dress and let the beauty of the brocade fabric stand out she kept the accessories very simple. She wore a cathedral length tulle veil for the ceremony, drop earrings, and classic white leather Jimmy Choo pumps. Her bouquet was light, airy and feminine that combined lush white and cream garden rose blooms with textured accents of sweet pea, ranunculus, autumn eucalyptus, riceflower, and clematis vine.

To match the elegant tone, Daniel donned Black tuxedo with white jacket and black Ferragamo loafers. Clarissa’s bridesmaids each designed their own gown from Fame and Partner that reflected their personal style so that they would feel good in them, while Daniel’s groomsmen wore traditional black tuxedos.

They decided on doing a first look at the last minute. It took place to the side of the villa and it was the perfect moment to take it all in and calm their nerves. When Clarissa turned the corner and saw Daniel waiting there for her she immediately began to cry. “All the years of dreaming of this day, was finally here. I always like to say we grew up together, and now we get to grow old together.”

The ceremony took place in a Romanesque church, whose foundations were set in the year 1000. The building itself exudes in historical charm and precious historical memories and value. The decor was purposefully kept light, and based on floral and greenery touches and big pillar candles that meant to highlight the most iconic features of the church, the portal and the altar, in a natural and masterly “unkempt” way. Clarissa explained, “There was a ton of emotion built up by years of waiting and the days and hours leading up to the ceremony surrounded by our loved ones. The string quartet played Canon in D, which brought Daniel to tears on the spot. I started crying the second the doors to the church opened. Being side-by-side in this beautiful and ancient church, participating in a traditional Catholic ceremony which felt both timeless and spiritual, was absolutely out of this world.”

After the ceremony, guests returned to Villa Cetinale, and the tone of the decor was meant to be in line with the elegance and formality of the ambience. The cocktail hour was organized in front of the Villa’s main entrance and its facade made the perfect backdrop for the intimate lounge areas and drinks station. They had two signature cocktails – “Grow Old with Me”, a play on the old fashion, Daniel’s favorite cocktail, and “Til the End of Thyme” a gin and thyme cocktail. Clarissa also surprised Daniel with “C+D” branded orange peel garnishes for the cocktails.

For their reception, antique pieces were used to host the escort cards and guestbook station. The imperial table was placed in the center of the big cypress lane on the back of the villa, under a transparent marquee that protected guests from the late October breeze. The weather was actually fantastic and much warmer than anticipated, keeping guests nice and cozy during dinner and speeches. The table was set in a classic and iconic fashion, with crispe ivory tablecloth, white china and english style silverware. The table was made soft and romantic by elegant and overgrown floral

centerpieces composed in stemmed urns, and by the candle light provided by taupe candles on brass candlesticks. The little olive oil bottles that doubled as favors and place cards provided an extra golden touch to the table.

Their dinner began with two pasta courses (homemade mezzelune stuffed with pecorino cheese, pear veloute and toasted pine nuts, as well as paccheri fresh pasta with saffron cream, confit pachino tomatoes and asparagus tips). The main course was Pork fillet with balsamic vinegar from modena sage flavored roasted tomatoes and green beans. After dinner they moved the party from the tent to the front of the villa where they cut their Italian wedding cake. During dancing there was a surprise pizza snack passed around late at night and trays of sweets left out for people to nibble on. The couple and their guests danced until the early morning in which they hopped on a plane and headed to their honeymoon in Morocco!