Blending Italian Charm With Modern Elements at Villa Medicea Di Lilliano in Florence
When designing this wedding, we blended Italian charm with modern elements. We used local greenery, soft coloured floral, and vintage European tableware paired with a modern dining chair and string lights for a contemporary ambiance.
Paolo proposed to me on his birthday at our house – I was not expecting it at all. After four years together, we had just recently purchased and moved into our first home, we were only living together 5for five days! When I asked him the week before what he wanted for his birthday, all he had said was that he wanted to go to dinner, the two of us, and have our family over for cake to show off our new place. I didn’t think anything of it. While we were out for dinner, his mom was texting me that she was going by our house early to “decorate for his birthday” since I was at work all day, and we went straight to dinner, again, I didn’t think anything of it and said Sure! When we arrived at home, you could see the kitchen decorated with birthday banners, a cake, and our family there; I thought everyone was waiting for him, it was his birthday, of course, so I made him go upstairs first. When I walked up the stairs behind him, I noticed rose petals on the floor, balloons with pictures we took throughout the years hanging from the ceiling, and on our dining table, le in lights, said “marry me”. I was in complete shock, and I think it took a few minutes for me to register what was going on.
My gown was a custom dress made by Lee Grebenau and Powder Boutique. I had gone to Powder knowing that Lee was having a trunk show; there were 2 gowns that I had seen on her Instagram page from the newest collection that I was dying to “get out of my head”. I only tried on 8 dresses at the boutique, and once I tried on the “Glow” gown, I knew it was the one. We had made modifications to the neckline, and Powder made custom straps and a cape that connected at the back of my dress. I didn’t see myself as a veil person, and thought a cape was a unique and elegant but modern touch to tie the look together.
When it came to bridesmaids, the most important thing for me was for them to look and feel their best. I gave them total freedom to choose whatever dress they wanted at whatever price point they felt comfortable with. The only ask was for the colour range to be in the off white, creams, golds, and beige tones. All girls ended up getting their dresses from different places, and I couldn’t have been happier with what dresses they chose. Although they were all SO different, all of them together looked amazing.
We adopted the same mentality with the groomsmen as we did for the bridesmaids, I mean, how many black suits can one have? Paolo, his dad, my dad, my brother, and his best man all got custom suits made from a local tailor, Domenic Calabretta, who has been a family friend to both Paolo and my Dad for years! He has made suits for everyone from Andrea Bocelli to TV shows like Suits. He is an amazing tailor who really understands Paolo’s vision and has a keen eye for detail and style.
Emilia and Paolo's wedding was filled with Tuscan tradition. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a traditional apéritif overlooking Florence with food stations, passed delicacies, and traditional cocktails from the region. Following Apertif, guests enjoyed a black tie sit-down dinner that included 4 courses with local ingredients.
Delicate, locally sourced florals were used throughout Emilia’s design to seamlessly complement the beautiful setting. Varieties such as the Emma Woodhouse garden rose, Playa Blanca roses, blush spray roses, and seasonal peonies created weightiness and anchored the design. Chocolate lisianthus, scabiosa, and white orlaya brought playfulness and movement to the design while local foliages created loose edges to finish it off. The ceremony's floral structure was created as if growing up the historical stone wall. Loose foliage and an undone floral looped around the front of the fountain and climbed up the wall on either side. The floral tabletop at the reception followed the design of the ceremony, with loose and airy flowers lining the lengths of the tables. Slim candles were used throughout, creating a romantic transition into the evening as the sun sank over the Tuscan horizon.
Our parents (both sides on separate occasions) had reached out to our wedding planner, Michelle had surprised us with an over-the-top, amazing fireworks show. It was the highlight of the evening, and we were completely shocked. I remember looking at Paolo when they started going off and saying to him, that’s not for us, I swear I didn’t pay for it!” Our guests are still talking about the fireworks, and how it was a better show than what you would see for any national holiday.
Our Wedding planner, Michell, and her assistant Francesca deserve all the credit for our amazing day. I really couldn’t have done it without them. Michelle went above and beyond to make sure that not only I was taken care of, but all our guests as well. At one point, just before the ceremony started, it started to rain when rain wasn’t at all in the forecast. Michelle and the team sprinted into action and ensured that every guest had an umbrella, and the whole setup outside was covered. She also knew how important it was to me to be able to have cocktail hour on the terrace, despite the heavy recommendations from vendors against having the food out on the terrace due to heat, the weather thankfully cooperated, and Michelle made my vision come to life; I can’t thank her enough, she has become a life long friend throughout the process. She is a true expert and creative visionary.
