Unlike the USA more weddings in the UK are planned by the bride and her mum than by a wedding organiser. But stress free wedding planning is almost impossible to achieve for the average full time working woman – unless you happen to be an event organiser or can wave a magic wand!

That’s the view of Tuscan wedding organiser Erica Bellini, who has created countless events in Italy and knows just how hard it is to keep on top of the detail let alone agree the main event with everyone involved.

She says: “What many people don’t realise is how much time and effort you need to put into your event to really make it work the way you want. There are such expectations for the day and each bride wants to be unique and special and create her own magic. But most of my brides are busy working and have very little time to manage all the bits and pieces that make up a wedding.

“By the time it comes to choosing the dress and the invitations many brides who choose to arrange the event themselves are completely fed up with the whole thing. It really is a skill in itself that is very time consuming especially if you want to marry abroad.”

Other advantages of working with a wedding organiser include:

· Saving you money – while you may pay a fee for their services wedding planners often secure great deals with venues, photographers and caterers and florists which you could not negotiate yourself and which will ultimately save you money.

· Save your relationship – instead of battling with the mother-in-law you can become detached from the event and so can she!

· Event experience – you will only ever hopefully arrange one wedding – your planner will have vast experience of many special days.

· Knowledge of the area, its customs, local specialities and pitfalls – especially useful if planning to marry abroad.

· Advice on every aspect of the day from your dress, flowers, invitations, cakes, venue, service, to entertainment – gleaned from years of experience and having worked with reliable suppliers many times before.

· Someone on the day specifically to manage the event or manage the odd mishap without the bride having to lift up her skirts and deal with it herself!

Demetria Maratheftis, from the UK but of Greek Cypriot origin chose Erica to organise her dream wedding in Italy to make sure she had the day of her dreams and not just of her family! She says: “I was expecting my day to go well but we really didn’t expect it to go so smoothly. We laughed and giggled from the beginning to the end and I wish we could do it all over again!”

Erica, 36, who lives mainly in Italy and also offers Tuscan accommodation to those guests wishing to extend their stay, has a huge range of venues for weddings, specialist caterers, florists and photographers and is always on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

She says: “Having a wedding planner means you can concentrate on enjoying your day and leave event organising to the experts. We know how to make our weddings uniquely gorgeous every time.”

NAME: Carla and Ben

PROFESSION: Carla – Aviation Recruitment Specialist, Ben - Car Rental Manager

AGE: Both 30 years

WHERE DO YOU COME FROM: We live together in Bournemouth but originally Carla is from Chepstow, South Wales and Ben is from Dartford, Kent.

HOW DID YOU MEET: We met in 1998 at Bournemouth University. We were close friends throughout our 4 years courses and remained friends once we graduated in 2002. We finally got our act together in August 2004 and confessed our feelings for one another and started our relationahip!

HOW DID HE PROPOSE: Ben proposed in May 2009 on Sandbanks Beach, Dorset.  We had finished work, it was a beautiful sunny evening and we went to the beach for fish and chips!  Ben pulled out a bottle of champagne and a little box with my beautiful ring inside.

Carla and Ben got married in Castelfiorentino Town Hall on 11th September 2010 and had reception at Castello di Marcialla where they and their guests stayed.

Any wedding planner worth their salt not only puts their heart and soul into making their clients big day as memorable and spectacular as possible but is also prepared for every eventuality.

Each wedding comes with its moments of madness – The dress splits, the Groom spills red wine down his tie and the heavens open just as the bride steps out of her carriage. Never fear though, for Erica Bellini, wedding planner and creator of Tuscan dreams, is here to help.

She has been planning weddings in Tuscany for over 10 years, so has had plenty of experience of wedding mishaps. Here she gives every bride a few tips to solve any last minute disasters and make proceedings run as smoothly as possible.

Erica has a huge bag of props that becomes heavier by the year and her dream of becoming just like Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner has come true. However, unlike the film, not everything can run according to plan and that is where Erica steps in. “I have an endless amount of equipment which grows after every wedding” she says. “If someone has forgotten or broken something it’s my job to save the day”.

Here are some of the items Erica keeps in her wedding first aid kit in case of a nuptial emergency:

· Nail repair glue – This will always save a bride on the brink of tears, as every girl knows you aren’t finished without a full set of perfect nails.

· A little box with buttons and safety pins – These little beauties can provide a quick fix and hold together an outfit in a matter of seconds.

· Cushion (or pillow for wedding rings) – In case the best man forgets (and they often do!)

· Pretty umbrella – To protect the bride from a sudden downpour.

· Lighters for candles – Candles are a popular theme at weddings and so often there are many to light!

· Bottle of fresh water and a sugar cube – “Once a guest fainted right in the middle of the ceremony because of the Tuscan heat. Sugar and water have never been so useful!” says Erica.

· Stain remover – “At one wedding in the beautiful Tuscan square of Siena, just before the bridal party entered the town hall a pigeon flew overhead. You can imagine what happened next. Thankfully the bride saw it as good luck!”

· Hair spray/grips – Not every bride has a hair dresser on hand, especially if getting married abroad, so this will help if the weather isn’t great.

· Needle, thread and scissors – Probably the most important items you will have in your kit says Erica. “The mother of one bride burnt a hole in the flower girls dress. We sewed on an orchid corsage to cover the burn and the dress looked even prettier”.

As Erica continues to plan and create more and more beautiful weddings every year, she continues to expand her ever growing wedding first aid kit. “My husband says that my next car should be a lorry so I’m able to carry everything with me that I might need for a wedding emergency!” says Erica. If she continues to solve every bride’s worst nightmare it may be a good investment!

It was an office romance that turned into a match made in heaven - but it wasn’t a lightning bolt of love as Becky explains!

“We never really spoke to each other but exchanged the odd glance across the room. We eventually started talking through email and never looked back!”

A year after they began dating Dan got down on one knee in front of family and friends at a Chinese restaurant in Durham and the fairy tale commenced.

When the couple talked about getting married they held very different views. “I wanted to stay in the UK so all my family could attend but Dan wanted it abroad somewhere like Cyprus,” says Becky. She soon came round to the idea of a wedding abroad, but wanted something more unique and that is when they came across Tuscany as a perfect location. “Money was a major factor so we started to look around to see what we could get for the amount of money we could afford.” It was then they found Tuscan Dreams, the baby of Erica Bellini who has been planning weddings in Tuscany for over 10 years. With her knowledge and experience, Erica showed Becky and Dan exactly what they could achieve with their budget and it was nothing short of perfect.

Soon a list of venues was drawn up for the couple to browse and one stood out in particular. “The second we saw Villa Gambassi we fell in love with it,” says Becky. “Erica sent us details and photos from previous weddings just to re-enforce our choice. It was just so beautiful.” Right from the beginning Erica and her assistant Nicoletta, made sure they got to know the couple inside out. “They just seemed to know what we would love. All I did was arrange the bridal parties outfits, everything else Tuscan Dreams took care of.” Wild flowers and an Italian rustic feel gave the event a sense of everything the couple loved about Tuscany, beautiful and romantic yet simple and original. Traditional floral colours such as purple, yellow sunflowers and cream were used to set the mood.

Although their biggest extravagance would be the villa as soon as the couple and their guests arrived they knew they had made the right decision. “As soon as we arrived at the villa gates we knew we were getting our money’s worth and more. There were even live deer in the grounds that you could hand feed,” says Becky. “Out of this world is how I would describe Villa Gambassi!” After spending most of their budget on a venue, Becky and Dan saved some money by making a few vital parts of the wedding from scratch. “My aunt made my veil, which hopefully will be passed down through the family. We also brought the place settings that doubled up as favours for everyone.”

After their dream wedding in Tuscany what can Becky say about the wonderful women who made it possible? “The work they must have to do to make people’s perfect day perfect is amazing and believe me they do make it perfect in every way and more,” said an extremely blissful Mrs Gill.

Becky and Dan got married at Certaldo Town Hall on 4th August 2009 and had reception for their guests at Villa Gambassi.

-Real Life Wedding by Tuscan Dreams-

Age:

28 (Gemma), 31 (Phil)

Profession:

Account Manager for Land Rover Global Events (Gemma), Police Officer (Phil)

Where do you come from :

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK

1. How did you meet?

At Phil’s brother’s wedding in 2003.

2. How did you get engaged?

As a surprise, Phil took me to the Landmark Hotel in London – my favourite hotel. He then took me to the diamond shops in Hatton Garden and New Bond Street, followed by a romantic dinner later that evening. We chose my engagement ring at Boodles on New Bond Street.

3. How did you choose where to conduct the ceremony and have the reception?

We both love Italy and liked the idea of hosting our closest family and friends at a beautiful villa in Tuscany for the weekend. When we found Villa Gambassi, we just fell in love with it and knew it was perfect for our numbers and budget. The Church – Santa Maria a Chianni – was even more perfect and meant that our guests didn’t have to travel far for the ceremony.

4. What research and planning did you do before the wedding?

We researched the whole of Tuscany but always came back to Villa Gambassi. It ticked every box. Our wedding planners, Tuscan Dreams, were so helpful and lovely and we just knew everything was right.

5. How many guests attended your wedding?

70

6. What did you ‘make from scratch’?

The Menus & Order of Service

7. What was your biggest extravagance?

The 7 course meal

8. Where did you save the most money?

On venue hire.

9. Would you change anything about your wedding?

No. It was perfect in every way.

10. What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding?

Always keep to your budgets and research the market.

The theme of your wedding  and why did you chose that theme

Vintage, Lace, Fine Art, Classic.

Colour scheme of wedding:

Creams, whites, pinks, pastels

Music/entertainment:

Harpist during drinks, Disco in the evening.

]]> http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/real-life-weddings/gemma-and-phil/feed http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/real-life-weddings/steve-and-fiona http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/real-life-weddings/steve-and-fiona#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:13:46 +0000 Tuscan Dreams http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/?p=344 -Real-life wedding by Tuscan Dreams-

Age: Both 32

Profession: Steve - Business Travel Consultant, Fiona -   Buyer – now full time mum!

Where do you come from: Aberdeen, NE Scotland

1. How did you meet?

We got talking at a Christmas night out in 2001.

2. How did you get engaged?

Surprise proposal whilst walking along the beach at Findhorn Bay, Scotland.

3. How did you choose where to conduct the ceremony and have the reception?

We decided to have a small and unique wedding abroad, we had been to Italy numerous times on holiday and love the country. Having searched the internet for a wedding planner Tuscan Dreams (www.Tuscan-Dreams.com ) were extremely helpful and arranged for us to view various venues. We decided on our venue – Villa Gambassi as soon as we saw it. The nearby church suggested by Erica & Nicoletta was the ideal venue for our religious ceremony.

4. What research and planning did you do before the wedding?

For the religious ceremony there was a lot of paperwork to be completed In the UK and Italy. We used the internet and wedding magazines to research flowers, favours, dresses etc. Erica & Nicoletta were invaluable at offering suggestions and options.

5. How many guests attended your wedding?

We had 24 guests in total.

6. What did you ‘make from scratch’?

Favours, Place cards, Order of Service, Invites & Thank You notes.

7. What was your biggest extravagance?

The hire of the villa for one week for all of our guests – well worth it to have such a memorable week with our family and friends!

8. Where did you save the most money?

The whole wedding, the food & drink is more reasonable than the UK. Plus for the same or less cost we were able to enjoy a week with our family and friends instead of a few hours. We also saved money doing our own stationary.

9. Would you change anything about your wedding?

Not a thing!

10.What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding?

Try to keep calm and enjoy the planning. Trust your wedding planners advice - they certainly know their stuff!. Finally enjoy the day - it goes far too fast.

The theme of your wedding and why did you chose that theme

We wanted the theme to reflect the Tuscan countryside; Cream, Gold and Chocolate Brown colours on the stationary. The flowers followed the same rustic theme – lavender on the napkins and country blooms in the church. For the favours we used traditional scented soap from the nearby village for the girls and a little bit of Scotland for the boys In the form of whisky. Bridesmaids were in Sage green.

Colour scheme of wedding :

Cream, Gold and Chocolate Brown colours

Music/entertainment:

The music was brilliant! another great recommendation from Erica and Nicolleta – a special thank you must go to Lorenzo who played the organ in the church, violin during aperitifs and the keyboard with the band later on which kept everyone dancing until 2:00am.

.

Name: Sharon and Carl

Age: Sharon - 43, Carl - 57

Profession: Both Chief Executive Officers of organisations

Where do you come from : Near Brisbane in Queensland, Australia

1. How did you meet?

At work

2. How did you get engaged?

On a very small tropical island near Noumea, New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean

3. How did you choose where to conduct the ceremony and have the reception?

We were looking for somewhere different and special, somewhere where most Australians would not think of.

4. What research and planning did you do before the wedding?

Lots of research using the internet but mainly relied on Nicoletta and Erica from Tuscan Dreams to make the arrangements.

5. How many guests attended your wedding?

Four, two from Melbourne, Australia and two from Pittsburgh, USA

6. What did you ‘make from scratch’?

As we had to travel half way across the world nearly everything was bought except the owner of the villa we were staying in brought roses from her garden on the day of the wedding.

7. What was your biggest extravagance?

Lunch/dinner on the veranda of the Hotel Le Fonti overlooking one of the valleys of Tuscany which went for about ten hours, had nine courses and cost about 1000 euros.

8. Where did you save the most money?

By using Tuscan Dreams to arrange nearly everything we needed for the day.

9. Would you change anything about your wedding?

Only try and have more friends and family there.

10.What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding?

Use Tuscan Dreams, they were terrific and I doubt that we could have arranged everything without their help. Also don’t cut corners for the day as you may only do it once in your life.

The theme of your wedding: The theme was Italian and our invitations featured scenes from the town of Volterra, outfits were blue to make the blue Tuscan skies and the atmosphere remained relaxed and informal.

Colour scheme of wedding: Blue

Music/entertainment: We had no formal entertainment but the Maitre at Hotel, Francesco was amazing to watch as he served the meals, told us about the food, decanted the wine and gave us a detailed background on the wine. He made our celebratory lunch/dinner an extremely memorable occasion.

]]> http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/real-life-weddings/carl-and-sharon/feed http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/real-life-weddings/adele-and-matt http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/real-life-weddings/adele-and-matt#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:57:00 +0000 Tuscan Dreams http://wedding.tuscan-dreams.com/?p=1198 - Real-Life Weddings by Tuscan Dreams -

Name: Adele and Matthew
Ages: Adele -24, Matt - 25
Where are you from: Chester, UK

1. How did you meet?

We attended the same high school and became good friends. A couple of years after we left school we got in contact again. We had both recently just broken up with our partners and it was nice to speak again after so long . We had a couple of dates and felt so comfortable with each other the rest is history.

2. Wedding date :

22/06/2010 – After we booked the date we actually found out that it fell on the same date as family history, such as Matt’s grandma getting married etc.

3. Ceremony and reception venues:

We got married in the Siena Town Hall, a beautiful location inside the famous square. Followed by a reception back at our villa “San Galgano”. This was set next to the famous roofless abbey.

4. Why did the venue appeal to you?

We visited the abbey with Tuscan Dreams the year before and we fell in love with it. Villa San Galgano is an authenic Italian house surrounded by the most breath taking views of San Galgano abbey and vineyards. The house is non other than spectacular. We knew this was the perfect setting for our big day.

5. Colour scheme or wedding theme:

We kept our colour scheme “neutral” Adele wanted creams, golds and browns throughout.

6. Photographer and photographer’s website:

Our photographer was arranged through Tuscan Dreams and he did a fantastic job and made us feel very comfortable.

7. Bouquet and flowers :

All flowers were cream roses, we had small posies as we wanted the main focus to be the dresses and also the lace parasols. Groom, farther of bride, father of groom and best man had a single orchid. Mother of bride and mother of groom also had pearl dressed orchids.

8. The entertainment :

We had a harpist for the ceremony she was amazing, that alone made me tearful! in the evening.. again we had most of this side at our party back home. In Italy we kept it all very relaxed, after the wedding breakfast and speeches we had music flowing through the house and drinks galore!

9. Table decorations :

We had three round tables all dressed in cream linen and chair covers. We had a butterfly theme on the tables, our name settings had little butterflies and we had butterflies sat on everyone’s wine glasses. Erica had dressed the table with golden feathers and gorgeous gold crystals. The centre pieces were three church candles on a Italian crockery, the candles were tied with gold, cream and brown ribbons. The room was covered in candles and tea lights! Just as we had dreams.

The Wedding fashion!

1. Wedding dress designer: My dress was by Maggie Sottero it is called Sabelle. My dress was a gift from my wonderful mum.

2. Where did you get the dress from? My friends mother works for Maggie Sottero so I knew I wanted one of her dresses, they are so beautiful! I went to Arisacrats in Chester.

3. How did you know it was ‘the dress’? I wanted a fish tail all lace dress…that’s what I was hoping to find! The moment I stepped foot in the shop me and my mum saw it and said..yep that’s the one! Although it seemed crazy to have such a heavy dress to take abroad I just had to have it! so we just booked an extra seat on the plane for it! it was well worth all the hassle…but never had I seen a dress have its own boarding pass. Very funny.

4. Bridesmaids outfits and groomswear by? The Bridesmaids wore a simple, elegant ivory chiffon wrap dress with orchids in their hair and lace parasols. Groomswear was Moss Bross, they wore a deep grey suit with tails and waistcoats and cravats ( groom wore silver waist and cravat, others wore cream)

Top tips!

1.What was your best idea?

To do it in Italy!! was the best decision we ever made, although we had a few hic ups along the way! and we did miss certain people we could not have with us, we can honestly say we have never been to a wedding like that before and hope our guests feel the same. It was so romantic and relaxed

2. What did you really love on the day? For me it was walking down the aisle towards Matt, it was so emotional seeing him stood there.

3. Would you do anything differently? The only thing that we would change was the time we got married, we got married at 4pm and it just seemed to go so fast. I wish we had got married slightly earlier…then maybe we would have avoided that 10minute drizzle when we left the town hall too, but we are told that is good luck!

4. Did you make anything yourself (favours, stationery, etc.) – please can you explain how you made it/them? We went to a company called inspirations for our place settings etc we put them together but it was only simple things.

5. What are your money-saving tips?

You can save so much money by making your own invites. I would just say to agree a budget and add a few extra hundred…because there is always that something extra that you just HAVE to have!

6. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Cuba!!! Matt has always wanted to visit Havana…and I am always happy as long as I have sun, a good book and a cocktail!

Finally, is there anything else you want to tell us about the day?

We just want to mention how fantastic our friends and family were along with Erica and Nicoletta from Tuscan Dreams. We couldn’t have done it without them!

Caroline McMahon, from Barrhead, near Glasgow came home from working at the local primary school to find her dog had a new collar.

Boyfriend Gary, a marketing co-ordinator, also from Glasgow, told her to take a good look at it as not only had he bought a new collar he has also bought a new tag.

The couple had met whilst students working in the food hall at the local Marks & Spencer.

Caroline read the tag which had an engraving with the words: Will you Marry me? She asked him: ‘why on earth would you put that on there?’ and as she turned around he was down on one knee.

After asking him if he was serious she said yes and this week they married in Tuscany in a ceremony and celebration organised by Tuscan Wedding organiser Erica Bellini from Tuscan Dreams – www.tuscan-dreams.com

Age : Julia - 30, Scott - 28

Profession: Julia: Julia - Crime Scene examiner,  Scott - Chef/lecturer

Where do you come from : UK

1. How did you meet?

1st April 2003, we were both travelling in Australia and I had seen Scott in the kitchen of our backpackers and plucked up the courage to talk to him in a bar later on that night.

2. How did you get engaged?

We went back to Australia (20months later) and stayed in the same backpackers where we met. Scott took me for a champagne breakfast in the restaurant where he had worked then surprised me with a helicopter flight over Sydney’s beaches. He had arranged for some friends to write a sign on a bed sheet and when we flew over North Head Look Out Point (where he had once taken me) he said “look down there, there’s a sign that says will u marry me??”

After crying lots I said yes and he gave me a ring in a beautiful box.

Then champagne with our friends at a bar by Sydney Opera House then on for a meal at a restaurant where he gave me bunches of flowers.

3. How did you choose where to conduct the ceremony and have the reception?

We wanted to do our own catering for the wedding and we wanted as much of the wedding to be outdoors. We have also travelled loads and wanted our guests to experience a bit of travel as well.

We had a friend who knew someone who owned a villa in LUCCA so having never been to Italy we flew over, saw a few venues and were sold. We fell in love with Lucca and knew it was exactly what we wanted. Ceremony in the beautiful town hall and then the reception back at the villa.

The ceremony (interpreter and paperwork), music and photographer was organised by wedding planners Erica and Nicoletta from Tuscan Dreams (www.Tuscan-Dreams.com ). We were already organising our own food and were also organising accommodation so Tuscan Dreams was of great help for the remaining wedding parts. Erica and Nicoletta made it so easy and unstressful.

4. What research and planning did you do before the wedding?

LOTS AND LOTS!!!!!!

We visited LUCCA about 4 times before the wedding, Met with the Butcher, the wine shop, the lady who owned the villa… the list goes on….

5. How many guests attended your wedding?

48 (50 including us)

6. What did you ‘make from scratch’

• Invitations
• Food (Canapés, Starters, Mains)
• Bellini’s for when guests arrived
• Wedding Cake
• Tables (everything was delivered and we set it all up)

7. What was your biggest extravagance?

The Villa (but we had it for 1 week and 14 friends came and stayed with us)

8. Where did you save the most money?

Food, drinks and the wedding cake

9. Would you change anything about your wedding?

Had a few problems with the taxi we arranged to be on standby all night - he never turned up!!! But apart from that it was the best day of our lives and we wouldn’t change a thing.

Even now friends and family still talk about it and we love to reminisce.

10.What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding?

You will have a nervous breakdown… just go with it and it will all work out on the day!!!!

Remember to spend some time with your new Husband/Wife, take time to enjoy some Champagne together and enjoy every minute of it as its all over before you know it!!!!
11.What was theme of your wedding? SUNFLOWERS

12. What music did you choose? Harp to walk down the aisle and then for the reception. A jazz band for the evening and then music we had downloaded. It was the most spectacular day and for us the choice of music was just perfect… everyone commented on how brilliant they thought both the harpist and the jazz band were and we couldnt have asked for more. We are so pleased with our photographs… even if we did get told off for kissing too much!!! Music and photographer were organised by wedding planners Erica and Nicoletta from Tuscan Dreams.

We wanted lots of personal touches that made it “our” wedding, i.e. the invitations, the food, decorations etc

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