-Real Life Wedding by Tuscan Dreams-

Name : Kirsty and Neil

Age Kirsty – 27, Neil - 31

Profession: Kirsty – Human Resources Advisor, Neil – works in the Automotive Industry

Where do you come from : Staffordshire, UK

1. How did you meet?

We met at a house party in 1996 but I don’t actually remember Neil being there but remember his friends. We met again a few years later and eventually he asked me to be his girlfriend in February 1998.

2. How did you get engaged?

We’d been together for 9 years by the time Neil proposed in August 2007. Neil told me he was talking me away as a surprise. He took me to Paris for 4 days and it rained the whole time we were there. On the last night we went for a meal and then sat on the grass beneath the Eiffel tower. Neil got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I just couldn’t stop crying and of course, I said yes!

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

We’d been on holiday to Tuscany in June 2007 with my parents to a farmhouse in Montespertoli. This was before we were engaged but whilst there we did say how lovely it would be for a wedding. Tuscany was so fresh in our minds when we got engaged and then we found tuscan dreams on the internet and decided to contact them. We visited Villa Gambassi in March 2008 and then again in January 2009 to taste the food for the wedding and see the church, Santa Maria a Chianni. We loved everything about it and knew this was where we wanted to get married.

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

Once we’d found Tuscan dreams and confirmed our wedding booking with them, they were excellent in helping us with all the research and planning in Italy.

5. How many guests attended your wedding?

We had a small wedding of 30 family and close friends in Italy, and then had a party back in the UK with 150 guests.

6. What did you ‘make from scratch’?

We made the table plan ourselves but ended up having to stick it together when we arrived in Italy so that it didn’t get too bent in the suitcase! We also created the order of service ourselves but unfortunately, left it until the last minute and ended up having to get them photocopied on the day we were flying to Italy and then we didn’t have enough copies for everyone!!

7. What was your biggest extravagance?

Probably actually getting married in Italy but we knew that it was what we wanted and just hoped that everyone would be able to be there to share it with us.

8. Where did you save the most money?

Probably in only having 30 guests in Italy. We could have asked more people but would have meant the food would have cost more

9. Would you change anything about your wedding?

No, we’ve both said we have no regrets and everything was just as we wanted it

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

Be organised. You always think you’ve got ages to do things. We had 2 years between getting engaged and getting married and it just flew by! We thought we had ages to do things but all of sudden it’s there and you still have things to do.

The theme of your wedding and why did you chose that theme
No particular theme – blue and silver
Colour scheme of wedding: Navy blue and silver
Music/entertainment: On the wedding day – organ at the Church and then violin and cello back at the reception venue.  We had a further reception party back in the UK to celebrate with family and friends who couldn’t join us in Italy.  We hired a band called Hipster – they were excellent and everyone boogied the night away!!

-Real-life wedding by Tuscan Dreams-

Name: Eleni and Julian

Age: Eleni 39, Julian  40

Profession: Eleni Teacher, Julian Accountant

Where do you come from: Bristol, UK

1. How did you meet?

We met through close friends some years before getting together in 2005.

2. How did you get engaged?

On Christmas morning 2006, the Engagement ring was hanging from Christmas tree!

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

We chose Tuscany having travelled there in 2006, then Tuscan Dreams helped us choose a location for the civil ceremony (Certaldo) and the wedding ceremony (Castello di Marcialla) using maps & photos. Both venues seemed very intimate & romantic and were suitable for the size of our wedding party & in close proximity to both Pisa & Florence, so our guests could travel easily as well as enjoying the sites.

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

We took a 2 day trip to the area in March 07, met up with Erica & Nicoletta, organised the official paperwork, visited the Certaldo Town Hall & the Castle. Initial discussions took place regarding flowers, food & music and we left Tuscany knowing exactly what we needed to do & what decisions we needed to make. After the trip, we spent time researching menus, wine, music etc, using Erica & Nicoletta as guidance all the way.

5. How many guests attended your wedding?

25.

6. What did you ‘make from scratch’?

Invitations & Order of Service cards.

7. What was your biggest extravagance?

Possibly the food & wine, but considering the quality I would say we got value for money.

8. Where did you save the most money?

Compared to prices in the UK, I think the cost of renting a castle in Italy saves a huge amount of money.

9. Would you change anything about your wedding?

We loved the live folk music so much that we would probably ask them to play again in the evening.

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

Definitely visit the area first & work out the travel & accommodation plans well in advance. We found June a lovely month to have a wedding, warm & sunny but not too hot. Arrange a group meal or social engagement the night before the wedding through Tuscan Dreams so that all the guests get to know each other really well before the actual wedding day. If possible, try out the accommodation so that guests are not disappointed. We preferred that everyone stayed away from the castle, so that it was a complete surprise on the day of the wedding.

Colour scheme of wedding: Lavender, pink peonies & crème colours were combined in the floral arrangements, whilst men wore mostly light-coloured or beige suits with white rose button-holes. The table settings had a simple glass vase with hand-tied flowers which matched the bouquet. The general tone was fairly informal, matching the relaxed mood we wanted to have with an alfresco wedding.

What music did you choose?

A classical duo of violin & cello played before, during & after the ceremony, a mixture of well-known classical music and one or two favourites from West Side Story (ably sung by my sister & brother-in-law)! A fantastic folk trio played during the meal, which surprised & thrilled everyone!

-Real-life wedding by Tuscan Dreams-

Name: Juliet and Edwin
Age: both 40
Profession: Juliet - Investment Analyst and Edwin - Card Scheme Director
Where do you come from: London
 

1.How did you meet? 

We met many years ago when we were at school, but Edwin joined the army and went abroad, so we lost touch. Then 18 years later he went to a school reunion and met a friend of mine who told him where I worked. I remember being at work and being shaken to receive an e mail from him. We met for lunch and became friends before realising that we had fallen very much in love with each other again. 

2.How did you get engaged? 

Edwin whisked me off to Florence in February for my birthday and we spent a very romantic long weekend there. On the final day we walked up to San Miniato, at the top of a hill overlooking the city. On the way he bought me the most beautiful red velvet rose. When we got to the top he started to ask me and I was too nervous. So we walked back down into the city and stopped for lunch and he confessed that I had ruined his proposal plans and we got engaged there over pizza and a rather good bottle of chianti. 

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

Our first holiday together was in Tuscany (I absolutely love Italy) and luckily Edwin fell in love with it too. He said at the time that he wanted to marry me there, that was just a few months into our relationship.  

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

Very little really. We googled to find out about getting married in Tuscany and we were incredibly lucky that, just on the basis of  their prompt and helpful reply to our first e-mail, we chose Erica and Nicoletta at Tuscan Dreams as our wedding planners. They were absolutely fantastic and kept emailing us options for the venue through to the flowers and musicians. It was unbelievably pain-free. We did go out to see the villa where we would be staying and having the blessing, but by then it had already been booked. Luckily it lived up to all the beautiful photos that Nicoletta and Erica had sent us. 

5.How many guests attended your wedding? 

We had just six of us at the civil ceremony in the beautiful hilltop medieval town of Certaldo. Then two days later we had the main event – a blessing in the gardens of the stunning villa at which we were staying. There were 17 guests for that wedding. 

6.What did you ‘make from scratch’? 

We decided to write out place names for all our guests and put quotations on the back. Many were romantic ones that were special to us but there were some humorous ones too, and we tried to make sure that they were appropriate to each guest.

We also wrote our own vows for the blessing so that we could make promises to each other that were special to us. 

7.What was your biggest extravagance?

Making the decision to have the civil ceremony in Italy and not in London was a little extravagant, but it was well worth it. It was incredibly romantic sitting in the courtyard of a medieval town hall, in the stillness of the midday sunshine and being married in Italian.

Although I imagine that it was probably two of our guests arriving by helicopter that was the most extravagant gesture. 

8.Where did you save the most money?

We didn’t have chauffeur-driven cars. My husband drove me to the civil ceremony in the open-topped mini we had hired – his equivalent of a white charger. Then the blessing was all based at the villa at which we were staying. 

9.Would you change anything about your wedding? 

Absolutely nothing. 

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

Go to Italy – it’s incredibly beautiful and very romantic. But do use a wedding planner as dealing with all the paperwork would be a real headache without one.

The theme of your wedding: Being able to have two weddings in Italy meant that we could have two entirely different styles for each. The civil ceremony was black and white 1950s. The blessing was just all about romance. 

Colour scheme of the wedding: The civil ceremony was black and white and the blessing was blue/purple and white.

Music/entertainment: We had a tenor sing at the ceremony and while people enjoyed prosecco and canapés. We both love opera. Then we downloaded music to play in the evening – a combination of songs from when we first met all those years ago to more modern tunes that had become special to us when we got back together.

-Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams-

Money matters: Priorities and write a list of what is more important to you. For example if flowers play a huge role in making the day special to create atmosphere then go for it and save on the bridal car. Don’t make the mistake to try and save on every item because you will not be satisfied in the end since you ill have compromised on things that you cared for. Remember to save on things that don’t really matter to you.

Here are the items on which you might like to save -

1. TRANSPORT
2. ACCOMMODATION
3. WEDDING DATE
4. WEDDING CAKE
5. PHOTOGRAPHER
6. FLOWERS

SAVE ON TRANSPORTATION:
Have guests stay where the venue is so that you save on transportation (which is an expensive item on an Italian budget).
Bridal car: instead of hiring a car with driver for the day, hire a nice car (say a convertible or a nice Alfa Romeo – since you are in Italy) for the entire week so that you can maximize its use. You can then ask a friend to drive it on the day.

SAVE ON ACCOMMODATION:
Hire a large villa or a farmhouse where you can also have a wedding. Some villas do not charge an extra fee to have the wedding since they will have the weekly rental. They might charge a minimal fee for cleaning and re-ordering the villa after a party.
If you have guests stay in a hotel and you hire a separate venue for the day, say a castle, you will be charged a venue wedding fee on top of accommodation. You can save a lot plus for you and your guests it will turn into a lovely holiday.

HAVE THE WEDDING MID WEEK as opposed to a Saturday. You can hire a large villa from Saturday to Saturday, have the wedding any day from Sunday to Thursday. You will have more available suppliers and they sometimes charge also less.

SAVE ON THE WEDDING CAKE:
go for the traditional Italian wedding cake (Millefoglie – layers of puff pastry and fresh vanilla cream with either chocolate chips or Fresh strwberries). The cost is sometimes 50% less than a wedding cake in the UK. On top of this Italian confectionary, however excellent they might be, they excel in Italian cakes. Trying to reproduce an English cake, you might end up spending more and not having what you really wanted. For example, icing: no Italian cake has icing which means that they only do icing for non-Italians who request it.

SAVE ON PHOTOGRAPHER:
advice: unless you have a friend or family who is a professional photographer do not count on friends taking snapshots. Wedding Photos is what you will have to look at in 20 years time to show your children. Make sure you get a pro to do the job. The photographer will make sure that you don’t miss out on all the crucial moments aside from having beautiful photos guarantee.
One way to save on the photography is to have CD of photos and not have prints with a big leather album. You can decide to buy a photo album at a later stage and stick the photos in the album yourself.

HOW TO SAVE ON FLOWERS:
-Use seasonal flowers and local flowers which will be a lot cheaper than imported from Holland or out of season flowers. In the summer months when flowers are at its lowest production, you can always find Gerberas and certain types of Roses.
Remember that in Italy is a lot warmer than in the UK so the flowering time is a lot shorter than in the UK.

-if flowers rank at the top of  your wedding budget and you really like to have the venue and church/town hall very rich with flowers, then make sure that you pick a date whenyour flowers are in season. For example, Peonies are gorgeous flowers but have a very limited season in Tuscany (May) or Hydrangea (June), then it is worth getting married in the period that they are in season.

-If you have really set your heart on a flower and it happens to be out of season or you can only make a wedding on a certain date, then spend a little more on flowers for the bridal party (bridal bouquet, bridesmaids, buttonholes and corsage) which will also appear on all the photos, and then for the church/ceremony and for the reception choose either a similar flower altogether or have a predominance of a seasonal matching flower and just a touch of your favourite one.

-Use local herbs such as rosemary, sage (they both have beautiful flowers in their flowering time); Fresh lavender when in flower. All the above will give a lovely scent to your flower composition and a very reasonably priced!

-maximise the use of flowers: RE-USE flowers on the day: example:
The flower composition from the town hall should be easily transportable (in a wicker basket for example – no water - ) and of size that can be easily put in a carby one of the guests or by the wedding planner. This composition can then be re-used for the canapés table when guests get back to the villa. Then when the canapés are over, this composition can be pulled apart and re-used to decorate the cake or placed on the open bar table in the evening.

-spend on your bouquet and save on reception flowers. For table centrepieces have some large floating flowers with many candles/t-lights.

-Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams-

1. A reputable wedding planner will not take over your day – instead she will work with you to decide what you want them to do what (if anything) you want to do yourself. Make sure that from the first conversation you have with the wedding planner, she is the one who listens to what YOU really want.
2. Find a person who gets on with you. You will spend a good part of a year planning together and who is organising the most important day of your life. It’s therefore essential that good communication is at the fore front and that you really trust their judgement.
3. Make sure that the planner is on your same wavelength because she will have to interpret your ideas the way you want them.
4. The best way to find a wedding planner is by word of mouth but if you want to get married abroad and don’t know anyone who did make an internet search. Of course make sure that they can give you references/contacts of previous wedding and when you meet that she can provide photographs and portfolios of previous weddings.

Using a planner will surely guarantee saving your time and stress but may actually be able to save you money because of her knowledge, expertise and negotiating powers with suppliers.

Of course the main thing to remember is the wedding plan will save you time giving you more time to spend together in a relaxing manner and also calm and peace of mind to enjoy this unique day.

-Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams-

Picture by Gorbin Gurkin

1.         It’s better to spend money on one thing and have an incredible band than spend the same and have two average things

2.         Live as opposed to pre-recorded music (such as an iPod) makes a terrific difference to the party

3.         Downloading music to an iPod is the cheapest option but make sure not to over use it. For the most emotional (the ceremony) or energetic moments (evening dancing) of the wedding day make sure that you have live music to make this moments unforgettable. You can use the iPod during canapés or as background music during the sit down dinner.

4.         The quantity of entertainment should reflect the wedding party size.

5.         The type of entertainment you choose will set the tone and determine the style of your wedding.

6.         It’s a great plus to have musically talented friends or family perform during the wedding day. It will make the day unique and special.

- Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams -

1. Avoid anyone who will steal the scene
2. Choose a good friend that has shared your life in the last few years. A childhood friend might have lost touch with who you have become lately.
3. Choose a bridesmaid who can support you on the wedding and deal with any problem that might come up.
4. Choose bridesmaids that will get on with each other
5. Bridesmaids are there to help you so delegate!

-Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams-

1. The dress should be comfortable (you will need to spend 12 hours in it)
2. Think at shapes that flatter you. The dress should accentuate the positive and camouflage the negatives.
3. Order the dress at least 6 months before the wedding.
4. Remember to wear your wedding-day lingerie and shoes when being fitted.

- Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams -

1. Know where your money is coming from
2. Decide how much money you and your boyfriend can contribute
3. Make a list of your priorities (make sure you both agree on them when you talk to parents)
4. Divide up the money and decide where it will go (as a general rule catering and venue will amount to 50% of the budget)
5. Expect to go a little over budget. Everyone does! Allow for emergencies or unexpected items.