- Weddings in Style by Tuscan Dreams -
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.
