Whimsical Wedding in Tuscany, Italy

When we saw this wedding, the word that immediately came to our minds was “fun!” This wedding is definitely that – tutus, pinwheels, giant balloons, and lots of whimsical fascinators. Not to mention the bride’s polka dot dress! Oh, did we tell you that this wedding was held in Tuscany, Italy? We’re so jealous!

Bride’s comments:

“Our wedding was a blend of so many images and ideas I had over the course of our year-and-a-half-long engagement. I am not the most decisive person and it took 5 months for us just to decide to have our wedding in Italy! Once that was set, we were able to really concentrate on what was important to us.”

“We knew we wanted a destination wedding and when we pulled up to Podere Ciona in the heart of Chianti, Tuscany in 2010 we knew it was the place. The view over the rolling Tuscan fields, the scent of lavender & rosemary in the air, and the golden light cast by the setting sun on the ancient stones of the family home enchanted us. How could we get our best friends and family to see it? Plan a wedding there!”

“One of the most important aspects to us was marrying our cultures. From my side, my family is British and Scottish. I absolutely love that my family always shows up to weddings wearing a hat or fascinator so I encouraged guests to follow suit. My bridesmaids and flower girls had the most amazing and whimsical fascinators – it added such a fun touch and made them all look like flowers on a teacup. I was also able to find a bagpiper in Siena to complete my Scottish side. As my husband is Chinese, we payed homage to his culture with a short tea ceremony. It was so important for my family to participate in this tradition because it really felt as if our two families were uniting.”

“We wanted to create a magical world for our guests. A complete escape in a world of whimsy and imagination. My inspiration? In a teacup! I have a collection of teacups and love their swirls of color and mixture of florals. The teacup became our inspiration for a vintagey garden party set in this gorgeous backdrop.”

“Our amazing decorator collaborated with our florist in Italy – and together they were able to truly transform our meal into a magical fairytale with ribbons, lanterns, and every possible flower in an Italian garden. And, of course, each table was laden with teacup candles and vintage milk jugs brimming with bright florals. Each table had a unique theme from ‘Ancient Roman Garden’ to ‘Flights of Fancy’ to “Tuscan Night’ – guests took turns sitting at each others tables!”

“Another aspect we loved was having our grandparents dancing in the wind above us. Our Canadian based decorator, DeLovely Creative, sent me to Italy with these pennants to attach to the tissue poufs. I learned during my rehearsal dinner that when my grandmother underwent massive heart surgery in the early 1990’s, she was convinced to do so only because the doctor asked if she wanted to dance at her grandchildren’s wedding. Her reply was ‘I want to be there to dance at all of them’ but sadly passed away before she got the chance. In this way, she was dancing at my wedding.”

Bride and Groom whimsical wedding in Tuscany

“The best part for us was being in the breathtaking countryside and dancing well into the night with our best friends and family who we still can’t believe made the trek across the Atlantic. We drank champagne, ate gelato and snacked on Italian confetti (candied almonds) as fireflies lit up the trees and the lights of Siena sparkled in the distance. I think we created the magic we set out to do and made this experience one to remember for our amazing and supportive friends and family.”

Vendors

Photographer: Aubrey Joy Photography Venue: Podere Ciona Italy / Decorator: Jeanette Kornealson from DeLovely Creative / Planner: Samuele Gallorini / Invitations: Felice Design / Bridesmaid Dresses: Frocks Vancouver / Bride’s Jewellery: Elsa Corsi / Bride’s Veil: Tessa Kim / Bride’s Pink Flower Fascinator: Starz Selection / Flower Girl Dresses: Dream Spun Kids / Tea Cup Bracelets: Stay Gold Mary Rose / Groomsmen Ties: Apple and Ivy / Groomsmen Vintage Map Cufflinks: Arete / Fascinators: Miss Ruby Sue / Program Fans/Welcome Postcard/Thank You: Stefanie Astronaut / Tissue Poufs: Party Poms / Pinwheels: Rule42 / Cake Topper (birds & bunting): Vintage Green Limited / Bunting: Little Kitten Homemade / Keep Calm and Say I Do: Barn Owl Primitives / Signage: Against the Grain / Parent’s Embroidered Handkerchiefs: Frosty August / Vintage Handkerchiefs: Nathaniel 23

Meredith

Despite her dreamy wedding blogger lifestyle, Meredith's day job is running ClassicVeils.com and a full-time mom to an active toddler. If she could, Meredith would spend her days taking cruises, helping animals in need, and watching Big Brother!