Iconic Florence landmarks pepper the photographs below, and part of me yearns for a wedding in the beautiful city of love! My husband and I were engaged in Florence, so I can speak first hand in describing this magical city. If you ever get to experience the city of Florence in person, you may just catch “Florence Syndrome” yourself and never want to leave.
A beautiful multicultural wedding with a bride of Indian heritage and groom who has Scottish ancestry along with an Italian mother. The couple decided to get married on a warm May morning in the beautiful Red Room in Florence’s Town Hall.
In keeping with traditions, the aunt of the groom recited a poem in Scots language, the aunt of the bride invited the bride and groom in the traditional Indian ceremony of the “seven steps”. The reception was held in the gardens and halls of the Museum Villa Stibbert, famously known around the world for its collection of ancient weapons, armor, and uniforms. A bag piper accompanied the newlywed couple on their arrival to the reception and made quite the grand entrance!
Remarks from the Bride “When Alistair and I began planning our wedding, we made a list of all the things that were important to us to have on that day: a beautiful location, delicious food, and an intimate affair that our family and friends would fondly look back on. We spent a few months debating on the location for our wedding, and after lots of research, we decided that a medium-sized walking city with lots of history would be best for us and our guests. “We found our wedding planner, Alessia Broccoli, and everything fell into place. We spent months working with Alessia to combine our favorite aspects of our cultures and planning every little detail of the day. “We chose the magnificent Hotel Pitti Palace al Ponte Vecchio, in the heart of Florence, to be our home for our destination wedding. On the morning of the wedding, a carriage with two stunning horses picked me up from the hotel and took me to the Piazza della Signoria for the wedding ceremony inside the Palazzo Vecchio. It felt like a fairy tale – onlookers were clapping and sending us their wishes as we rode past them. “We had a civil ceremony that included a Scottish blessing, an Indian prayer, and our own vows. We also incorporated a traditional ritual from Hindu marriage ceremonies called the seven steps or “saptapadi” – in which each step taken together represents a vow of unity for seven lifetimes. At the end of the ceremony, my mother-in-law pinned a sash with the family tartan on it to officially welcome me to my new family’s clan.” “The palette of the wedding was pink and gold, and the floral decorations at the center of the tables were made up of bouquets of roses and hydrangeas in a delicate pink shade with gold tight light that pick up the color of the chairs. The wedding gifts were small boxes decorated with colored stones and containing small sugared almonds. symbol of the fusion of Italian culture (the mother of the groom) and the Indian bride’s family. It was really a perfect day, where guests from all over the world seemed to me to be just one big family and only one name: love.” “The food, catered by Delize Deliziose was plentiful and delicious. The whole day was everything we wanted – it combined our cultures perfectly, and it was full of intimate and memorable moments for us and our guests. We couldn’t have done any of it without our amazing wedding planner and vendors. Everyone we worked with was accommodating and knew how to celebrate love in true Italian style!” “In the evening, Francesco Pasqualetti’s Florence Limousine Service chauffeured us and our guests to the Museo Stibbert for a night of dinner and dancing. Alistair and I were escorted on to the museum grounds by bagpiper Nick MacVicar. He played in the gardens of the museum while guests enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a tour of the museum. We then moved the the Limonia for dinner, speeches and dancing.”
