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Welcome to the Italyweddings Newsletter.
This post is never sent unsolicited.
To be removed from the list, follow
instructions at
the end of this post.
Yes, it's beena while coming...! Summer 2007
has been very hectic, but we are over the
hectic time, and hopefully will have plenty
to show for it on the web site shortly.
Please check the site in the coming weeks for
more new weddings. This issue we dedicate to
some of the 2007 summer wedddings.

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Best wishes,

Ben Singleton
CEO, Italyweddings.com
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| New Weddings - Brid and Ian |
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"Thank you once again for organising such
a wonderful day for us. We have lost count of
the number of guests who said it was the best
wedding that they had ever been to. From our
own perspective, it could not have been
better - it was perfect. So really, very
sincere thanks"
Brid and Ian were married in a civil wedding
in the town hall of Lucca
in the North West of Tuscany.
Following the ceremony, the 80 guests
returned to this wonderful
villa for the reception - aperitifs in
the gardens, and a formal seated meal on the
loggia of the villa.
The town hall is one of the nicest baroque
style rooms in a Palazzo in the center of the
town - ideal for a party of 20 to 60. Outside
of the town hall there is a charming garden
where guests can gather directly before and
after the ceremony, and Brid and Ian had a
classical duo perform for both this time and
the ceremony itself.
The couple opted for our B
photography package
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| New weddings - Kally and Graham |
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Kelly and Graham celebrated two
wedding ceremonies: a civil wedding in the
town hall of the central Tuscan town of Radda
in Chianti, and then a symbolic blessing back
at their
villa.
The villa, in the rolling hills of Chianti,
is a wine producing farm, and is surrounded
on all sides by vineyards, olive groves, and
chestnut and oak forrests. When the weather
is kind, a symbolic blessing can be held at
the little chappel just 100 yards from the
main villa. The grounds also offer separate
spaces for an outside buffet aperitif, seated
meal, as well as the large banqueting hall
that this couple used for the reception and
for evening dancing.
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| New weddings - Helen and Christopher |
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Helen and Christopher were married in this
stunning villa in Southern Tuscany, in late
May 2007.
all 60 guests stayed at this villa in a
private farmhouse; one of the advantages of
this location is the rental can on occasions
be for a three night stay, and so some of the
guests were able to make the wedding a
weekend trip. The castle is rented with
exclusive use for the wedding day, and there
are plenty of opportunies both inside and
outside for the aperitifs, the seated meal,
and evening dancing.
The couple chose a millefoglie wedding cake -
biscuit pastry, Chantilly cream, fresh cream
and either chocolate flakes or berry fruit -
to be made real time by our chefs in front of
the guests as a light hearted end to the
seated meal, followed by a dj into the night.
More about the villa here
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| New weddings - Vicki and Adam |
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Vicki and Adam were married with a
civil wedding ceremony in the town hall of
San Gimignano, in late June. Although there
is never any guaranetee for good weather,
this is our reccomended time: July can be too
hot, and often summer storms come through in
August, giving a risk of poor weather.
The couple were married late morning, and
then went to to this castello
for the central part of the wedding day, for
wine tasting and canape's before returning to
a top restaurnat in San Gimignano for the
wedding breakfast.
The couple write:
Dear Ben,
It's just over a week since we returned from
Tuscany and we're just beginning to come down
... but only just!
We cannot begin to thank you enough for all
that you have done in making our wedding the
most amazing and magical experience we could
ever have wished for. It truly went far
beyond our expectations in every respect.
Your guidance with the locations was spot-on
- we wouldn't have changed a single thing
about the day and the rest of our time in
Tuscany.
Ben, we have had so many glowing reports
about you too - I'm sure your ears must have
been burning for days after the wedding. For
example, my boss (not one for offering
genuine praise lightly I can assure you!) was
"bowled over by your professionalism" and the
way in which you managed events on the day
and this sentiment was echoed by both sets of
parents and many of our best friends. You
really did impress the lot of us, but none
more than Vic and I. In our eyes, you made
our wildest dreams come true and we can never
thank you enough.
All the best amico
Adam & Vicki
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| New weddings - Michelle and Antony |
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Michelle and Antony held a Roman Catholic
blessing in a private chapel at one of our
most popular small villas, in the central
part of Tuscany.
The villa is one of the few that can be
rented for a minimum of three nights (rather
than weekly) and makes a wonderful base for
seeing a less known part of Tuscany and
central Italy - Arezzo, San Giovanni
Valdarno, as well as being close to the heart
of the classic Chianti wine producing region.
The villa is a bed and breakfast solution,
sleeping up to 28 guests, and with a
wonderful pool, and views over the hills, a
lovely terraced garden, and a closed
courtyard, where te meal is often served.
The small chapel on site is formal yet
intimate, and ideal for weddings of up to 30
guests.
For Michalle and Antony, this meant a
location where their family and friends had a
long weekend stay with exclusive use in a
private villa, and a wedding day that was
relaxed, with no transportation issues, and a
long, romantic, and fun evening meal.
More of the villa here
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| Italian wedding traditions - the wedding cake |
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The wedding cake has been part of the bridal
feast since Roman times, and it symbolizes
fertility and good fortune. By tradition,
this foodstuff should be crafted of the best
ingredients and made from as rich a mix as
possible, to indicate abundance and thus
through sympathetic magic attract more of the
same to the happy couple. A well-made cake is
a sign of a well-formed marriage; a cake that
splits or turns out otherwise deformed bodes
ill for the wedded pair.
No matter how great a cook the bride is, she
must not make her own cake lest she doom
herself to working hard all her life. Neither
must she sample a bit of it prior to serving
it on her wedding day.
The first slice must be cut by the bride lest
the couple be childless. Nowadays it has
become tradition for the husband to assist in
the operation by laying his hand over hers
while she is cutting. This "cutting by
committee" approach is said to signify that
the couple announces it will share all
possessions.
A modern custom has sprung up that the bride
must feed the first bit of cake to her
husband. This act is viewed as her
symbolically offering herself up to him,
inviting him to partake of all she has to
offer. She somewhat negates its chattel
message with the act of impish rebellion of
playfully shoving the cake bit at him in such
a way as to get a daub of frosting on his
nose. He is expected to handle this incident
with manly grace and good humor. Some grooms
"retaliate" by giving the bride a taste of
her own medicine, but care should be taken to
only lightly touch her with the frosting lest
hours of bridal makeup be undone in a moment
of overly-exuberant play.
All present at the wedding must have some of
the cake. To refuse is very unlucky, both for
the bridal pair and the person doing the
refusing.
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| Your Thoughts... |
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Let us know what you think of the Italyweddings
Newsletter. What would you like to see
written here?
Please let us know!
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your thoughts

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Featured wedding - Claire and Rob |
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Claire and Rob came from two different
cultural heritages, and two different
continents, and it made perfect sense for
them to invite their guests from America and
Holland to Italy for their wedding event.
The wedding was celebrated at the Sala Rossa
in the town hall of Florence, and the guests
returned for an afternoon and evening of
entertainment at this wonderful private villa.

Our main concern was to make this reception a
glamorous and unforgettable event for guests
who were accustomed to the best of
international accommodation and cuisine. The
long table, impeccable set-up, and true
Tuscan cooking were essential for the
elegance the couple requested. We also
arranged a string quartet for the aperitifs,
a six piece jazz and dance band throughout
the night, and our staff were there to make
sure every need of the guests were promptly
answered.
If you are interested in arranging an event
tailored to your precise personal needs,
please do not hesitate to contact us
more images here...
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