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Issue 83, November 2007

Welcome to the Italyweddings Newsletter.
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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.


Best wishes,

Ben Singleton
CEO, Italyweddings.com

In this issue
  • Featured wedding - Claire and Rob
  • New Weddings - Brid and Ian
  • New weddings - Kally and Graham
  • New weddings - Helen and Christopher
  • New weddings - Vicki and Adam
  • New weddings - Michelle and Antony
  • Italian wedding traditions - the wedding cake
  • Your Thoughts...

  • New Weddings - Brid and Ian
    Brid and Ian

    "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


    New weddings - Kally and Graham
    Kelly and Graham

    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.


    New weddings - Helen and Christopher
    Helen and Christopher

    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


    New weddings - Vicki and Adam
    Vicki and Adam

    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


    New weddings - Michelle and Antony
    Michelle and Antony

    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


    Italian wedding traditions - the wedding cake
    Jennie and Richard

    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.


    Your Thoughts...

    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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    Featured wedding - Claire and Rob
    Claire and Rob

    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.

    Claire and Rob

    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

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