Cindy and Martin held a symbolic blessing in this wonderful 15th century castle in the heart of the Chianti region.

The castle itself has beautiful formal gardens and period furnished and decorated halls, offering excellent spaces inside and out for a a relaxed and intimate wedding event.

The symbolic ceremony gives the couple the most scope for creating their own style and wording for their wedding: we work directly with the couple on every detail of the text, the readings and vows, the music, setting and so on.

Cindy and Martin had a formal banquet in the castle, as follows:

Buffet Aperitif

White and Rosé Prosecco, Fruit and Prosecco
Cocktails, Soft Drinks
Fresh seasonal fruit kebabs
Fruit Juice
Mineral Water
Tomato bruschetta
Tomato and mozzarella kebabs
Shrimp and vegetable kebabs
Assorted fried vegetables

(Seated meal)

Antipasto
Nordic Tarts (whole wheat bread with marinated salmon, mustard and aneto)
Stuffed seasonal vegetables

First Courses
Fresh home-made pasta filled with ricotta cheese and spinach seasoned with fresh tomato and basil leaves
Pasta with salmon and asparagus

Second courses
Pheasant breast with orange and brandy
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Lemon sorbet
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Sea-bass with diced tomato served with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables

Wedding cake
Traditional millefoglie with Chantilly cream, fresh cream, and forst fruits

Lynnett and Angus had family travelling from the UK and the US, and Italy was a natural choice to be on neutral ground, and very beautiful neutral ground at that.

The religious blessing was held in the grounds of the villa, under a marquee running out from the facade into the open courtyard. Guests listened to a traditional Italian folk trio of violin, accordion and guitar during the ceremony, and later in the evening, this evolved into a jazz and dance quintet through the formal meal, and for dancing to follow in the banqueting hall.

The couple chose soft off whites and pinks for the flowers - roses and lisianthus, and a mix of greens, and lots of candles for soft lighting around the table.

The villa is one of our more popular locations: entirely suitable for a party from 30 upwards, close to the stunning central Tuscan towns of Volterra and San Gimignano, it makes an ideal base for seeing some of the less known parts of southern Tuscany.

The photography package was a art book bound mix of color and black and white shots, in mixed vertical and horizontal formats - a true, sleek, and professional book.

The couple write:

Hi Ben,

WOW! What a magical evening...

Chris and I can't thank you enough for all you did to make our wedding day so memorable. All of our guests said it was the most beautiful wedding that they had ever attended and we have to agree.

There are no words to even begin to describe how beautiful the flowers were - the colors were so vivid and complemented the setting perfectly. Marisa did an outstanding job tying all of our requests together - the wheat, hydrangeas, and our requests for color. Please extend our heartfelt gratitude to her.

The dinner was delicious. The caterers had some of our guests salivating before the wedding even began - apparently they could smell all sorts of wonderful aromas wafting out of the kitchen in the afternoon. And that wedding cake - it was the most delicious wedding cake we have ever eaten. I suppose the recipe is a carefully guarded ancient Tuscan secret (if by some chance it's not we would love to have a copy - we can't imagine a more perfect way to celebrate an anniversary than sharing a similar dessert and reminiscing about our day).

Our only wish is that the whole evening could have gone on longer. We would love to go back and relive the day and our week in Tuscany, but perhaps that is what anniversaries and vow renewal ceremonies are for. To that end we hope you and Marisa have no plans to retire in the coming years - please pencil us in for September 2018!

Grazie Mille for everything,
Nicola and Chris

Do I Really Need a Wedding Video?

Your wedding day will be a blur to you and your parents. You plan the many details for months, but your wedding day goes by so fast that you will miss a large part of it. A wedding video is like a "time machine". It lets you relive your wedding day as often as you like, anytime you like. As a fellow videographer put it, "It let's you attend your own wedding at your leisure without the stresses and distractions of the day." It is also a significant and important "living" document for your families, your children, and grandchildren. Some couples don't realize just how important their wedding video will become until they experience the loss of a loved one that attended their wedding.

I Want a Wedding Video but I Have a Friend With a Camcorder
Some couples use a friend or family member to videotape their wedding day. Would you have a friend or family member take all of your wedding photographs? Probably not.

We have heard numerous stories of people running out of tape or batteries, not shooting important activities, and taking shaky or bad footage. Using a friend or relative can cause hard feelings and ruin relationships if your video is poorly done or not done at all. Also, that person can't enjoy themselves at your wedding while they are videotaping it.

A wedding video is a movie of your wedding day, a lasting memory that contains 30 pictures every second and includes the timeless sites and sounds of every important event that took place on your special day. A professional wedding video should tell the story of your wedding day. Using creative camera work, a keen attention to detail, and artistic editing using music, the right blend of effects and transitions, the professional wedding videographer should produce a video you will watch often and be proud to show others.

I'm Having a Photographer So I Don't Need a Video.
Both your photographs and your wedding video are of equal importance. You can't frame your wedding video or carry it with you in your purse or wallet to show a friend.

But, you can't hear your marriage vows, see a tear as it rolls down your cheek, or relive the sights, sounds, and emotions of your dad walking you down the aisle or your first dance as husband and wife.

Photography and videography are both artistic expressions and vary from artist to artist. It is important to view the work of each and meet one-on-one with the person(s) that will be producing your photographs and your wedding video. Make sure that their style and personalities match your expectations.

How Much Will It Cost?
There is a misconception that your wedding video should be less expensive than your photographs:

- A professional videographer should attend your rehearsal to meet the Officiant, become familiar with the order of activities, and offer ideas and assistance to improve the video.

- A professional videographer will invest around $20,000 or more in equipment plus training and experience.

- Typical wedding day coverage includes two cameras with operators that shoot almost continuously for five hours or more.

- Your wedding video will take 20 to 30 hours or more to edit so that the raw footage is transformed into a smoothly flowing story of your wedding day.

- And, unlike Steven Spielberg or even your photographer, your videographer has only one take to capture your wedding day activities. The ceremony or special events can't be stopped and done over if something isn't perfect.

Your wedding videographers must be the:

- producer
- director
- lighting technician
- sound person
- cinematographer
- editor

and they must perform all of these jobs well to produce the wedding video that you hope for and deserve.

Pricing varies depending on experience, services offered, time spent, etc. Choose a videographer based on how their work makes your feel when you see it then discuss pricing based on what it will take to produce your personal video memory.

Couples tell us that the best money they spent was on their wedding video and are so happy they made the decision to have one.

When Should I Book a Videographer?
As with your first choice for your ceremony, reception, and other vendors the best wedding videographers will be booked first. You should meet with videographers as you would photographers, if not earlier in your planning process. There are fewer videographers than there are photographers. Eight months to one year prior to your day is not too early.

Do I Really Need a Wedding Video?
It's up to you. Your wedding day will only happen once in your lives. Don't regret not having your precious memories preserved in a video that you can see and relive over and over.

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