Erin and Josh held a religious blessing at this wonderful villa close to San Gimignano.

The couple write:

Dear Ben,

I wanted to finally take the time to thank you SO much for everything you and Italyweddings did for us to make our wedding week a truly memorable experience for everyone involved! I still remember the first day we met with you in Florence, when, in hindsight, we had very little clue about planning a wedding in Italy. From your first suggestions (using Villa #20), to the finishing touches, I have to say all of your recommendations were perfect. Many of our guests have told us that this was "the best wedding they had ever been to" and we could never have done it without you guys!

First of all, the villa was absolutely amazing. Each one of our guests truly fell in love with the place (especially those that stayed there). Paola was incredibly helpful throughout the week, answering our phone calls even at 8 am on a Sunday morning (we did apologize for that, but hot water is kind of important). She even drove one of our guests to the hospital in Volterra and translated for her for a follow-up doctor's appointment for her broken ankle! Now that is definitely going beyond the call of duty. The villa itself is also incredible. The grounds are beautifully manicured, and the house is quite well-maintained for being from the 17th century (and we absolutely loved the renovations on the ground floor). It was fairly convenient to both Volterra and San Gimignano, which made it a nice home base for our guests who wanted to see the Tuscan countryside.

The wedding itself was also truly wonderful. When I walked outside, seeing the whole set-up, everyone sitting there under the white tent, and the perfectly arranged and colored flowers took my breath away (and yes, produced a few tears). We hadn't really given you many guidelines, and yet the effect was absolutely perfect. And, I think the rain plan went even better than had it been sunny! (Of course we did luck out that the rain stopped long enough for pictures!) The celebrant did an excellent job as well; even though we'd never met him, he was able to make the ceremony special and sincere. From there, on to the reception! The food and wine at dinner were great, and the wedding cake was definitely the best I've ever had. Not only was it gorgeous, but it tasted incredible too! The jazz band was also fabulous. I was really worried that it would be too slow for a good party, but they were so versatile! The music was calm and elegant during dinner, and then they really turned up the heat for the party. Several of the guests commented on what a great job they did, and how much fun they were. I only wish Josh and I had planned on staying longer!

I think I've now commented on all of the service providers you hired, but I have to thank you and the team at Italyweddings as well! Josh and I had a pretty long engagement, and so there was plenty of time to bug you with emails, phone calls, and even a visit (which I'm guessing isn't the norm in your distance-wedding planning business). But, I felt like decisions got made at the right times, and especially during those last few critical weeks, your response time to our questions was excellent! And most importantly, I really had hardly any stress at all throughout the entire process, because I knew you were handling it, and I definitely was not let down! Thanks so much again for everything, and please let me know if you ever need any recommendations / testimonials. Josh and I are happy to do so for any of the service providers or Italyweddings itself. We had a great experience.

All the best,
Erin and Josh

Joscelyn and Michael wanted their wedding to be fun and relaxed - informal, yet meaningful. Sometimes the protocol and traditions of a wedding can take away from the day some of the joy, and some of the principal meaning of the event: that the bride and groom, in front of a group of family and friends they respect, are proclaiming their love and commitment to one another. This is more important to some than religious beliefs or commemorative signed paperwork, and for Joscelyn and Michael, this brought them to a symbolic blessing, written in part by the couple, and truly mirroring their sentiments towards one another.

And a symbolic blessing means total choice on timing, location, music, readings. In this couple's case, this meant that dancing out of the wedding down the garden aisle was a true representation of their personal idea of joy and happiness, and it meant the people that meant most to the couple were all included in the ceremony.

The wedding party remained at the villa for a long catered meal under the loggia, and at sunset, a special tent for the cake beside the pool, directly followed by more dancing...

In the past, folklore called for the groom to carry a piece of iron in his pocket on his wedding day to ward off the evil eye since his happy situation might provoke envy, and invite supernatural danger.

The bride wore a bridal veil to conceal her from malignant spirits, and according to others, tearing the veil was considered good luck.

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