Stephanie and Hans spent their Tuscan destination wedding weekend with their favorite “amazing people, relaxing in the villa, enjoying delicious Italian food and partying till the morning.” The event, planned by The Tuscan Wedding, was held at Villa Le Piazzole and the team behind the styling and design let the natural beauty of the venue shine with relaxed, romantic details in a palette of white. Florals were by Flowers Living, the bride designed her lovely stationery and all the stunning images of the day were captured by Purewhite Photography.
What made the wedding special and unique?
We managed to get all our families and friends together for a weekend in beautiful Italy. We always knew we wanted to have a relaxed holiday feeling for our wedding and were thrilled that our 100 guests were willing to travel to Italy for us. We loved that it was a weekend so we could spend time with all those amazing people, relaxing in the villa, enjoying delicious Italian food and partying till the morning.
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
It’s an Aire Barcelona gown. I went to 2 boutiques in Antwerp. The first one was a brand new ‘boho style’ boutique, where I found some great options but didn’t get the feeling you are supposed to get. I then went with my mother to a more traditional shop (JPC in Antwerp) where they asked me to flip through binders and indicate what I liked. After I found everything too traditional (what? Picky? Me? I have no clue), the owner told me she could understand my style from looking at my outfit and that she had the perfect dress for me. And she was right! I put it on and immediately loved it.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
We chose to have a very personal ceremony where we involved friends and family members. We asked Hans’s childhood friend to serve as celebrant, my cousin and two friends are musicians while my brother, the maid of honor and best man had personal speeches. Given Hans proposed in Loch Lomond, they made up a song about us on the tones of the folksong “Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond”, complete with gestures and everything. Most of the guests were already informed and practiced without us knowing, so everyone participated during the ceremony. The song stayed inside my head during our entire honeymoon the weeks thereafter, love it!
What was the most memorable part of the day?
There were so many unforgettable moments, impossible to say just one. The atmosphere of the entire day was the thing we will remember forever. Everyone was so happy and relaxed, from the ceremony to the party. We loved how everyone danced along, my mom never left the dance floor once!
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
We met at university. We studied the same subject but Hans was in his final year and I in my second. I was in a student’s union with mutual friends who introduced us. We went to a party together and it was love at first sight. We went on a couple of dates and I immediately knew this was the man of my dreams. Hans proposed to me in Scotland in September 2017 after we were together for almost 7 years. He often had to travel there for work and during one of the final travels, I joined him for the weekend. We first spent a day exploring Edinburgh and on our second day we went for a hike in Loch Lomond where he packed the cutest lunch and afternoon tea for a picnic at the top of the mountain. After our lunch, he took out the ring, went on one knee and proposed with the most beautiful backdrop.
Wedding planner: The Tuscan Wedding // Photographer: Purewhite Photography // Florist: Flowers Living // Stationery: designed by Bride // Venue: Villa Le Piazzole // Bride’s Dress: Aire Barcelona Gown // Catering and cake: Lodovichi Ricevimenti // Hair and makeup: Giulia Cresci // Lighting: Wedding Music & Lights // DJ: DJ Matthew // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box