If a European destination wedding is your idea of a total dream, Barbara + Ward’s nuptials at a pink Italian villa is one you’ll want to bookmark. Hailing from Nashville, the location was the perfect place for all 33 of their guests—as the bride’s family comes from Eastern Europe and the groom’s had actually visited this villa during travels in the past! Peruse L&V Photography’s dreamy images while you learn all about their romantic day, below…
Their welcome dinner took place on the private terrace of the Villa il Pozzo in Certaldo, Tuscany, overlooking the olive groves and vineyards.
Barbara says, We really wanted the natural beauty of the location to be the inspiration. I described the wedding to our planner Alessia of Alessia B. Weddings (she is a miracle worker and the sweetest person) as wanting to be romantic, whimsical, intimate, and informal. I knew that I wanted a lot of greenery and wildflowers that you could find in a garden in Italy in the Fall. Once the flowers were selected, everything else fell into place. The flowers ended up being a combination of green, maroon, lavender, blush, and blue. The same greenery and wildflowers were used for the table runner and the wreaths on the bride/groom chairs. The same colors were used for the additional couches/seating used for the couple photos.
Their color palette for a fall wedding in Italy: burgundy, peach, mauve, and gold with organic foliage.
Their biggest hurdle in planning was actually being able to say I Do in the Catholic church. There was a lot of paperwork involved on both the US and Italian sides for the ceremony to be recognized, so keep that in mind if you choose a church wedding internationally!
A favorite moment was when my father and uncle pulled up to the church in the little Fiat. We thought it wouldn’t start so we left it behind, but my dad insisted on trying to get it to work (it was used as our exit vehicle when leaving the church). So he and my uncle went back to the villa to get it. I was waiting in front of the church by myself with Alessia and I heard “beep beep” and my dad and uncle just dying laughing in the tiniest car you have ever seen rolling into the parking lot. Both of these men are about 6’4″ so it is one of the funniest things I could have imagined and helped settle my nerves before walking down the aisle. I am kind of sad that no one else got to witness that moment, but it is one of my favorites!
Kathy from Elegant Alterations in Nashville actually created Barbara’s veil for her to pair with the Christos gown from LVD Bridal.
Their proposal story, from the bride… It is actually kind of funny, Ward knew where we were going to get married a year or two before we were engaged. He essentially had the whole thing planned before he even proposed since he knew I would want my family to be there. We had a family trip planned to Europe later in the year to go to Portugal, so once Ward decided to propose our family switched their flights to go to Italy instead to see the villa and meet the planner. A day or two after we got engaged, I saw our fathers plotting and turns out, “Surprise! You have been engaged less than 48 hours, but we are going to Italy instead of Portugal to go look out your wedding venue which has been predetermined for you.”. Thankfully, my parents and I fell in love. It was quiet, picturesque, historical, had a Catholic church on the property, and a villa large enough to accommodate all of the guests so we could be together the whole weekend. We really wanted everyone to be together for the entire trip to get quality time with our families.
So many sweet stories, and you can’t beat a pink Italian villa, can you!? Cheers to the happy couple!
Photography: L&V Photography / Ceremony Venue: Pieve di San Lazzaro a Lucardo / Reception Venue: Villa il Pozzo in Certaldo, Tuscany, Italy / Wedding Planner: Alessia B. Weddings / Flowers: Il Giardino Delle Fate / Hair & Makeup: Costanza Scornaienchi / Catering: Guidi Lenci / Lighting: Gbaudio / Music: Matthew DJ / Car Rental: Noleggio Chianti 500 / Bride’s Dress: Christos, from LVD Bridal in Nashville, TN / Shoes: SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker / Veil: Kathy of Elegant Alterations in Nashville, TN / Groom’s Suit: Simone Abbarchi from Bottega Delle Antiche Terme in Florence, Italy
