Heather and Blake’s Tuscany destination wedding is as dreamy as it gets. After bonding over their love for travel, these two lovebirds talked about one day getting married at Blake’s family’s villa and that soon became a reality! With the help of Serena Ricci, they planned a romantic wedding ceremony and intimate reception that was too perfect for words. La Gardenia provided a ton of greenery and large white blooms that covered the ceremony archway and reception tables. Autumn Nicole Photo and her BFF second photographer, In Frames Photography, traveled to Tuscany to photograph Heather and Blake’s fairytale of a wedding.
The Couple:
Heather and Blake
The Wedding:
Cortona, Tuscany, Italy
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When planning a destination wedding, definitely take that location’s taxes into account. We had set our budget and chosen most of our details before we realized taxes in Italy are 10 to 22 percent, depending on the service. So we had to rework a few things, but it all turned out in the end.
We were lucky enough to have Autumn and her BFF Morgan along as her second shooter, and they were my favorite part of the whole weekend! Not only were they fantastic at getting us to relax and laugh during our bridals shoot, but they helped with every single mishap on the big day. From loosening up over-styled hair and blending out eyeshadow blunders to retrieving forgotten bouquets and playing therapist during some stressful moments, they did it all!
When we first met, Blake and I bonded over our mutual love of travel, and later on he mentioned that if we ever got married, we should do it at his aunt and uncle’s villa in Tuscany. At the time, it sounded like a crazy fairytale, but a few months later we were engaged and ended up unexpectedly relocating to Italy for work. Talk about fate! We had always wanted to keep our wedding small and intimate…what better way than making it a destination wedding at a family home? Everything really fell together beautifully.
Blake is from Manhattan and a true city guy at heart, and had always wanted a classic, elegant celebration. I grew up in Virginia, and had always imagined myself getting married outside in the mountains, with a rustic vibe. Neither of us were into dance floors and DJ’s and bridal parties – the traditional wedding format. We ended up striking a nice balance between our styles: black tie, outdoors, with lots of greenery and candle light. Keeping the guest list small and having everyone at one long table kept things intimate, with plenty of lively conversation. No need for loud music or dancing, just spending quality time with the people we love.
All of the speeches from the guests were really touching. Almost everyone spoke at some point over the course of the evening, and there were lots of laughs and a few tears as well. Blake‘s father read a moving story called The Train of Life (author unknown) that threw everyone for a loop – he’s usually a big jokester, and none of us expected such a lovely reading.
Another highlight was the afterparty at the monastery, where Blake taught my mom how to play beer pong. She had so much fun, and still has the ping pong ball as a memento!
Also, as cliche as it is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Our vintage Alfa Romeo getaway car was unexpectedly unavailable the day of the wedding after driving an hour to pick it up, I forgot my bouquet, my hair didn’t turn out quite how I wanted…but it was all ok. Sure, I was 30 minutes late to my wedding, but it was fine. My brothers saved the day with their Vespa rentals. As for my hair, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t the end of the world. Just enjoy the day!
Hoping to make your wedding really stand out this year? Look no further than these unique 2018 wedding styles to consider this year! Each of these looks puts a special spin on your favorite trends, from tropical plants to desert vibes. Create a style all your own by taking in our tips and ideas to help you nail each look!
Tropical Gatsby
Tropical styling has been trending for a couple of years now, so we’re loving this shake-up of the popular look. Gatsby-inspired details not only elevate your tropical decor, but mix in touch of glamour, a bit of vintage charm, and a hint of Art Deco to contrast with the lush vibrancy.
Industrial venues are becoming more popular than ever and we love that couples are looking to bring a bit of the outside inside for their wedding. If you’re saying “I do” in an industrial venue like a warehouse or loft, going lush with your look can warm up a cold space.
Whether you fell in love at camp or spent your summers there growing up, you may be considering a summer camp venue for your wedding! We love when couples really lean into the vibe of their venue and let the existing surroundings influence their wedding style. If you’re dreaming of a summer camp wedding, get inspired by these nostalgic details!
Inspired by bohemian wedding style but want to put your own twist on the trend? Opt for retro details to create a uniquely eclectic free-spirited day reminiscent of the ’60s and ’70s!
With plenty of vintage and eclectic decor, Josh and Ryan’s Knoxville wedding is as charming as ever. Between coordinating to providing vintage rentals and sage greenery, Sisters’ Vintage Rentals pulled out all the stops. We are loving the vintage twist put on The Standard‘s industrial space for Josh and Ryan’s one-of-a-kind vibe. T&K Photography did an outstanding job photographing this special day with how they take a photojournalistic approach to shooting. It is so obvious that Josh and Ryan made this wedding uniquely their own and we couldn’t agree more with their wedding hashtag #southernbeausdoitbetter.
T&K were fantastic photographers! They really made us feel comfortable and at ease the whole day.
Our whole wedding was DIY! We did everything with the support of Sisters’ Vintage Rentals. We even built 16 8’ farmhouse tables for the reception, as we wanted a family feel. We stained telephone wire spools that housed all the food. The Wednesday before the wedding we loaded at 20’ U-Haul truck along with a trailer and carloads full of supplies included 13 antique doors, window frames, a ladder with Edison light bulbs, two couches, 6 large chairs, pews, a fireplace, coffee tables, 28 center pieces, greenery, and a bar. We had a blank canvas with our venue and it was like we were moving into our home. Ryan even made the bouquets and boutonnieres for our nephews and nieces in the wedding!
For us, the most memorable part of the day was being able to exchange our vows and weave our lives together as a legally married couple in the city of Knoxville, where Josh grew up. Growing up as closeted gay kids in Tennessee and Kentucky, we did not think this day would be possible. We had often wondered what the future held and are thrilled to live in a time of progress for the LGBTQ community. There is still work to be done, but we wanted our wedding day to be one of celebration, laughter, dancing, drinking, food, and most importantly, love.
It’s your day! You should be able to set the stage for what you imagine your perfect day to be. There will be bumps along the way, but you just have to roll with them and laugh through them. Remember it is not just a wedding, but you are creating a marriage and lifetime together. Try to relax and enjoy every moment! You will be surrounded by those who love and support you, enjoy it.
Our wedding favors were succulents that our guests could take with them so they could remember to let love grow. We collected little containers from all over Kentucky and Tennessee for over a year so that each succulent was planted in its own unique container. We displayed them on a cart with crates, ladders, books, and an antique door to create a focal point to draw our guests into the ceremony space. We chose succulents because they fit our style and overall look of our greenery, as we did not want to use any flowers. Succulents are also something you can find in our NYC apartment, which helped add to our theme of creating a welcoming and homey feel for our wedding.
We wanted our friends and family to feel like they were coming to our New York City apartment to hang out with us. We tried to create an intimate feeling that was uniquely our style. Luckily, Josh’s mom and Aunts started Sisters’ Vintage Rentals a few years ago so we were able to create everything from the centerpieces to the tables to the backdrop and arrangements. At the end of the day we wanted our family and friends that attended to be entering into a space of love and warmth. We only wanted folks there that were going to support us fully and that included all the companies and vendors we worked with as well.
We invited folks to our wedding because they impacted our lives and we wanted them to celebrate with us. As we were looking out into the crowd during our first dance, it was so emotional because we had family and friends from New York City, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, California, Washington, Ohio, and North Carolina all in one space there to celebrate us. It was a bit overwhelming, but we sure felt the love.
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