Serena & Emanuele – Luxury Wedding

Serena and Emanuele met for the first time across the counter of a bar in San Vincenzo, and that was the start of their story. A few years later, on Serena's birthday, with the Castello di Velona and the Montalcino countryside as a backdrop, Emanuele got down on one knee for a romantic marriage proposal.

Two years passed, and the long-awaited day arrived. The couple got ready in two suites of the luxurious Four Seasons in Florence. Serena, beaming in her wedding dress, stepped into a carriage pulled by two splendid white horses, which carried her to the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella to say her most important Yes.

Among the works of Masaccio and Giotto, an elegant and equally excited Emanuele was waiting for her. Surrounded by the emotion of friends and family, Serena and Emanuele finally became husband and wife.

The celebration

From Piazzale Michelangelo to the Four Seasons gardens

After the ceremony, the couple went to Piazzale Michelangelo and the Duomo of Florence for their couple shooting, before rejoining their guests in the magnificent gardens of the Four Seasons for an aperitif between music and shows. The reception was held indoors, in a hall in perfect neo-Gothic style, with elegant floral decorations by Vincenzo Dascanio. Dinner was accompanied by music and interspersed with lively dances, and the evening ended in style with a sumptuous wedding cake in the gardens, framed by fireworks set to music.

Tuscany

Why Tuscany is a destination wedding favorite

For anyone dreaming of a wedding close to breathtaking historical monuments and remarkable food, Italy is a dream destination. It's not hard to find a spectacular location for a wedding in Italy, a country with abundant natural beauty and countless historic sites: Tuscany is one of the best destination-wedding choices for couples coming from abroad and from Italy alike.

Some of Italy's highest-profile weddings have taken place in Tuscany, with a wealth of unique places to choose from: "more castles and towers like San Gimignano and Florence, and historical venues where it's possible to organize events and weddings," says Emanuele Giachi of Tenuta Torciano estate. He identifies three main areas for weddings in Tuscany: Florence, the Chianti with its best wine territories, and the medieval towers of San Gimignano.

In Tuscany, as in many northern countries, the popular months for weddings run from May to September, says Emanuele, marketing coordinator for the Italian wedding company Fly to Wine, who also oversees weddings in the region. Before the pandemic, international clients came from Europe as well as the US, Canada and Australia for destination weddings, with Florence and San Gimignano among the favorite spots.

For your wedding, nothing but the best will do, and when it comes to hotels, that usually means the top floor, or even better, a rooftop deck of a private tower in a castle. Imagine perfect weather, a warm breeze, and walking down the aisle perched high above a magical medieval city, like Torre Chigi and its golden terrace among the towers of San Gimignano.

The day, in pictures

The gallery

Once upon a time, and still today, two people who, thanks to love, made their dreams come true.