Hello beautifuls! Do we have a treat for your pretty eyes this morning….outdoor bohemian inspiration infused with American, Israeli and Italian traditions, rolling Tuscan hills and a Jewish ceremony. Yep, Lital and Andrea’s wedding at Villa Medicea di Lilliano in Florence is pretty unique!
Planned by The Tuscan Wedding team and shared with us by Daniella, the heart and soul of the Tuscany based creative wedding coordinators, this wedding is so beautiful and overflows with romance and the perfect mix of international flair….
Our wedding was very “us” in that we really tried to blend both of our backgrounds together; it was a true mix of Italian, Israeli and American culture.
Lital is Israeli and Andrea is from Milan, and with friends and family from all over the world, the wedding was SO much more than a 1-day affair!
We stayed at the property with 25 family members for the three days around our wedding celebration. We also had our rehearsal dinner at the property’s villas, which are just down the road from the main venue. We chose to have a pizza party out in the garden – it was such a magical evening under the Tuscan sun(set)!
Long rustic trestle tables, romantic outdoor lighting installations, chic floral arrangements (including a beautifully bold and colourful flower crown) and the most gorgeous double layered lace Rita Vinieris gown created the warm, boho vibe of this creative and picture-perfect union. And talking of pictures, we have Edoardo Agresti to thank for this candid collection. Let’s hand over to Lital to tell you all about her free-spirited, internationally inspired, Tuscany wedding to Andrea….
Surprise Engagement in Front of Family
I was in Mexico on a trip with my girlfriends and Andrea was supposed to pick us up from the airport. Instead my sister picked me up and told me Andrea was at my parents house along with my entire family. I didn’t think much of it, since we all get together at my parents house often. I walked out to the backyard of the house I grew up in and he proposed in front of my family, which was so so special for me!
Married at Italian Villa in 3-Day Wedding Celebration
We were married at Villa Medicea di Lilliano in Florence, Italy. We booked the venue before even seeing it in person! We did plenty of online research and crossed our fingers that it would be as beautiful in real life as it is in the photos, and thankfully, it’s even more stunning in person! Photographs just don’t do it justice. It was so important for us to choose a location that all of our close family and friends would be able to travel to; Italy seemed to make the most sense, as Andrea’s entire family still live there, and it was much closer for my family to travel there from Israel. One of the first places we traveled to together as a couple was Florence, and we both fell in love with the city!
We decided to drive to our venue in a turquoise Fiat 500! It was adorable and made for great photos, but we were thankful it was a short ride since we barely fit into it!
Unique Multilingual Ceremony
Our ceremony took place at 5:15pm on a beautiful terrace overlooking the Tuscan hills and Florence. The ceremony was definitely unique – my brother played the guitar and sang as everyone walked down the aisle. Our close friend conducted the ceremony, and we took the tradition of the seven blessings and rewrote them to make them more meaningful to us. Andrea was not born Jewish, but has fully embraced Judaism and is on his own personal journey towards conversion. It was very important for us to pick and choose which Jewish traditions we wanted to incorporate into the ceremony, as we really wanted to make it our own. We called upon our closest friends and family to read them aloud – three were read in Italian, three were read in Hebrew and one was read in English. This was a very special moment for us.
Multicoloured Glasses, Long Rustic Trestle Tables and Wine Bottle Table Numbers
We knew it was going to be hot and the sun was going to be quite strong, so we made sure our guests would be as comfortable as possible, so we gave out fedora hats and personalised fans that were displayed beautifully on a very old carriage at the guest’s entrance. One of my favourite little touches was the alternating coloured glasses on the tables. They added a little something extra and unconventional. I loved that we had two long tables and that the table numbers were displayed on wine bottles as wine labels.
For the wedding night, we gave all our guests little bottles of olive oil that was made locally at our venue. They had the classic Italian “confetti” candies attached to the bottle and a sweet thank you note along with an explanation of the symbolism of confetti.
Lavender, Orange Dahlias, White Peonies and Stunning Floral Runner
We hired Flowers Living to provide our flowers. I wanted bold, colourful flowers to cover the tables. We had a floral runner made of chamomile, white veronicas, lavender, yellow spray roses, orange dahlias, white peonies and pink lisianthus. We also had beautiful glass candle holders of different heights spread out across the tables. The same flowers were used for my bouquet.
Traditional Tuscan Puff Pastry and Berry Cake
Our cake was a traditional Italian Millefoglie cake, which we and all our guests absolutely loved! Millefoglie – similar to its French name, mille-feuille – is Italian for “a thousand layers.” It’s the ‘go-to’ dessert for any Tuscan celebration. It’s made of layers of very thin puff pastry dough, custard and fresh berries, topped with powdered sugar.
Chic Bohemian Lace Dress with Nude Block Heels
I got my dress from Kinsley James Couture Bridal in Los Angeles. The designer is Rivini by Rita Vinieris. I was looking for something boho chic and comfortable. What I loved the most was that you could see the bottom layer of lace through the top layer. It was simple and beautiful with subtle details. I’m not normally a heel person, but I found a pair that I loved by Chloe – suede, nude block heels with flowers embroidered all along the heel. Very boho chic and they matched my flower crown perfectly! Guilia Cresci was my hair and make up artist and she really understood the look I was going for. I have very curly hair, and most of the time I wear it in a top bun, but I decided to leave it down on the day for a more laid back look.
Bright and Bold Flower Crown with Borrowed Gold Jewellery
There is nothing more I love than bold, colourful flowers! I knew I wanted to wear a large flower crown made of fresh flowers, and that is exactly what I wore. I wish I could wear it everyday! I also wore a simple but beautiful lace trimmed silk tulle custom made veil. I borrowed my sister’s necklace and earrings. The necklace was a simple gold chain with a diamond pendant that used to belong to my grandmother, and the diamond stud earrings were a gift from my grandfather to my sister.
Laid Back Californian Suit…
Even though Andrea is from the fashion capital of the world (Milan) he dresses like a true laid back Californian. When it came time to pick his suit, he wanted something to reflect that style, and so he wore a beautiful blue Theory Suit, with a classic white dress shirt by Boggi. He chose not to wear a tie, since he normally doesn’t wear ties – he looked classic and perfect!
Natural, Candid Photography
We chose Edoardo Agresti to be our photographer and he was wonderful! We wanted someone who was going to capture the day as it happened without being told to pose or look a certain way. He captured real, candid, natural photos in a beautiful artistic way. He uses the natural light and shadows and takes a lot of photos of reflections. We used Gattotigre as our videographers.
First Dance
Andrea and I didn’t have a first dance, but I did have a dance with my Dad. We danced to “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young, which was very sentimental for me. He used to sing it to me to help me fall asleep when I was little, and I always knew I wanted it to be the song he and I danced to at my wedding.
We had a trio play throughout the day. They played classic Italian favourites on accordion, violin and guitar. They were so personable and charming, and all our guests LOVED them. We also hired a DJ because we wanted a mix of American, Israeli, and Italian music.
Favourite Moment
It sounds cliche, but there was a moment after the ceremony and cocktail hour when everyone found their seats at their tables – the sun was finally starting to set against the beautiful Tuscan rolling hills, and Andrea and I were looking out at everyone sitting under the string lights, with our favourite music playing in the background. In that moment, I felt so, so happy and lucky to be surrounded by our closest friends and family in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The Line Up
Photographer: Edoardo Agresti; Videographer: Gattotigre; Wedding Planners: The Tuscan Wedding; Venue: Villa Medicea di Lilliano; Bride’s Dress: Kinsley James Couture Bridal | Rivini by Rita Vinieris; Bride’s Shoes: Chloe; Bridesmaid Dresses: Alexis; Groom’s Suit: Theory | Boggi; Hair and Make Up: Guilia Cresci; Florist: Flowers Living
