Fiery Terracotta Tuscan Wedding Inspiration at Conti Di San Bonifacio

Oh Tuscany! Home of dreamy landscapes full of colorful rolling hills steeped in history, cypress trees, olive groves, golden sunsets, world renown cuisine and stunning venues: it woos us every time. We want to capture the magic of central Italy in order to share it with our destination wedding clients. After all, who wouldn’t want to have a bit of the Italian “dolce vita” as a part of their big day?

Selecting one venue amongst the countless beautiful castles and estates in Tuscany is no easy feat. We have worked at many places that could have easily been great choices for this collaboration with James x Schulze but when we visited Conti di San Bonifacio, we knew immediately that it was the place to lay our scene (not in fair Verona, sorry Shakespeare). Set on a hill with incredible views of the landscape and vineyards, the location is hard to beat. In addition to being a working winery, the luxury estate prides itself in being a wellness retreat and boutique hotel that can be booked out exclusively for weddings. The grounds with gardens, beautiful trees, terraces, a pool and a large wrap around wooden bar with a commanding view of the countryside and bistro lighting makes a perfect setup for al fresco entertainment.

All throughout Tuscany you can find passionate artisans whose love for their art has been passed down for generations. It was very important for us to incorporate traditional local artistry in our design. We spoke with many local vendors who shared stories of their history and their products. Through each conversation, the pride that these makers take in their work was clear. For instance, Mondial 1908, who we selected for our grooming accessories, tailor made shaving products for barbers who groomed Florentine nobles more than a century ago. Generations later, each of their shaving brushes are still handmade with extraordinary attention to detail, maintaining their distinguished quality. Many of the artisans that we collaborated with on this project approach their craft with equal effort and care.

For show stopping flowers, we teamed up with Anthea Studio who shares our philosophy of creating designs that reflect both traditional and modern elements. Together we created a floral concept that showcased the beauty of Tuscany, using touches that are not typically seen in Italian destination weddings. Anthea used orange- red sweet peas that perfectly matched the bride’s dress and added them to a bed of roses, tulips, orchids and local ostrich feathers in the colors of a Tuscan sunset. The lush installation over the table created a visual frame, contrasting the stone wall backdrop while the delicate ikebana style flowers in the tablescape kept the feeling light and airy (leaving room for Italian family style dining!). For the ceremony installation, we took a different approach by opting to keep the florals neutral in color on the wood arch, allowing the eye to be drawn to the stunning (and vivid) bridal looks and the epic scenery. The beautiful and textural bouquets added dimension and drama to our bride’s look, which was complemented by the sweeping silk ribbon from Allegoria Textiles.

With Italian fashion and beauty holding legendary status, we knew we wanted to bring our ‘A game’ to the bridal looks. From early on in our design process we wanted to feature Elizabeth Dye’s ‘Wildfire’ gown, in all its flame- colored glory, as a nontraditional piece against a landscape that looks much the same as it did 300 years ago. To complement the gorgeous deep v gown, we opted for a plunging mix of complimentary gold necklaces (one being an organic hammered style pendant with a local saint), as well as stacked gold ring bands and a stunning amber colored engagement ring, all from My Golden Age Lab. Hair and makeup was in the capable hands of local artist Alice Ceragioli, who had our model glowing as brilliantly warm as a Tuscan sunset. For our groom we picked out a wine-colored 7/8th length suit paired with brown oxfords and the most marvelous handcrafted Italian bowtie from Mani del Sud. We sought out local cufflinks from the best place in Florence to find jewellery, the Ponte Vecchio, where family owned shops are passed from generation to generation. We found our prized giglio (aka fleur de lis) set, which is the symbol of Florence, in the shop of Fratelli Peruzzi Argentieri on the bridge.

Alfresco style dining is one of the images that comes to mind when we think of Tuscany. Dinner with a view was therefore a must for this setting and happily the venue had the perfect terrace for it. While brainstorming the inspiration and tablescape, we quickly decided to incorporate some quintessential ceramics and terracotta into the design. Local Madlen Ceramics, with their traditional skills and their modern aesthetic, provided us with the beautiful and delicately made plates, floral vessels and candlestick holders. The terracotta candles on the table added that putty colored warmth, came from a collaboration between Gopi Shah and PF Candles. To create the backbone of the table aesthetic, we used richly textured linens from both Allegoria Textiles and Borrowed Blu.

The stationery suite is the first impression that guests receive before the wedding, and in our experience, Swell Press always impresses. The sunset hued, stylishly minimalist suite with type font is modern, fresh and feminine. The wax seal and color coordinated vintage stamps were the cherry on top. Day of stationery is important too, it helps elevate style and keeps the guests in the know. Swell Press’s beautiful pink menus and etched leather placecards made the place setting look polished and let guests know where to mangia (eat) and what to save room for in their stomachs.

Surprising and delighting family and guests who have travelled from the far reaches of the planet to celebrate a joyous union is definitely a best practice in our minds. One of our favorite methods is by curating fun and delicious welcome bags full of local goodies. For this Tuscan guest bag we stuffed a leather tote from the San Lorenzo market in Florence full of Italian treats including panforte (a chocolate fruit and nut cake from Sienna), a pretty collection of Leon lozenges, local truffles, a hand dyed marbled paper notebook from Il Papiro Firenze, a candle and Tuscan wine (of course!). We stocked up on a number of these goodies at the world famous Mercato Centrale, located in the San Lorenzo market.

Italy and eating go hand in hand, so we always make sure that great local food and wine is a big part of wedding guests’ experiences whether it’s welcome dinners, brunches, multiple course wedding meals, food tours or guest bag treats. We worked with Golden View Firenze, a modern cafe/bar in Florence, to create for us the mini personal sized tiramisu. Some Italian bakers might have balked at the nonconformist request but the talented Florentine team made it happen and they were beautifully delicious! We were treated with delectable nibbles more than once. Our shoot day at Conti di San Bonifacio started with the estate’s home baked cookies and espresso and finished with Aperol cocktails and wine enjoyed with a glorious Tuscan sunset.

XO- The GATHER Girls

TEAM

PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMES X SCHULZE PLANNING + DESIGN: GATHER EVENTS VENUE: CONTI DI SAN BONIFACIO TIRAMISU: GOLDEN VIEW FIRENZE CERAMIC CANDLES: GOPI SHAH X PF CANDLES TABLETOP: MADLEN CERAMICS NAPKINS: BORROWED BLU RUNNER + RIBBONS: ALLEGORIA TEXTILES MARBLE PAPER: IL PAPIRO FIRENZE FLORALS: ANTHEA STUDIO STATIONERY: SWELL PRESS MAKEUP/HAIR: ALICE CERAGIOLI PERFUME/ACCESSORIES: CAMPOMARZIO 70 GROOMING ACCESSORIES: MONDIAL 1908 DRESS DESIGNER: ELIZABETH DYE RINGBOX: THE MRS BOX CUFFLINKS: FRATELLI PERUZZI JEWELRY: MY GOLDEN AGE LAB MODELS: 4UPPER MODELS BOW TIE: MANI DEL SUD GUEST BAG TREATS: EATALY