PHOTOGRAPHY: SANDY AND ODYSSEAS | WEDDING PLANNER: The Tuscan Wedding | Venue: Villa Medicea di Lilliano | Florist: Flowers Living | Videography: Aberrazioni Cromatiche | MUA: Cherie Spisso | Lights designer: Almaproject | Catering: Galateo Ricevimenti | Celebrant: Blessing from Italy | music: DJ Matthew | Photo Booth: Revolution | Wedding Dress: BHLDN Badgley Mischka Sawyer Gown | Bridal Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Jewelry Earrings and hair piece: USA Bride by Dareth Colburn | Veil: Yuri Chang | Groom suit: Armani Tuxedo Jacket | Groom shoes: Allen Edmonds | Wedding rings & bands: Brian Gavin

Florence Italy, Villa Medicea Di Lilliano

Emilia & Yi

〝What stood out the most to us was their attention to detail〞

〝Our experience with Sandy and Odysseas was better than we could have imagined and our photos bring us so much joy every time we look at them!

We liked how Sandy and Odysseas took the time to get to know us before we selected them by having calls and letting us review their previous work. Prior to the wedding they also walked us through the wedding day schedule which put us at ease.

What stood out the most to us was their attention to detail. They told us exactly how and where to pose, and even lent us a hand with some wardrobe malfunctions!

They took the time to make sure our photos were perfect. We can't recommend them enough!〞

If matching the magic of Chianti’s rolling hills and the most gorgeous Medici villa to super-romantic Italian wedding vibes is your cup of tea, these uber-romantic Villa Medicea di Liliano I do’s will drive you insane with wanderlust! 

Tuscany – a landscape made for lovers! And by that, we don’t only mean life-lovers who swarm the region for the magnificence of its literature, poetry, artistic legacy, heavenly wines, and divine Cucina, but lovers of the most gorgeous homes you’ve ever laid eyes on! And of course, LOVE lovers, just like our bride and groom Emilia and Yi in this Tuscany luxury wedding.

THE VENUE

Nestled in the South of Florence, atop a seemingly never-ending plateau of natural beauty, between the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas, Villa Medicea di Lilliano is steeped in history and charm. Think Baroque frescoed ceilings and trompe l’oeil architectural capriccios by Rinaldo Botti, fountains, statuaries, a lemon house, and underground cellars, all inside walled gardens and descending terraces, and you might begin to get an idea of what it feels like to have a Tuscany luxury wedding at Villa Medicea. We were head-over-heels in love with this venue’s quintessentially Italian charm at every turn.

COME RAIN OR COME SHINE

If you’ve been so madly in love, which we’re confident you have, then you know even the worst weather feels like heaven… Let alone when you’re getting wed at the location of your dreams, having a Tuscany luxury wedding with the love of your life! For Emilia and Yi’s big day, the weather prediction spoke of extreme weather phenomena and storms.

And although our couple’s industrious planner, Daniela from My Tuscan Wedding, went beyond her best abilities to make sure our lovers and their guests could easily enjoy an indoor wedding, Emilia decided nothing would rain down on her parade! She decided to go through with her outdoor ceremony and defy all odds. During her preps, the skies were pouring, but just a few moments before the ceremony began, the deluge ceased, and a glorious sun bathed the entire scene in beauty! “I really wouldn’t mind,” said our bride, “plus it’s good luck if it rains at your wedding.”

WEDDING GOALS

Gorgeously ensconced at the Medici Villa Garden, the ceremony was so heartwarming and beautiful the team had to keep handing over tissues -no dry eye in the place! The scene was set in a semi-circle of white Chiavari seating, beautiful blooms arching before the ornate fountain, and a romantic aisle strewn with white petals. After the couple’s vows, we whisked them away for a while and soon joined their friends and family at the terrace for cocktails. Following dinner, everyone headed out to cut the cake and then got back inside, ready to rock the dance floor.

Seeing them all so happy, their bonds so tightly knit, their fabulous moods and their incredibly kind souls are wedding goals for us. Yes, the villa was a bonus, but what we recall the most was how elegantly it all rolled, with such gracious people making us part of their big day in this Tuscany luxury wedding!

Bride

From the

How we met and the proposal

Our Wedding looks

We met at a backyard party a few weeks before graduating from university. Yi asked me to play beer pong and the rest is history. Yi proposed eight years after our first meeting in the Arashiyama bamboo forest in Kyoto, Japan. It was my first time in Japan but Yi had previously visited Arashiyama and thought that the forest would be a memorable place to propose because it's so beautiful.

My dress was an elegant, fitted ivory crepe gown with clean lines, nipped-in waist, and cutout back (Badgley Mischka Sawyer Gown). Because the dress was very classic, I chose a statement veil with pearls. My jewelry was simple with pearl earrings and no necklace or bracelets. Yi liked the classiness and tradition of a tuxedo but chose a midnight blue jacket to make the look more contemporary. His bespoke tuxedo pants were classic black and were his shoes.

Why we chose FLORENCE ITALY

MOST ANTICIPATED MOMENT

Yi and I love to travel so we knew our wedding was going to be abroad. We've both been to Florence and other areas of Italy multiple times and always loved it. We couldn't get enough of the food, people and culture. When it came time to select our wedding location, Florence easily ended up on the top of the list. We loved it there and we believed our guests would love it too for the same reasons we did. We chose a natural color palette, pink, green, white and gold primarily. We wanted to let the venue's and the surrounding countryside's natural beauty be the focus.

The first look. It was a beautiful moment for just the two of us to experience together at our villa. We had olive trees surrounding us and it was so emotional to see each other in that moment!

SPECIAL MOMENTS OF THE WEDDING

Our favorite parts of the wedding were the ceremony, the cake making and the dancing.

Décor and florals

Advice to other couples

We entrusted our decor to The Tuscan Wedding (Daniela Tripodi) and her vendors. Generally speaking we wanted the decor to be pretty and natural but not extravagant because we wanted to let the venue and countryside be the focus. The ceremony in front of the fountain was more beautifully decorated than I could've imagined. Our florist did a wonderful job. We also got lucky with some beautifully timed sunshine! I don't think we could've asked for more wonderful decor than what we had during the ceremony. Our reception was originally going to be in the garden under the lights, but, unfortunately, we had to move it inside due to weather. Similar to the ceremony, the decor for the reception was simple and natural to let the garden shine.

The flowers used in our wedding were selected by our florist primarily. For the bouquet they included dusty pink garden roses, ivory spray roses, white delphinium, pale pink lisianthus, white oxypetalum, eucalyptus. The overall floral design we wanted was simple and pretty but not extravagant. The colors were natural greenery with primarily white and pink flowers.

Focus on your family and friends! The day passes by so fast so build in time either during the wedding or before/after the wedding day to spend time with them.