Hi! I used these message board quite a bit while I was planning my Tuscan wedding. My wedding was several months back, on July 3rd, but I have been so busy with other stuff, I haven’t had a chance to post a formal review of the rental property and wedding experience. So, here goes: (Sorry for the wedding details, but I have seen a view brides-to-be on the board, so I thought some of the info would be useful.)
Getting There After missing our flight out of JFK because the limo broke down, we finally arrived in Rome 2 days later than planned. (I had to do a sobbing bride routine at the ticket counter to get our tickets changed). Many of our friends and family were already in Rome and staying at the same place as us. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the apartments we rented right next to the Spanish Steps. The apts. were huge and french doors that looked out on to the steps. The website is : www.internazionaledomus.com. The Location: Palazzo di Piero in Sarteano, Tuscany We then rented a large van and drove up to “our” castle in southern Tuscany. I was very nervous, as I had not actually seen the place in person before. Boy was I relived, the place was GORGEOUS, and far more beautiful inside and out then I had imagined. The castle slept 12+, and had a wonderful central courtyard. All of the rooms had been restored with old decorative painting on the walls, and furnished with antiques, like canopy beds etc. The rest of our guests stayed in 2 large houses (13 in each house) and one small cottage (6 people) which were also on the estate. These houses were more rustic, but still large and airy. The estate itself was lovely, complete with olive groves, sunflower fields and vineyards. There was a very large pool behind the castle where we spent a lot of time. Next to this, was a beautiful formal garden, with very old , rare trees and plants.
The Wedding Planner I had done much of the wedding planning myself from home, like finding the location & photographer. But in the end, I decided I needed a wedding planner. After consulting several planners (and hearing at least one bad review from a fellow knottie), I decided to go with Chandi Wyant of www.sogniitaliani.com. I thought her prices were very fair, and I liked the fact that she was a younger American woman living in Italy. She was VERY helpfui in the weeks leading up to the wedding, answering all of my email questions about tiny details.
The Rehersal We had a wonderful rehersal dinner in the courtyard of the castle. The owner of the castle arranged for a local caterer to do the dinner. It was simple and inexpensive, but very good. We even decorated each of the tables with a Palio flag from Siena, because the Palio was on that day in Siena.
I had oringinally planned to have the ceremony outside in the garden, but we found out that there was a small 16th century chapel on the grounds of the estate. After seeing the wonderful frescos inside the chapel we changed our plans and decided to have the ceremony there.
The Big Day The morning of the wedding, my mom and my 4 BMs went to a wonderful & very luxurious spa about 30 minutes away. We swam and had massages, just perfect. Soon after we got back to the castle, the wedding planner arrived with the hairdresser/makeup person from Florence.
The ceremony seemed to fly by. I surprised myself by crying the entire time! (BTW, we had the priest from our home parish perform the ceremony, so we did not have to deal with an Italian civil service).
Following the ceremony, we had cocktails and hd’s in the garden. The caterer did a great job, and everyone ate a lot! We did have a signature cocktail, bellini’s (champange & peach nectar) which matched the orange color of the BM dresses & flowers!
Dinner was in the courtyard of the castle. The food, needless to say, was outstanding. Everyone raved about the food!
We had a DJ & dancing following the dinner. All of the guests had a great time, because they had several days to get to know each other.
My new husband said he had the most wonderful week of his life, and everyone else said it was the most unusual and beautiful wedding they had ever attended, so all the planning did pay off!
I know I am forgetting tons of details, but I didn’t want to ramble on too long. Please let me know if I can help with any questions!
One of the many who take a generally dim view of matrimony -- among other things, it produces children -- still, I too hope you post a coupla pics; sounds like a dream wedding. No need to be apologetic either about "wedding details": useful to many lurkers; one of the more frequent types of questions I get asked on my own website, and of course I send 'em here.
So glad to hear your enthusiastic review of the Palazzo di Piero. I stayed there previously and loved it, albeit in a cold week in April, 2002. I never did get to see the inside of the chapel. But I remembered your wedding day as it approached and hoped that everything was going well. At the time, I was in France--a trip for which I have still not managed to do a trip report! Be well, elisabet
Posts: 53 | Location: maine | Registered: 23 January 2002
Sounds like the perfect wedding...yes, pictures please!
Glad you highly recommended the 'internatzionale domus' apartments at the Spanish Steps. We had a wonderful week there last November and it sounds like we had the same apartment with the French doors and balcony. Have been meaning to write a trip report (sorry Pauline, I keep promising - it will happen!) I couldn't believe we were so close to the Steps and loved sitting on the balcony. Did you get a peek at the new apartment at the front overlooking the square? Wonderful frescoes on the ceiling...may stay in that apartment next time.
Best wishes for a happy future...Robyn
Posts: 62 | Location: Sydney, Australia | Registered: 22 July 2003
Congratulations to you and your new husband! Thank you for posting the lovely pictures of your wedding. Your review of the area and of the apt. you rented in Rome have been helpful to me, as we are planning to go to the same area next July for a wedding at the Abbazio di Spineto(sp?), then going to Rome for several days after that. I will certainly consider your recommendation.
Posts: 964 | Location: San Francisco bay area | Registered: 12 May 2003
What a dream wedding!! Congratulations! Thanks so much for posting the pictures. I tried the link you provided for internazionaledomus and couldn't get past the page which shows a picture of the Spanish Steps. What am I doing wrong?
quote:Originally posted by MarionP: What am I doing wrong?
Do you see english and italian written in brackets that pop up on top of the steps? If so you need to click on those, if not you may have your security settings set to not allow it as it seems that there are a bunch of pop ups on the page. It also could require cookies. Do you have cookies enabled or disabled? Let me know and I can try to help. Looks nice from what I saw. HTH
Beautiful bride perfectly matching the color of your chapel! Curious also that the arms should be so Britannic for such an Italian place -- a lion and a unicorn.
Beautiful wedding! Congratulations! Was your Rome hotel above Babbington's Tea Room? We stayed at the Palio Bianco Spanish Steps, above the Furla shops, 20 Piazza di Spagna. Really enjoyed it, as well.
Christina, with Netscape, I get nothing but the picture of the Steps and yes, you're probably right, I have pop-up stoppers working. But with Explorer, I got it -- with all the annoying pop-ups and busy/moving text. It took a bit for me to realize that you have to put your cursor over the room schematic to be able to actually see pictures of the rooms. They really are beautiful looking apartments, and perfectly located too!
Thanks so much for the pictures and information. My daughter is also considering an "Italy Destinaton Wedding". I can't wait to show her these pictures.We keep thinking it would be too much work to organize from here but you made it sound so simple. Did you rent the place for the whole week? Was it really hot in July?
Posts: 838 | Location: Nashville, TN USA | Registered: 11 September 2002
Topic Closed
- it will happen!) I couldn't believe we were so close to the Steps and loved sitting on the balcony. Did you get a peek at the new apartment at the front overlooking the square? Wonderful frescoes on the ceiling...may stay in that apartment next time.
