Photographing a wedding in Tuscany as a destination wedding photographer
As a destination wedding photographer, it has been a dream of mine to photograph in Tuscany, Italy. And in April of 2024, I had the privilege to photograph a destination weekend wedding in Volterra, Tuscany, amidst the most jaw-dropping rolling hills I have ever seen. It felt as if I were in a fantasy land, except when I pinched myself I was, in fact, not dreaming. When it comes to choosing a location to be the backdrop of your photos, it doesn’t get better than this. This three-day event included a welcome dinner barbecue, a vineyard tour & wine tasting, a bridal brunch, and of course, the wedding day—during which I documented every moment, little and big, between the couple and their closest family and friends. Here are all the details of L&D’s destination wedding weekend in Tuscany!
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Country Relais & Spa Le Capanne
Picture this: you ride from Florence to a hilltop villa in the heart of Tuscany, the golden sunset painting the rolling hills as you pass by. This is the perfect backdrop for your big day.
This was our experience at Country Relais & Spa Le Capanne in Volterra, Tuscany. We stayed with L&D at the Villa with their closest family and friends from the night that they arrived to the morning after their wedding day—which let us capture every beautiful moment of their experience.
There is often a lot of buzz about backdrop variety if your wedding weekend happens in one place. With the Villa, this is nothing to worry about. There are so many beautiful spots to take photos: indoors and outdoors, by the pool or surrounded by rolling hills, under the billowing tree with a tree swing or even in the gorgeous olive tree orchard. There is truly no angle on this property that would be a bad backdrop for a photo.
Pre-Wedding Events
The Welcome Dinner
The staff were already preparing for the first night’s festivities when we arrived at Villa Le Capanne; a delicious, authentic Italian wedding welcome dinner. L&D were greeted by the most vibrant, orange sunset as they shared a toast, thanking each and every one of their loved ones for joining them for this memorable trip and once-in-a-lifetime experience. L&D couldn’t have asked for a better first night to welcome them to the venue & kick off this unforgettable trip.
As a destination wedding photographer, I always go into a wedding day with a documentary approach. My second photographer and I observed all of the excited interactions upon arrival and loving glances shared between L&D during their wedding welcome dinner. The tender moments spoke for themselves, leaving us to simply capture them.
The Winery Tour & Tasting
A huge benefit of your destination wedding weekend is getting to see the local area through a fun little excursion! Villa Le Capanne offered L&D a shuttle service to a local winery to do a tour and wine tasting, so of course they couldn’t pass that up! The following morning, we all hopped on the shuttle and went over to Monterosola. We were greeted and taken through the whole facility, seeing how and where they make their wine. We made sure to document candid moments during this experience, giving L&D memories to remember this part of the trip. The tour ended in the tasting room where they provided 12 wines for us to taste, paired with charcuterie.
Once the tasting ended, we took some portraits around the property. I snagged L&D for some private time to get photos of just them surrounded by Tuscan pines. They said these were photos they would cherish forever.
The Rehearsal Dinner
Pizza night in Italy?! There’s nothing better than that imo.
L&D and their guests gathered in the dining room of Villa Le Capanne for their rehearsal dinner; wood-fired pizza. The couple shared so many laughs with their loved ones while telling stories from their childhood & reminiscing over their entire relationship. The wine flowed & pizza after pizza was brought out. This gave us yet another opportunity to be fly-on-the-wall photographers and capture all of the candid moments that were shared.
Rehearsal dinner coverage is so important because it gives your guests time to get comfortable with the photographers before the big day. A destination weekend wedding builds on this even further with how much time you get to spend with your destination wedding photographer.
The Wedding Day
Bridal Brunch
Pop the champagne, it’s wedding day! L&D began their wedding day with a spread of meat, cheese, pastries & bottomless espresso! They then took the party outside for mimosas & rolling hill pictures. We also took advantage of the morning sun to get some portraits of L&D on the tree swing by what was soon to be the ceremony site. Once brunch was over, the couple had a leisurely start to their wedding day. This gave us a lot of time to capture the beginning of the day as it naturally unfolded.
Details & Getting Ready
When I think of Italy, I think of lemons, and coincidentally, Villa Le Capanne has its own lemon trees. So, when building out the wedding detail flat lay, I just knew I needed to incorporate lemons in some way. The cut-up lemon wedges tied together the flat lay and were an important story piece to this Tuscan destination wedding.
As the girls were getting ready, we found the perfect photo spot to hang the wedding dress. L & her bridesmaids helped each other with hair and makeup, listening to music and sharing a bottle of wine. After L got in her dress, she did a first look with her bridesmaids. You can tell by the photos below, they were truly in awe of her. We then grabbed some solo portraits of her by the window in her suite as she excitedly waited for the first look with D.
Meanwhile, D & his groomsmen hung out by the pool in their tan tweed suits & sunglasses, smoking some cigars and enjoying the sun before the ceremony started.
Ceremony
L’s maid of honor officiated this short, intimate wedding ceremony in front of the bride and grooms’ closest friends and family. It felt very special as she shared her first memories of L&D getting together. Having already eloped in Acadia National Park, this was their friends & family’s chance to join in on the celebration.
The couple couldn’t have lucked out with better weather as the sun shined brightly down on them and their 17 guests, leaving behind a gorgeous glow on the rolling hills that were their backdrop.
Cocktail Hour & Formal Portraits
Cheers to the married couple! Cocktail hour was filled with so many different meats, cheeses & crackers and if you haven’t caught on yet—wine! The guests mingled while I took L&D around the property to get more formal photos, and we found the sweetest stray cat along the way. We embraced every corner of the venue, capturing the couple against a variety of its stunning backdrops.
Reception
The weather lasted long enough to get us through couples portraits & then began to rain as it was time for the reception. Because of this, the reception was held inside in the dining room which made for a cozy candle-lit dinner. The dinner was 4 courses, leaving plenty of time to document so many candid moments. Wine and conversation flowed throughout the evening. To end the night, the couple’s parents, maid of honor, and best man made heartfelt speeches, bringing everyone to tears.
& then it was party time!! Everyone hit the dance floor, and the energy was electric! The bride changed into her reception outfit: a white long-sleeve cowl-neck top covered in pearls and white dress pants.
She paired it with a sparkly silver belt and white heels, completing the elegant, polished look. She looked STUNNING!
Later in the night, Villa Le Cappane brought out the late night snack; homemade cannolis. This really was the cherry-on-top of the whole experience. The only thing left for L&D to do was dance the night away, savouring the last night of their dream-come-true destination wedding weekend.
Millefoglie: An Italian Wedding Cake Tradition
The most unique part of this whole experience? Partaking in the Italian Wedding Cake Tradition, Millefoglie. L&D “show-cooked” their own millefoglie wedding cake, which was all made by the catering team at Dolceria Del Corseo Catering & Country Relais & Spa Le Cappane. How many people do you know who can say they made their own wedding cake in front of all their guests & have photos to prove it? This was one of the most memorable experiences for not only the couple but for me as well.
And by the way, it was absolutely DELICIOUS!
A Destination Wedding Photographer’s Dream
This destination weekend wedding in Tuscany was a huge bucket list moment for me as a destination wedding photographer. It has always been a dream to travel and experience so many different places and cultures. So now being able to do it while doing what I love makes it all the more worth it.
What I loved most about this experience: being there from the beginning of the wedding weekend to the end. I photographed them at their own pace, cherishing every unforgettable moment, and delivered a gallery to relive it all again. Being there from the beginning let me connect with the couple’s closest friends and family, creating space for authentic moments. And because we woke up on site the morning of the wedding, which allowed the day to unfold naturally. This meant there was space to breathe, capture moments as they happened, and not rush through one of the most important days of their life.
The result was a breathtaking destination wedding that no one will ever forget. Every moment was captured authentically, thanks to the ease of full-time, on-site photography. Thank you L&D for loving and trusting my vision enough to fly me to Italy so I could document this unforgettable experience for you.
Engaged couples planning a destination wedding, this is your sign to consider Tuscany for your celebration. Let me capture every unforgettable moment along the way!
We want you to be our destination wedding photographer!
TUSCAN DESTINATION WEDDING VENDORS:
Venue: Country Relais & Spa Le Capanne
Planner: GVE Weddings
Destination Wedding Photographer: Jess Biancardi Photography
Catering & Cake: Dolceria Del Corso Catering
Florist: Laura Castellaci at Flo Bloom Lab
Dress: 125 Bridal Boutique
Bridesmaids Dresses: Birdy Grey
Suits: Giblees
