A Rustic, Vintage, and Romantic Destination Wedding in Tuscany, Italy

Updated on September 20, 2018

Nicole and Jacob

Since high school, Nicole knew precisely where she wanted to get married: her dad's 1700s Tuscan farmhouse, the place she's vacationed every summer for the last 11 years. So shortly after Jacob popped the question, they settled on a date nine months away, in early summer, in Italy.

Nicole, Jacob, and her family took a prewedding trip to meet with vendors and begin charting out the details. Back in L.A., the pair continued to plan a low-key, fuss-free event full of fun festivities: wine tastings, pool parties, and a barbecue featuring 200 meatballs handmade by the bride's grandma.

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The Invitations

A vintage-inspired floral motif and whimsical calligraphy animated the invites by Rifle Paper Co. "I wanted them to be as romantic as Italy," says Nicole.

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A Special Touch

Custom maps, also hand-drawn by Rifle Paper Co., were included with the invitations and also tucked into the wine crates awaiting guests in their rented farmhouses.

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Welcome Gifts

Guests stayed in seven nearby farmhouses, and Nicole and Jacob supplied each with a wine crate of swag, including a guide to the area created by the couple, Chianti, sunblock, bug spray, biscotti, and -- in anticipation of the partying to come -- Advil.

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A Pre-Ceremony Ritual

The couple's officiant (left) and another good friend (the flower girl's mom, right) both looked lovely in girl. by Band of Outsiders. On the morning of the wedding, the bride's girlfriends sat with her in a circle, burned sage, and talked over the importance of the day. "We were holding hands and crying," says Nicole. "It was very girly, but it grounded me."

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The Flower Girl

Too little to uphold her duties alone, the bride's goddaughter needed a hand from Mom to tote her basket of rose petals.

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The Ceremony

Burlap-draped hay bales served as benches and lined the aisle Nicole walked down with her father by her side.

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Husband and Wife

Nicole (in Valentino) held tightly to both her bouquet of white peonies and Jacob (in Band of Outsiders) during their exit from the aisle under lavender buds tossed by guests.

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A Sweet Candid

After the ceremony, the photographer focused on capturing spontaneous, candid photos since the bride had arranged to have the formal wedding-party portraits taken beforehand.

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Cocktail Hour

A Prosecco tower helped put everyone in an effervescent mood. Also on offer: locally sourced meats, cheeses, and passed hors d'oeuvres.

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The Scenery

Before dinner, guests kicked back and took in the view from a perch overlooking wine country, using barrels for side tables.

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Table Numbers

Tagged with numbers illustrated by Rifle Paper Co., bottles of Chianti Classico from nearby Podere Campriano acted as table markers. And, putting the fun in functionality, every last one was finished off by the end of the night.

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