Janice and Chris were married on August 28th, with a reception at the Casa Cornacchi Country House in Italy.
I must admit, when Janice first contacted me about her wedding celebrations in Tuscany, I did get just a little excited. I hadn’t photographed a wedding in Italy yet, so this would be a first for me.
A Destination Wedding in Tuscany
I agreed to work with them and then met with Janice and Chris in Nottingham to talk through their plans and discuss exactly what they were looking for in terms of photographic coverage. They required a second photographer, an option available with all my destination packages. My second shooter is my wife, who has many years of experience in the industry from both sides of the camera. She was a professional model in London for 10 years. Between the two of us, I was sure we would be able to capture the romance of Janice and Chris’ destination wedding.
During that meeting in Nottingham, I also learned that Janice had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl. This made the wedding planning much more challenging, but they were still determined: they wanted to have their destination celebration. They would be officially married in Nottingham, but then their friends and family would come out to Italy with them. After all, their families would have to travel either way: Janice’s family was coming from Hong Kong, and Chris’s was coming from Dublin for a Chinese-Irish wedding celebration.
Janice and Chris’ Tuscany Wedding Adventure
With the planning behind us, then, we headed off together—from Luton airport to Pisa, where we rented a Fiat 500 to drive down to the venue in Tuscany. A 3-hour drive later, we arrived at Casa Cornacchi just in time for dinner on the veranda. We were warmly greeted by the Irish side of the family and briefed about all the people and events around us.
The next day was the day of the wedding, but not until the afternoon. The guests were told that they could either go and explore the surrounding areas or just relax by the swimming pool and indulge in some yoga which was being taught by Chris’s sister Lynne. We like to photograph all sorts of details, not just at the venue but also the surrounding areas, because this adds to the destination wedding vibe—so we decided to check out the yoga class on the lawn. (It was a hit with the guests, too.)
After lunch, it was time for everyone to start getting ready for the wedding ceremony. We hovered around the bridal suite to document all the events there as well as Chris getting ready in his room. As for Janice, she had chosen to wear one dress for the ceremony and then another for the reception later on. She had lots of help from her bridesmaids to get into her first dress, and of course, it was all worth it for the beautiful final result.
A Ceremony under a Tuscan Sunset
The ceremony took place just in time for the setting sun, making for absolutely stunning scenery and lighting. Then, the reception took place around the pool on top of the hills facing the beautiful surrounding olive farms. Still, we grabbed just a few minutes to take a few “couples” shots before the sun had completely gone. I sighed a breath of relief!
Next, everyone was to move to the panoramic ‘al fresco’ dining terrace, with magnificent views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside. Janice had changed into her evening dress, which was even more stunning than the last, and she and Chris knocked everyone speechless with their entrance.
Once the speeches were over, the dinner was served. In true Italian style, there was an abundance of amazing food, including an asparagus risotto starter, wild boar ravioli, and a fish main course. Tiramisu finished off the meal nicely. And then there was the wedding cake, which was hand-made on the spot for all the guests to see. It was a Mille-feuilles cake made by two chefs right on the dining terrace– a very special touch.
Once the DJ started the music, and the couple completed their first dance, there was nothing to hold back the Irish from demonstrating their dancefloor antics. There’s never a dull moment when the Irish are about!
Thank you so much, Janice & Chris, for having us on your Tuscany adventure. We had such a blast. We now look forward to, hopefully, revisiting Italy for another wedding there soon!
Here are some images from their Casa Cornacchi wedding…
Destination Wedding Photographer
If you are looking to book a wedding in Italy or another destination wedding location, please contact me. I would love to be your wedding photographer.