A garden rehearsal dinner among Tuscan cypress trees, a black-tie celebration under the stars, and a weekend that felt like the best kind of Italian summer dream. Vanessa and Pascal’s wedding at Tenuta di Montecucco was warm, romantic, and considered from start to finish, captured throughout by Cristiana Fiorini.
Location: Province of Grosseto, Italy
Style: Romantic, Glamorous, Sun-drenched
Time of planning: 10 months
Number of guests: 50
Setting: Vineyard
Season: Summer
Vanessa and Pascal are a couple from Munich, and their story began the way the best ones do: by accident. Pascal hadn’t been invited to his friend’s birthday party, but decided to show up anyway. It turned out to be the best spontaneous decision he ever made.
From their very first conversation, both knew they had found something real. Six weeks later they moved in together, and two years after that, Pascal proposed during a private aperitivo at the Forestis Hotel in the Dolomites, Vanessa’s favorite flowers arranged around them, a carefully chosen bottle of vintage champagne, and a view over the mountains that needed nothing added to it. Their wish for the wedding was simple: an unforgettable celebration of love, surrounded by the people closest to them, warm and joyful from start to finish.
Planning & Photography
The inspiration was an editorial Tuscan wedding with a touch of French chic. From the beginning, Vanessa and Pascal envisioned a celebration that felt like it belonged in the pages of a high-fashion bridal editorial while still carrying the warmth and authenticity of Tuscany. For the rehearsal dinner, they wanted a colorful celebration of love inspired by a Tuscan garden in full bloom, vibrant, joyful, and abundant, with long tables designed around pasta, fresh herbs, and garlic that gave the whole setting an intimate, homemade feeling.
The entire wedding weekend was captured by Cristiana Fiorini, and the couple could not have said it better themselves. “Cristiana made it so easy for us to act normal and feel comfortable in front of the camera,” they said. “We are absolutely thrilled with the results. The photos look truly amazing.”
Bride's Fashion
Vanessa wore a couture gown by Galia Lahav, chosen for its extraordinary combination of elegance, drama, and sophistication. She had always wanted to feel like a couture princess, and the dress delivered exactly that. She completed the look with heels by Maje and carried a bouquet of calla lilies woven into a handbag, a bold, fashion-forward statement that set the tone for the whole day.
Groom's Fashion
Pascal wore a hand-tailored suit by Zegna, perfectly suited to the black tie setting. His boutonnière matched Vanessa’s calla lily bouquet, a refined detail that connected their looks without saying too much.
Ceremony
The ceremony took place outdoors at Tenuta di Montecucco, nestled between Tuscan cypress trees that framed the moment in a way no amount of decoration could have. Vanessa and Pascal had always expected something intimate and surrounded by nature, and the landscape delivered exactly that.
One of the most emotional highlights of the day was Vanessa being walked down the aisle by her grandfather, a moment that moved guests and couple alike. For Pascal, it is the image he says will stay with him forever.
The ceremony was officiated by their closest friend, whose speech reflected the couple’s journey with warmth, humor, and genuine feeling. Both Vanessa and Pascal wrote their own vows, and the words they chose created a moment of connection that resonated with everyone present, deeply personal and impossible to forget.
Cocktail Hour
After the ceremony, the couple felt overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. It had been exactly what they had always hoped for: romantic, authentic, and full of emotion. Guests later shared how deeply touched they had been by the sincerity of it all and the warmth that carried through every moment of the day.
Reception Decor
The wedding day brought a shift in tone from the relaxed warmth of the rehearsal dinner. The aesthetic became more elevated and editorial, with clean elegance and sophisticated details at the center of every decision. Florals combined structured arrangements with natural garden elements, running along the dinner tables in a way that felt seamless and considered.
The reception took place outdoors under the Tuscan night sky, a beautifully arranged U-shaped seating layout beneath warm strings of light. Sophisticated without losing the warmth of an Italian summer evening, the setting struck exactly the balance the couple had been looking for.
Reception
The couple made their entrance to the iconic Italian song “Sara perché ti amo,” welcomed by guests waving white napkins in the air, an authentic and joyful moment that set the tone for everything that followed. The dinner tables were adorned with lush green and white florals carrying forward the weekend’s floral concept, with abundant candles flooding the tables with warm light as the sun set over the vineyard.
Heartfelt toasts from siblings and parents added deeply personal moments to the evening, while selected table captains, armed with bottles of limoncello, kept the energy building naturally throughout dinner. After a six-course menu, the couple cut their wedding cake to sparkling fireworks under the open sky.
Instead of a traditional bouquet toss, Vanessa dedicated her calla lily bouquet to her mother in a deeply emotional moment that moved the room. Shortly after, the groom tossed a bouquet of printed socks to the unmarried men, each of whom put one on and paraded down an impromptu catwalk to a cheering crowd.
The first dance was followed by a surprise choreographed routine from the bride and groom that officially opened the dance floor and never really let it close. The signature drink of the night was the espresso martini, and the guests embraced it so enthusiastically that the entire stock ran out, proof that the celebration continued well into the night with every bit of the energy and joy the couple had hoped for.
Advice from the couple:
• Take it easy and don’t let stress take over the experience. No matter how carefully a wedding is planned, there will always be small things that do not go exactly as envisioned. What truly matters is the overall atmosphere and the emotions shared.
• Genuinely enjoy every phase of the journey, from the planning process to the wedding day itself.
• Intentionally take a few quiet moments together during the wedding day. Step away, look around, and consciously take it all in together. Those small pauses help create a core memory that stays with you long after the celebration ends.
