Raquel and Samuel, she Spanish, he Mexican, met when Raquel moved to Mexico for work, where she’d go on to live for seven years. Samuel was leading a project and looking for someone to run it, so Raquel came in for an interview with him. There was an instant connection from the very first moment, and just two hours after meeting, Samuel sent her a message saying he’d rather take her to dinner than continue with the selection process. They haven’t been apart since.
Location: Florence, Spain
Style: Classic, Elegant, Romantic
Number of guests: 160
Time of planning: 6 months
Setting: Church & Villa
Season: Summer
They married in Florence, Italy, exchanging vows at Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli before moving on to Villa Medicea di Lilliano, a historic villa, for the celebration that followed. Family Films was there to capture it all, turning the entire love story into a film that carried the same warmth running through the day itself.
Fashion
Raquel wanted her look to feel classic, elegant, and subtle. Her dress came from Lorena Formoso, worn in two distinct versions across the day: a silk cape layered over the gown for the ceremony, paired with an infinity headpiece, before removing the cape ahead of dinner and switching to a long foulard, along with a fresh headpiece. That headpiece became the most important accessory of the whole look, designed by Mimiki in bone-colored velvet with a birdcage veil, sculptural and timeless, the kind of piece that framed her face with real character.
Perfume took months of searching to get right. Raquel landed on Dahab Kajal, opening with apple and bergamot, moving into a heart of passion fruit, cilantro, and cedar, and settling into a base of patchouli, amber, and musk. Makeup followed a similar two-stage approach: natural and “no-makeup” for the entrance into the church, then intensified around the eyes before dinner for something more elevated and sophisticated.
Samuel’s look centered on a morning coat, cut in an extremely light, subtle fabric chosen specifically for the July heat, custom-made by Mario Zafra of Yusty, an Italian designer based in Madrid. He finished the look with Cartier cufflinks and Tom Ford Oud, small, personal touches that gave the classic silhouette its own signature.
Ceremony
The ceremony took place at Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli, with guests gathering beforehand to talk and settle into the moment together. “The key to our wedding’s success was the pre-wedding gathering two days before, where everyone started getting to know each other, and a truly idyllic atmosphere began to build,” the couple says. “The guests themselves made the wedding an unforgettable moment, not just for us but for everyone there.”
Raquel’s daughter played piano for her entrance, one of many small, personal touches that gave the ceremony its weight. Every part of it, the vows, the emotion on the guests’ faces, the warmth running through the room, comes through in the film by Family Films, who perfectly captured the atmosphere of the day.
Cocktail Hour & Special Moments
There were several unforgettable moments throughout the day. The first came right after photos, while guests settled into cocktail hour. Raquel and Samuel slipped away to the room being set up for the evening’s dancing, lay down on a sofa, and shared a glass of wine, just the two of them, for half an hour. Time entirely their own, and it was wonderful.
Reception Decor
The reception took place outdoors at Villa Medicea di Lilliano, guests gathered around a long table beneath the sky. Small, vibrant florals lined the table, adding a romantic warmth to the whole setting. Bloomlight Events planned the entire wedding from start to finish, with Geometry Love behind the camera, capturing every part of the day.
Reception
The first dance came beside a Medici fountain, to “No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti” by Los Ronaldos, and it turned into perhaps the most magical moment of the whole day. “We’re both quite private people who don’t love being the center of attention, so we’d agreed to go out to the dance floor and immediately signal our daughters to join us,” Raquel says. “But the moment we started dancing, everything else disappeared. We focused entirely on each other, forgot where we were, and ended up dancing the entire song together, just as we always do whenever we get the chance, simply enjoying being with one another.”
Dessert came in the form of a millefoglie topped with fresh berries, and the night carried its own performances, a folk trio by Alma Project and a flamenco band by Belén de los Reyes. But the most closely guarded surprise of the evening was Raquel’s own. She danced flamenco for Samuel, a talent no one knew about, not even him or the guests. “Another very special moment was my dance for Samuel,” she says. Midway through, her sister, a professional flamenco dancer, pulled her up onto the stage, and the two broke into an improvised footwork duel. “It was deeply moving.”
Advice from the couple:
• Steal away with your partner for a moment alone to talk and simply be together. Throughout our wedding we stayed together the entire time — we didn’t want to experience it separately, each tending to our own side of guests, the way we’ve seen happen at other weddings. We spent most of the day by each other’s side.
VIDEOGRAPHY Family Films | WEDDING PLANNER Bloomlight Events | VENUE Villa Medicea di Lilliano | PHOTOGRAPHY Geometry Love | FLORAL DESIGNER Giovanna Zaina | CEREMONY FLOWERS Il Fioraio | VENUE FLOWERS Tuscany Flowers | FLAMENCO BAND Belén de los Reyes | HAIR & MAKEUP BLBS Management | STATIONERY Pop the Question | CATERING Guidi Lenci | LIGHT & SOUND Alma Project | DJ Sergio Vicedo
