How to Plan a Luxurious Italian Wedding Without Visiting the Venue

Elegant bride and groom walking hand in hand in a garden

Could you plan your entire wedding without ever visiting the city or even the venue first? Talk about scary, but this bride did exactly that! Erica Marie Events planned her weekend wedding celebration from afar, and everything turned out completely gorgeous!

The sweeping views and lush gardens of the historic Belmond Villa San Michele made it the dream location for their luxurious day which featured beautiful florals and a stunning candlelit reception. Check out their luxurious wedding below, and catch every last moment from Katie Harmsworth Photography in the full gallery.

Elegant silver Manolo Blahnik heels on a textured brown surface

Elegant white wedding dress hanging on dark door frame Bride in elegant dress, surrounded by friends, on her wedding day

Beautiful bride in white dress with veil and bouquet

Historic Italian Villa

Since our guests traveled at great lengths to celebrate with us, it was our primary goal to make sure our wedding was truly memorable, unique, and authentic. Therefore, we knew having a most impressive venue was critical and would serve as the cornerstone for this special weekend. We selected the Belmond Villa San Michele, a historic Italian monastery from the 1600s, now an ultra-luxurious boutique hotel. It was the perfect mixture of Tuscan and contemporary. Since the Belmond is perched high above the City of Florence it provided a most dramatic backdrop for our wedding. Not much décor was needed, the backdrop spoke for itself.

Bride with bridesmaids wearing black dresses in front of greenery Bride and bridesmaids blow kisses in front of a flower wall

Bride and bridesmaids in black dresses, holding flowers and smiling

Wedding ceremony setup overlooking a scenic Italian landscape

Outdoor wedding ceremony setup with chairs and floral decorations

Couple kisses after a wedding ceremony in a scenic, outdoor setting Newlyweds celebrate their wedding joyously in beautiful outdoor setting

rose garden ceremony with a view

The following day we exchanged our vows in front of 48 of our dearest friends and family. This intimate ceremony took place in the Villa’s private rose garden, one of the highest locations on the property. A true highlight of the ceremony was the String Trio who played some classic Italian songs and also some acoustic renditions of our favorites, like "Memories" from Cats, and "Beyond Time" by Enya. There wasn’t a dry eye to be had honestly.

Romantic wedding kiss with beautiful Italian city view

Bride in a white dress gazing out at a beautiful landscape Bride in elegant white wedding dress with long wavy hair

Newlyweds smiling and walking, a classic wedding day photo

European elegance

My wedding gown was more on the modern side but still had a very timeless and elegant look. It was designed by Michael Costello so I knew it was a unique piece. It was paired with a cathedral veil designed by Daphne Newman, embellished with sequins and pearls on the bottom edges. It was the perfect piece, pulling together the entire look and giving it a feel of European Elegance. The Groom was top to bottom in Calvin Klein with a classic black tuxedo and patent leather shoes. His wedding band was from Tiffany’s and had “Eternity” in Italian engraved inside, a little wedding day surprise for him.

Scenic view of a villa with a city view surrounded by nature Outdoor seating area with umbrellas and beautiful garden views Chilled champagne bottles in ice bucket at an outdoor event

Elegant banquet table set for a formal event with stunning chandeliers

Elegant table setting with candles and floral arrangements, wedding reception Elegant wedding table setting with candles, flowers, and place settings

Elegant wedding table setting with candles and floral decorations

Elegant wedding reception table setting with candles and flowers Elegant wedding table setting with candles, flowers, and menu

5-course Italian Dinner

Let the party begin! For the reception, it was a classic Italian dinner that included a 5-course Tuscan cuisine done by San Michele’s Executive Chef, Attilio di Fabrizio. It featured Beef Carpaccio, Fresh Lobster Pasta and Florentine Beef. The apex of the reception was surprising our guests with three famous Italian Tenors. They posed as waiters and during our dinner began to sing famous Italian songs and ended the night with a mini concert. Our guests were completely stunned and all exclaimed it was something they’d never forget.

After many hours of dancing and toasting, we took our party to the main hotel bar for some final drinks, cigars, and late night Italian pizza. We didn’t want it to end. All in all, it could not have been any more special. Everything from florals to food to music and even the travel and accommodations went off without a hitch.

Elegant wedding table setting with candles and floral arrangement