Some weddings start close to home.
Others begin with a journey.
Alice and Fabian travelled from England to celebrate their wedding in Lucca, choosing the beautiful countryside setting of Villa Franchini, located in Arsina just a few minutes from the historic center of the city.
Surrounded by greenery and overlooking the Tuscan hills, the villa offers the perfect atmosphere for couples who dream of celebrating their wedding in Tuscany while keeping the feeling intimate and relaxed.
For many international couples, getting married in Lucca means exactly this: bringing together family and friends from different countries in a place where nature, history and atmosphere become part of the celebration.
A wedding between different cultures
Alice and Fabian’s story also reflects the meeting of different cultures and family histories.
Fabian has Italian roots.
His mother was born in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, in the mountains north of Lucca, before moving to England when she was very young.
Alice, on the other hand, has Thai heritage from her mother’s side and English roots from her father’s side.
Three cultures, two different stories, meeting in one place.
Choosing Tuscany for their wedding felt natural.
For Fabian it meant celebrating close to the land where part of his family history began, while for both of them Lucca offered the perfect setting to gather friends and relatives travelling from different countries.
Planning a wedding from abroad
Alice and Fabian contacted me in March for their wedding planned in June.
Since they live in England, our first meeting took place over the phone.
We talked about their plans for the day and about how they wanted their wedding to be remembered.
Our first in-person meeting happened a few weeks later during the location visit at Villa Franchini.
Walking through the gardens together, we imagined how the day would unfold: the ceremony in the woods, the cocktail hour in the gardens and dinner in front of the villa.
An engagement session in Lucca
Before the wedding day we also met for an engagement session in the historic center of Lucca.
We walked through some of the city’s most iconic places: Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, the Renaissance walls of Lucca, and the small streets of the old town.
For many couples travelling from abroad this moment becomes more than a photoshoot.
It is a way to explore the city, enjoy a relaxed walk and become comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding day.
The ceremony in the woods of Villa Franchini
The wedding story began directly with the ceremony.
Alice and Fabian chose a small wooded area next to the villa, creating an intimate and very atmospheric setting surrounded by nature.
A choice that is quite unusual for Italian weddings but very common in Anglo-Saxon celebrations.
As tradition often dictates in English weddings, Fabian arrived first and greeted the guests as they were taking their seats.
A few minutes later Alice arrived from the villa, walking through the garden accompanied by her bridesmaids and her parents.
The ceremony felt intimate and emotional, surrounded by the quiet atmosphere of the Tuscan countryside.
The confetti moment
At the end of the ceremony came one of the most iconic moments of English weddings.
The confetti moment.
Alice and Fabian walked through two lines of guests throwing petals and confetti, creating a joyful shower of colors and smiles.
A simple gesture that marks the beginning of the celebration.
Cocktail hour in the villa gardens
After the ceremony guests moved to the gardens of the villa for the cocktail hour.
It was time for the first toasts and conversations, accompanied by live music from the band Caffè degli Artisti.
Between one toast and another we also took some time for couple portraits.
We used several areas around the villa:
- the tree-lined driveway leading to the property
- the open fields surrounding the villa
- the same woodland where the ceremony had taken place earlier in the day
Simple places that perfectly reflected the relaxed atmosphere of the wedding.
Group photos before dinner
Before dinner we organised group photos with family and friends.
This moment often marks a natural transition during the wedding day, moving from cocktail hour to dinner.
Planning group photos at this stage allows the catering team to prepare the dinner space while guests gradually find their seats.
The catering for the evening was provided by Full Moon Event, who set up dinner in the garden directly in front of the villa.
The couple’s entrance and dinner
Alice and Fabian made their entrance to dinner walking down the staircase of the villa that leads to the main entrance on the first floor.
It was a beautiful and elegant moment that perfectly matched the atmosphere of the evening.
Dinner unfolded at a relaxed pace, with several speeches, a tradition that is very common in English weddings.
Among them was the groom’s speech.
But the biggest surprise came when Fabian’s brother took the microphone.
An unexpected opera performance
From the entrance of the villa appeared a Tuscan opera singer, who began performing some of the most famous Italian songs.
It was one of those moments nobody expected.
And within seconds it transformed the dinner into a celebration.
Building the wedding cake
The cake moment was also a little different from the usual tradition.
Instead of simply cutting the cake, Alice and Fabian decided to build it together with the pastry chef from the catering team.
Only after assembling the cake in front of their guests did they perform the traditional cake cutting.
Party in the old wine cellar
The celebration then moved to the old wine cellar of the villa, a space that was once used for wine production and has now been restored as an event area.
Here the DJ created a small dance floor where the party continued late into the night.
Beyond the wedding day
Every wedding is different.
Not only because of the location or the number of guests, but because of the stories that come together on that day.
Alice and Fabian brought family and friends from different countries to celebrate their wedding in the Tuscan countryside.
A day where traditions, languages and cultures blended naturally together.
And this is one of the most beautiful aspects of destination weddings: seeing people from different parts of the world gather in one place to celebrate the same story.
Discover how I document weddings
If you are planning your wedding in Lucca or Tuscany and you are looking for someone to document your day in an authentic way, you can learn more about my approach here.
Vendors
The professionals who contributed to Alice and Fabian’s wedding day
- Location: Villa Franchini – Lucca
- Catering: Full Moon Event
- Live music: Caffè degli Artisti