Chloe + Ben’s Tuscan wedding at Villa di Ulignano
Chloe + Ben decided on beautiful Villa di Ulignano for their Italian destination wedding, an impressive 17th century villa situated between Volterra and San Gimignano.
Their day was exactly as planned, a “big riotous, celebration of love” with 100 of their nearest and dearest. Everyone was blown away by the absolutely knock-out food and drink, thanks to the incredible menu and 5 star service from Italian Taste Lodovichi and we’re slightly obsessed with their fresh orange and white colour palette.
Chloe + Ben’s day was planned to perfection by the fabulous Wiskow & White, with beautiful blooms by Flower’s Living, bespoke stationery by White Vines Studio and all expertly captured by the wonderful Big Love Photography.
Chloe + Ben talk us through some of the decisions they made along the way…including their best advice for planning couples, their biggest wins and challenges and their standout suppliers.
ON THEIR APPROACH TO PLANNING
Chloe says, “Ben and I discussed our 3 non-negotiables and this really helped us when planning. For him it was an open bar, being able to stay on site and a party; for me it was the food, the flowers and the venue…and we took it from there.”
FAVE MOMENT
Chloe says, “the first look was really special. After a lot of nerves and being surrounded by friends and family for a whole week, a moment that was just the two of us felt really intimate and took away a lot of the nerves for the ceremony.”
PERSONAL TOUCHES
Chloe say, “My mum drew some sketches for our stationery which Ben from White Vines Studio added to our on-the-day stationery and we used again for our favours. We also selected some special local wine at a wine tasting before our wedding that guests signed for our ‘guestbook’ to be drunk on our anniversaries.”
THE VIBE
Chloe says, “PARTY! Probably a little too party…we managed to drink the bar dry of Aperol and we broke a table. But it was a big, riotous, celebration of love with our friends and family.”
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
“We live in Switzerland, our families live in England and our guests, in particular the groomsmen were as far away as the Cayman Islands, Japan and Australia… so logistics was a pain point. We were really happy to have the advice and support of our wedding planners Lucy & Danielle (Wiskow & White) when it came to paperwork, as deciding to get legally married in one country as expats living in a different country has its own challenges!”
WORD OF ADVICE
Chloe says, “make sure to have both partners names on hotel booking receipts if traveling into Italy to register your Nulla Osta - frantically calling hotels to resend invoices and trying to access bank statements for proof of entry was a little stressful!”
BIGGEST WIN
“Having our wedding planners Lucy and Danielle on board was probably the best value for money. We bumped into Danielle by accident when we were touring a venue after getting engaged. Having planners feels like a luxury but can really work for any budget.”
BEST MONEY SPENT
Chloe says, “the caterers. The difference in the catering package vs what we were seeing in the UK was immense. We had oysters and prosciutto, as well as gluten-free and vegan options, multiple drinks stations for the aperitivo and our favourite Italian foods including Bistecca Fiorentina for the main and they accommodated my special request for a Sgroppino ahead of our cake and dessert bar.”
STANDOUT SUPPLIER
Chloe says, “the caterers - they handled welcome drinks, aperitivo, dinner and the open bar and they were amazing. We made tweaks and requests based on our favourite foods and meals and the overall quality was amazing and theatrical and everything we could have wished for.”
Photography: Big Love Photography,Wedding Planner: Wiskow & White, Dress: Vera Wang ,Venue: Villa di Ulignano, Catering: Italian Taste Lodovichi, Stationery: White Vines Studio, Florist: Flower’s Living, Bar: Brindapino
Just started your venue search and not sure where to start? Check out our top article How to Find your Wedding Venue and download our free venue-viewing tick list.
Written by Beth Butler, marketing person and lover of all things weddings; with a particular passion for beautiful photography, muted florals and a good cup of tea.
