An Elegant Villa Wedding in the Rolling Hills of Tuscany

Surrounded by the towering cypresses and undulating hills of Tuscany, Anastasia and Stefano wed in the gardens of Villa Gamberaia.

Echoes of ivory and florals primarily composed of white delphiniums stood in gentle contrast to the ancient stones and old world elegance of the grounds.

At what appeared to be an endless communal table, underneath a dripping overhead installment of lush greenery, an al fresco dining reception unfurled, distilling the evening with timeless touches and an air of modernity.

This elegant Tuscan wedding was masterfully captured by David Bastianoni Studio.

Our Story

Names / Anastasia Tsygankova & Stefano Corbetta

Location / Tuscany, Italy

Wedding Date / September 18^th, 2023

Guest Numbers / 75

How We Met

Our story is a contemporary one, born online during the pandemic. We arranged to meet for lunch al fresco just a day before another lockdown hit Italy in February 2021 and were inseparable ever since. We spent the entire lockdown together and though it was a challenging period for everyone, it allowed us to really know one another. After just a few months it felt like we’ve known each other for years.

Our Engagement Story

Stefano proposed a few days before Christmas during our winter trip to the ski resort in Trentino-Alto-Adige. We were in our chalet ready to leave for dinner when he suddenly got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was an intimate moment just for the two of us, unexpected and very touching.

What we love most about each other…

We are very different, yet we share the same values and objectives in life. We bring out each other’s best and we laugh a lot together!

The Setting

Wedding Location

We knew we wanted to marry in Tuscany – it’s where we traveled to together for the first time and where we realized we fell in love.

Finding the right location, however, turned out to be more difficult than we expected. We visited at least 10 different venues before finding the one. Nothing really felt right before Villa Gamberaia, a beautiful Tuscan villa of 1600, located on the hills overlooking Florence. There was something so powerful about that place surrounded by giant centuries-old cypresses. The view at Villa Gamberaia was very special, and we loved the idea of having both ceremony and reception outdoors. The multiple spaces allowed us to surprise the guests as they were moving from one area to another throughout the evening.

Aesthetic

Our vision was a timeless and ethereal wedding with al fresco dining. Our biggest inspiration was the villa itself. To highlight its natural beauty, together with Andrea Patrizi Floral Designer we chose a mono-flower theme throughout the entire wedding, focusing exclusively on white delphinium. It immediately evokes elegance, and that’s what we were after.

Preparation

The weekend prior to the wedding, we were staying at Villa Cora, a luxury hotel just outside Florence, where I was eventually preparing for the ceremony with my mum, while Stefano preferred to get ready for the ceremony directly in Villa Gamberaia.

Photography

We trusted David Bastianoni Studio with our wedding photography. We’d been following him on Instagram for a while before the wedding and always loved his elegant and refined works full of light.

Videography

We leaned into our planner’s recommendations and chose Waterfall Visuals as our videographer. Timeless romance is the vibe you’re getting from their videos, they make you feel like you are watching a real movie.

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

For our ceremony setup we created an atmosphere of a fairytale delphinium garden. We aimed for a floral arrangement that felt more organic, like those flowers were growing there. We didn’t want a traditional floral arch, instead we adorned the Nymphaeum containing a figure of Dionysus with cascading delphiniums, creating a beautiful backdrop for the vows.

Reception Décor

Dinner took place at one long table (we’re in Tuscany after all) which was decorated with elegant white candles of various heights and tall glass vases filled with delphinium spikes. Our florist Nunzia designed a breathtaking installation with cascading delphiniums. Intertwined with candlelight, the hanging greenery and flowers added a touch of ethereal ambiance.

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Wedding Planner & Stylist

We wanted to marry in 2023, so we started looking for a wedding planner literally the day after our engagement. Stefania Guastini from Guastini Style was the first person we spoke to about the wedding planning. We instantly hit it off and looked no further. Despite tricky timings (we organised everything in less than 9 months), Stefania found the right vendors and made it all possible.

Flowers

We loved the idea of a single-flower wedding, yet I wanted my bouquet to stand out, so it was the only piece composed entirely of cream roses, wrapped in silk ribbon.

Stationery

We chose a green and white color palette and incorporated our star – delphinium into our custom logo. We wanted to keep the wedding stationery simple and add a little modernity with a border that feels frame-like.

Cake

We chose a traditional Italian wedding cake, millefoglie, with strawberries which was assembled in front of the guests in the villa’s smaller “grotto”. It was such an engaging moment, the guests kept tagging us in their Instagram stories. They just loved it!

Food & Beverages

We are both foodies and Tuscan cuisine is one of our favourites. Being an essential part on Italian weddings, the aperitivo featured local cured meats and cheeses, fried legumes and lampredotto. For dinner, we served a handmade cappellacci pasta, followed by a beef fillet al Chianti Classico with sage, rosemary and sauteed spinach with raisins and pine nuts, paired with the wines from nearby wineries.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

When I imagined my wedding gown, I was always hesitating between a lace dress and something rather minimalist and sleek. Putting on the Vivienne Westwood “Grace” gown for the first time, I realized it had everything I was looking for in a dress. It was all about the amazing fit: the structured corseted bodice, clean lines, the neckline that highlights the shoulders. I felt elegant and feminine wearing it.

I paired it with plain white Gianvito Rossi slingbacks and a cathedral-length veil by Zuhair Murad, which gave me that touch of lace I was looking for and made me feel like a bride even more.

For dinner, I changed into another Vivienne Westwood piece, a long, covered in gleaming white sequins dress with an open back, which I paired with embellished silver sandals from Aquazzura. I wanted something more playful and sparkly for the second dress but still elegant and timeless.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

My engagement ring is custom-made and features a cushion-cut diamond with pavé setting. To design the perfect ring, Stefano sought advice from my best friend and eventually my bridesmaid Eline, who works in the jewellery business and was the first one to find out about his intention to propose. I’m really happy she took part in the process. They both know me very well; I wouldn’t choose better myself.

Our wedding bands were a gift of the groomsmen. We opted for rose gold rings engraved with our names inside.

I didn’t want to take away from the dress and veil, so I kept my jewellery very minimal. I went with Mateo pearl and diamond earrings to complete the first look.

I accessorized the second dress with asymmetric crystal Swarovski earrings, which recall the asymmetry of the dress.

I also ordered a silk organza shawl that would complement both dresses in case of bad weather. It turned out so beautiful, that even though we were lucky and I didn’t need it, I made sure to snap a few photos wearing it.

Hair & Makeup

For my bridal look, I knew I wanted something natural; I wanted to feel me, so we went with a subtle makeup with a hint of glow and classic waves, parted to the side – an elevated version of my usual beauty look.

Groom’s Attire

Stefano was wearing a three-piece custom-made dark blue suit accessorized with a light-blue Marinella tie and Cartier cufflinks.

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The Details

Honeymoon

Early in our relationship we discovered that we both had New Zealand on our travel wish list. We love nature and New Zealand offers some of the world’s most famous hiking trails. We wanted to combine active holiday with something more relaxing and romantic, so we spent a week in Bora Bora prior to that. It took us 2 days to arrive there but it was absolutely worth it!

Wedding Songs

Bride’s entrance – “Can’t help falling in love” played by violinist and vocalist.

Dinner entrance – “Can’t take my eyes off of you”.

Cake cutting – “Never enough” by Loren Allred.

First dance – “The way you look tonight”.

Entertainment

We love live music, so we decided to invite a band to perform throughout the party. Jazz songs played during the aperitif and some good old Italian during the dinner.

Celebrant

Our wedding planner introduced us to Laura Biagi from LB Celebrazioni. She took time to get to know us, ensuring our ceremony truly reflected our personalities and created a speech that was romantic, yet dynamic and kept our guests captivated. We also chose “The Art of Marriage” poem by Wilfred Arlan Peterson as the ceremony reading. It’s simple, idealistic and reflects our beliefs.

“We chose a mono-flower theme throughout the entire wedding, focusing exclusively on white delphinium. It immediately evokes elegance, and that’s what we were after.”

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

There were many precious moments that day – my grandfather walking me down the aisle, the heart-warming speeches of our mums and friends, the beautiful sunset that gathered everyone together on the terrace. One of the absolute highlights was the dinner entrance, when we saw the table for the first time. Candles, music, imaginative flowers coming from the sky, and of course our friends and families at one table – it was absolutely magical! We took a lap around the table to greet everyone, as the guests welcomed us twirling napkins in the air to the lively music, an Italian wedding tradition.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

We would consider hiring a person for taking photos and videos with iPhone to have more content available right away.

Trust your intuition when it comes to choosing your vendors. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Study their websites and social media profiles – their style and aesthetics should resonate with yours.

Sources of inspiration…

I spend a lot of time on Instagram as a Content Creator, so naturally soon after our engagement, my explore page transformed into a wedding visual board. We thoughtfully reviewed various vendors profiles suggested by our wedding planner to better understand in which direction we want to go.