Timeless Elegance in Tuscany: An Intimate Wedding at Castello di Celsa
Photography by Pearce Brennan.

Set against the rolling Tuscan hills and the storied Castello di Celsa, Gloria and Collin’s wedding was a study in understated elegance and intentional design. The ceremony unfurled in the castle’s garden, where neutral florals and verdant greenery framed the couple against a backdrop of Italy’s poetic vistas and miles of uninterrupted landscape.
For the reception, a U-shaped tablescape spilled with autumnal blooms and glistening fruit, enveloped by black bistro chairs, creating contrast and texture. Touches like the custom banners that draped softly from the exterior stones and an intuitive layout that centered ‘feeling over form’ lent an air of organic beauty and profound intimacy.
The bride wore an A-line jacquard gown by Madi Lane with Badgley Mischka heels.

Our Story
Names / Gloria and Collin Purcell
Location / Siena, Italy
Wedding Date / September 13th, 2024
Guest Numbers / 42
Budget / Not Disclosed
How We Met
Gloria and Collin put on a dating app during their last semester of college in 2017. Funny enough, they weren’t looking for anything serious and just wanted someone to take as a date to their sorority/fraternity events. They decided to meet for lunch on the university campus the next day, and Collin fell in love. He thought Gloria was the sweetest, smartest, most beautiful girl he had met. Unfortunately, it was NOT love at first sight for Gloria. After persistently asking for a second date, Gloria gave Collin another chance and realized he was the most amazing person she had ever met!
Our Engagement Story
Gloria and Collin were on vacation in French Polynesia. They had just arrived at their gorgeous overwater bungalow on the island of Tahiti. Gloria suggested that they put on their snorkel gear and jump in the water, but Collin wanted to get dressed up and explore the resort for sunset. Gloria thought that was extremely suspicious. As she was doing her makeup, she saw Collin getting emotional out of the corner of her eye. Then came a knock on the door from the staff asking if now was a good time to set up the private dinner on our deck. Gloria had a feeling that Collin was about to propose, but she wasn’t 100% certain, because Collin is a romantic and plans sweet moments regularly. All of a sudden, a photographer appeared, and Collin was down on one knee. He gave the most beautiful speech during the most perfect sunset and she said yes!
What we love most about each other…
While it’s impossible to summarize all the reasons Collin loves Gloria, what stands out most to him is that she is deeply and genuinely a good person with a huge heart and caring nature. She always goes above and beyond to help others. Collin also loves that he can trust her with his life as she is the most thoughtful, intentional, and widely talented person he has ever met. He also loves how she makes life so fun. She has been a role model for Collin in so many ways and always supports and encourages him to be the best he can be. Finally, Collin is obsessed with how gorgeous she is and constantly gets caught staring at her, completely lost in her beauty. Overall, Gloria has all the qualities of an amazing wife, future mother, and person, and Collin feels like the luckiest man in the world to have married her.
Gloria loves how smart, kind-hearted, hardworking, genuine, dorky, and romantic Collin is. She loves how he can make others feel so comfortable just by being his genuine and dorky self. She loves how passionate he is about the things that excite him and how supportive he is of others when they’re talking about something that excites them. She loves his intelligence. He is the first person she comes to when she has questions about any topic, because she knows he’ll have 10 facts lined up each time. She loves how much grace he gives to others. She loves his positivity and the way he makes every moment feel like it’s the absolute best moment of their lives.

The Setting
Wedding Location
They got married at Castello di Celsa, a 13th century castle in Tuscany, Italy. It’s effortlessly stunning and has so much character. Gloria and Collin wanted a venue that reflected the natural beauty of Tuscany. Their ceremony took place in the beautiful garden overlooking miles of rolling hills. Dinner was outside where the castle stood directly behind the bride and groom and served as the most stunning backdrop. Afterwards, everyone moved into the castle courtyard for the party.
Aesthetic
When planning the style of the wedding, they were more focused on how it would feel rather than how it would look. They wanted every detail to feel unique to them, their relationship, and their personalities – elegant, timeless, romantic, and fun. They incorporated pops of color through plates and stationary while honoring a timeless feel through neutral ceremony florals and a clean a-line gown.
Preparation
Before getting ready with her bridesmaids, mother, and mother-in-law, Gloria had breakfast in the Castle with Collin and their entire family. Gloria and Collin gave their parents sentimental gifts to thank them for all of their love and support throughout the years.

Photography
Pearce Brennan was our photographer for the entire weekend. He captured every detail, moment, and emotion perfectly. We were drawn to how effortless and candid his photos looked.

Style Notes
Ceremony Décor
Gloria and Collin wanted the ceremony to feel timeless, so they decided on neutral and green florals. Hints of red were added to match with all of the autumn leaves turning. Gloria and Collin kept the florals minimal to let the natural beauty of the garden speak for itself. The florals were presented in vintage-inspired vessels placed atop pedestals, just high enough so that the stunning view was still visible.
Reception Décor
Gloria and Collin added more pops of color as the night went on to transition from the ceremony to a fun reception. The tables were assembled in a large U-shape to cultivate an intimate dinner where everyone was connected. The tablescape included beautiful green Richard Ginori plates, lush white florals with pops of green and violet fruits. String lights were installed above the tables to create a romantic feel.

Wedding Planner & Stylist
Jen, the wedding planner, assisted in executing the bride’s styling by working with the florist and flying out to Italy a couple of weeks early to put mockups together so that Gloria and Collin could see their vision come to life.
Flowers
Gloria and Collin chose lush white ceremony florals for a timeless feel. Greenery was added to the entrance of the garden to tone down the rustic gates. Gloria liked the look of petite bouquets for both her and her bridesmaids. She had envisioned her bridesmaids holding a bouquet with predominantly green florals, similar to Lily of the Valley while her bouquet would consist of only lush white florals. Even though the blooms in season couldn’t accommodate her vision, they were still beautiful.
Stationery
Their save the date was actually a short and sweet video of them, which they sent to all of their guests electronically.
All of the wedding invitations and stationary were designed and made by the bride. Gloria embossed an outline of Castello di Celsa onto the main invitation and hand-stamped the details/information of the events. She included a line from their song, “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole on the RSVP card, which they danced to during their private last dance! An italian garden was printed on a vellum sleeve and was hand-sealed with an antique bronze-colored wax and their logo by Collin! The pops of periwinkle, green, and rose were used throughout the invitation suite to match with their dinner and dessert plates.
Gloria designed and printed the dinner menus, then tied and glued each ribbon on!
Additional stationary included the wedding program placed in each welcome bag, fans, welcome signage, seating charts, and custom matchboxes.
Favors / Bonbonniere
Collin and Gloria put welcome bags together for their guests, which included their favorite italian snacks, their favorite olive oil from Portofino, matchboxes, and their wedding scent which was Bergamote 22 by Le Labo.
Cake
They chose to go with a traditional Italian wedding cake, called Millefoglie. It was so fun to make it with the chef in front of all of their guests.
Food & Beverages
For cocktail hour, tray passed hors d’oeuvres were served alongside a spread of Italian meats and cheeses. Cocktail hour drinks included 4 of their favorite spritzes.
For dinner, they chose to go with a three-course sit-down dinner consisting of Tuscan style dishes. Signature cocktails included Bella Notte , an espresso martini, named after their dog. They also had a Purcellebration Paloma, which is a play on their newlywed name, Purcell along with a cocktail that the groom is known for making, called The Lemonade.
Fashion & Beauty Notes
Bride’s Dress & Shoes
Gloria wore a ceremony an A-line, basque waist, jacquard gown by Madi Lane styled with Badgley Mischka heels. She had initially said yes to the Diana gown by Netta BenShabu but opted for a more timeless look a few months before the wedding! The reception look was by Kim Kassas, styled with a silk bridal scarf.
Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories
Collin and Gloria chose a matching gold band engraved with their initials and wedding date on the inside. Gloria paired her ring with a round diamond eternity band.
Hair & Makeup
Gloria’s hair was worn down with loose curls. She kept her makeup rosy and natural as she wanted to feel like herself.
Groomsmen Attire
The groomsmen wore black tuxedos rented from a local shop in Rome. Their bow ties were custom embroidered with their initials, gifted to them by the groom.
Bridesmaids Dresses
Gloria’s bridesmaids wore espresso brown floor length dresses of varying styles and fabrics. Gloria wanted them to feel their most beautiful and comfortable on the day, so they chose their own dresses!
Flowergirls / Pageboy Outfits
Collin and Gloria chose their nephew, Jude, to be their flowerboy! He wore a black tux and planned to hold a few rose stems to hand out to the guests on his way down the aisle.

The Details
Transportation
Gloria and Collin did their grand exit on a vintage vespa the next day after their farewell pool party with all of their guests lined up on the sides and shaking tambourines.
Honeymoon
Since they had been to Italy 3 times prior, they felt they should visit someplace new, so they explored northern Italy in Lake Garda and the Dolomites. Then they traveled to Switzerland and Mallorca. Collin’s most notable part of their honeymoon was staying at Forestis, where they had the most amazing food and spa days. Gloria’s favorite moments were seeing all of the cows while exploring Grindelwald and swimming in the beautiful beaches of Mallorca!
Wedding Songs
Collin walked down the aisle with his parents to O Sole Mio, which translates to “My sunshine”. He loves classical music and it was his grandmother’s favorite song. The wedding party walked down to “Lucky Me” an original song sung live by one of their good friends, Jake. Gloria walked down the aisle to “Timeless” by Taylor Swift. She is a true Swiftie and the overarching theme of her vows was related to Time.
Collin and Gloria had their first dance to “Before You” by Benson Boone and did their private last dance to their song, “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole.
The father-daughter dance was to a rendition of “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift.
“Landslide” played as Collin and his mother shared their first dance.
Gloria and her mother then danced to a remix of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” which transitioned into the rest of the party playlist.
Entertainment
Gloria and Collin curated a playlist for their DJ. They also had an amazing saxophonist on the dance floor.
Celebrant
They chose a celebrant, named Enrico, who captured the culture and spirit of Italy so authentically. He took the time to get to know Collin and Gloria and got a good sense of their relationship. He worked closely with them to accommodate all of their requests!
Readings
Collin and Gloria wrote their own heartfelt vows. Before they shared their vows, Enrico stated some readings from the Italian civil code in both English and Italian.
Our Advice
A memorable moment…
One memorable moment for the guests was reading the handwritten personal cards that Gloria and Collin wrote for them. A memorable moment for Collin and Gloria was their private last dance. It was their first moment alone together as newlyweds. It was 2am and they had just spent the entire day with their closest family and friends, who were all secretly watching from the balcony and windows of the 13th century castle.
If you could give other couples one piece of advice…
We have learned quite a few lessons during the wedding planning process! Firstly, choose your team wisely. Your wedding day is a high-stress and overwhelming day, so choose vendors who will look out for you and your well-being rather than those who are treating your wedding as just something they can add to their portfolio.
It is also so important to choose a planner and florist who have the same vision and standards as you do! Hire vendors who have experience with weddings that are similar in size and style to yours.
Lastly, be sure your hair and makeup artist are willing to try more than one look with you during the trial, so that you feel confident with a look that you love!
One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…
Something I wish I had done is delegate someone to keep track of the time in the morning while getting ready and doing first looks, so that I could be present and enjoy the day without having to worry about keeping everyone on time.

Our Contacts
Wedding Venue / Castello di Celsa
Wedding Stylist / Bride
Wedding Planner / First Pick Planning
Photography / Pearce Brennan
Videography / Alberto Daria
Bride’s Dress / Serene by Madi Lane
Bride’s Shoes / Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaids Dresses / House of CB, Norma Kamali, ASOS, Nookie
Florist / Barefoot Floral
Cake / Guidi Lenci Ricevimenti
Catering / Guidi Lenci Ricevimenti
Celebrant / Celebrante Enrico Epifani
Cocktail Hour Games / Wedding Games Tuscany
Directory
Beauty & Wellbeing
Find our handpicked edit of Beauty, Health and Wellbeing brands and services around the world on the Directory.
