A graceful natural wedding in Valdorcia, Tuscany — Il Rigo Agriturismo Biologico in Toscana

Outside it is raining and, whether we like it or not, we have to stop the olive harvest and wait for the sun to come out.
So here I am, looking through old wedding photos, at smiling faces and sunny afternoons, and telling you more about one of my favourite 2016 weddings

!A word about this blogI would like to point out that, unlike other wedding blogs that you might find on the web, all the weddings featured on this site are hosted, planned (partly or completely) and realised by us – me (Luisa), and the great team of Il Rigo.
Every year, I feel as if I get more and more passionate about planning and bringing to life these intimate weddings.
I meet the couples, I chat with them to understand who they are, what they like (are they food lovers? photography nerds? party animals?). Then, my favourite phase begins: designing it! I sit down with a cup of tea in my hands and some music playing, and I envision the scenery in my mind: a wedding in June. Which flowers are going to grow? Which vegetables are in season? Shall I propose that they enjoy a wine tasting in that new organic farm down the road? ... Maybe tonight we will go and taste their wine again ourselves ... Wedding favours? Let’s propose something new this time...

As friend of mine just wrote about her blog: "(This) my work is creative, and, as with every creative job, you need time and space to explore, research, or even just to contemplate ideas, running them over in your mind.”

Finally, after months full of tons of emails, WhatsApp messages and texts, the big day arrives and I take my place, behind the scenes, sometimes in the kitchen, cooking and preparing all the decorations. It is from there (the kitchen) that I am admiring today’s wedding.

Jen getting ready - british inspired bridal bouquet

I met Gareth and Jen in 2015 and at that time, I hadn’t yet hosted any weddings for British citizens.
You must know that my passion for weddings and especially for wedding flowers was born some years ago, when I suddenly discovered the website of my farmer-mentor, Foragefor.
The Tuscan weather and the clay soil of Valdorcia cannot compete with that generous, opulent and gorgeous garden in Suffolk, but I’ll keep working on it!
You can imagine my excitement to host a bride so sensitive to flower beauty as Jen was.
Not that we talked so much about the flower decorations: natural and simple, possibly using pastel tones – that was all she asked!
So I did my very best to rise to the occasion, especially in comparison to her country's admirable tradition.Love-in-a-mist, olive leaves, daisies, wildorchids, cornflowers, wild scabiosa and wild carrots: such a simple mixture that I could die for!

The wedding day: ceremony in Comune

The civil ceremony took place in the Comune – City Hall – of San Quirico. The rooms of this XIV century palace are a beautiful setting for a ceremony.

Located less than 3 kilometres from Il Rigo, the Vitaleta Chapel is the perfect place for a photo session, before the party begins. The atmosphere was so relaxed and enjoyable that sometimes I would forget we were actually working while the guests were having fun! Well most of them had fun, but the friends of the bride also had a hard time protecting the bride's pale skin from sunburns... The umbrellas were just essential!

The wedding cake: cornflowers, pansy and strawberries love each others

Any relation to the Union Jack colours is coincidental! That’s just the result of putting together seasonal edible flowers and fruits on a white wedding cake!