Sandy is Canadian, David is Scottish, and they both live in London England. They decided to legally marry at the registrar’s office in London, England and then head to Italy for their enchanting wedding celebration with family and friends.

They chose Italy as the location for the celebration of their marriage vows because of the abundance of gorgeous venues, beautiful sunny weather and amazing food. They decided on a medieval Castle on the hills, near Florence.

75 guests from Canada and various parts of Europe joined Sandy and David for a weekend in Tuscany. The bride and groom provided their guests with a selected list of accommodations in the area where they could book their stay.

The celebrations began on a Thursday in Florence, where some guests gathered for a walking tour. On Friday evening Sandy and David had a welcoming event at an enoteca in a small town nearby, where guests enjoyed wine tasting, accompanied by typical Tuscan dishes such as ribollita, which is a hearty vegetable soup, along with prosciutto and a variety of cheeses and desserts.

On Saturday afternoon, buses picked up the guests at their various accommodations and drove them to the castle. The guests were welcomed by a jazz quartet and directed to the castle garden where Sandy and David renewed their marriage vows in a symbolic ceremony in front of their family and friends, overlooking a stunning panorama of Florence.

Guests were then escorted into the courtyard where cocktails were served while the jazz quartet continued to play. Under the warm Tuscan autumn sun, guests enjoyed champagne and a selection of hors d'oeuvres such as salted almonds, crostini with warm patè, toasted bread with wild boar sauce and mushrooms, parmesan with sweet cinnamon, pecorino cheese, and fried zucchini flowers.

Dinner was held in the verandah of the castle. The round tables were covered with ivory table linens and set with square brown leather chargers topped white Italian porcelain dinnerware. The centerpieces were made of 3 gerbera daisies floating in a vase of water with tea light candles.

The meal began with a dish of homemade tortelli pasta with fresh tomatoe basil and porcini mushrooms served with Schulthaurser Pinot Blanc 2004 wine. A second dish of risotto with red cicory and creamed taleggio cheese was also served. The main dish was a delicious fillet of beef with “lardo di colonnata” flavoured with Chianti Classico Riserva with a side dish of crispy rosemary potatoes and aubergine basil and cherry tomatoe roll-ups, accompanied by Bucciarelli Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 wine.

For dessert, the traditional millefolgie cake, made of layers of flaky puff pastry laid with rich chantilly cream and topped with dark chocolate pieces was served. After the bride and groom cut the cake with a special knife that Sandy ’s mother had brought over from Canada, the cake was handed out to the guests and was accompanied by Mission Hill Reserve Reisling Icewine 2003 that Sandy had shipped from Canada. It was a nice touch to have a bit of Sandy ’s heritage at her Italian wedding celebration.

After coffee and a selection of spirits were served, the guests enjoyed dancing and an open bar. The DJ played until 1:30 am. The castle was sparkling in the Tuscan night, lit by torches all around, as the guests headed for the buses that transported them back to their hotels. Sandy and David thanked their guests for coming to Italy to celebrate their marriage with them and bid them farewell. The newlyweds then headed for their medieval hotel suite set atop of the castle courtyard, to relax after a lavish fest.