Florence · Wedding weekendLeona
The first phone call came from Niccolò. His sister had suggested my number after seeing a wedding I had organised in Tuscany, which she had particularly loved. His first question was very direct: had I ever organised weddings with a truly large number of guests? The answer was yes.
Shortly afterwards I met Leona too, and we began a great search for the place that could hold the wedding they were imagining. From our very first conversations their vision was clear: they did not simply want to organise a wedding, but to build an entire wedding weekend. Two main days, different yet deeply connected: the first would celebrate Leona's paternal origins with an evening inspired by Indian culture; the second would follow the more traditional structure of an Italian wedding, enriched with Lebanese moments and traditions in homage to her mother's family.
Our goal was to create a weekend able to unite cultures, families and different ways of living emotion, without any one prevailing over the others.
Leona is polite, thoughtful and very determined. She allows herself the freedom to daydream and, when it comes to your own wedding, I believe that is only natural. She is sporty and full of energy: I understood very early that music and dancing would become one of the focal points of the whole event.
Niccolò speaks when it is needed. He has that classic Italian spirit that brings everyone together and, almost always, makes the people around him smile. He is a reliable, present team-mate. For Leona, a partner for life. Together they are a balanced, close-knit couple, deeply attentive to the people they love.
One of the most important priorities was to make every guest feel welcomed and at home. Friends and family would be arriving from different parts of the world, and Leona and Niccolò's gratitude towards them could be felt in every decision.
For this reason the guest experience was designed with particular care: hotels close to the ceremony, every transfer organised, so that no one had to think about logistics and every guest could simply let themselves be accompanied and enjoy the celebration. Hospitality, organisation and care were not merely logistics — they were an essential part of how the couple wished to thank the people who had chosen to be there.
They did not simply want to organise a wedding, but to build an entire wedding weekend.
The idea at the origin of the wedding's style was the Renaissance. Italian art guided the choice of images, shapes, colours and atmospheres, reinterpreted in a modern, elegant, scenographic key. It was also a homage to the places chosen for the celebration: the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and Villa Corsini a Mezzomonte.
The project began taking shape with the invitations, inspired by the frescoed gallery of Villa Corsini. The animated invitation, sent to each guest through a dedicated concierge service, anticipated what they would actually experience during the weekend. The logo and the decorative motifs appeared in the hand-made drapes of the tableau de mariage and in the menus, closed with tassels that arrived directly from India.
Every element was chosen with attention: from the tones of the tablecloths to the colours of the staff uniforms, down to the floral corner designed to converse with the statues already present at the venue. Nothing stood alone. Every choice served the same narrative.
For the entrance to the church Leona chose to add a veil train to her outfit: a romantic, traditional touch, meant to accompany her long walk beside her father and make even more moving the moment when, at the altar, it would be Niccolò to lift it. A solemn, stirring, almost regal entrance.
The first part of the nave was lit by candelabra and candles in glass, the last part adorned with floral compositions. Leona had chosen to keep her dress secret even from her bridesmaids. The couple's entrance at dinner was accompanied by traditional Lebanese drums and projections; Leona's first dance with her father, and then with Niccolò, were among the most moving moments of the evening. A day full of joy, laughter and deep emotion.
That very week, for safety reasons, the fine-arts authority ordered the closure of the basilica's main entrance. And one hour before the reception began, a violent storm hit the venue. The whole team of suppliers worked at great speed to restore the setting before the guests arrived.
When the guests arrived, everything was ready. The storm had become just an invisible episode behind the scenes, and the celebration could finally begin.
Nothing stood alone. Every choice served the same narrative.
Of this wedding I will remember the energy with which different cultures and traditions managed to live together naturally. The emotion of Leona's friends seeing her in her dress for the first time, the long walk into the church beside her father, the piano at dinner, the Lebanese drums, the projections, and the guests gathered in the middle of the room to dance together.
But a special place in my heart will always belong to the Sangeet group dance, prepared for months by family and closest friends: an extraordinary choreography, built with commitment, complicity and affection.
Their wedding was not simply a meeting of different cultures, but the creation of a new language, built around them and the people they love.
We use technical cookies and, only with your consent, measurement cookies to understand how the site is used. Cookie policy · Privacy