I had that recurring magical dream again last night... my wedding here in Florence, Italy. It took place exactly three years ago under a star-filled August sky and an Italian "luna piena", or full moon.
I have been living in Florence for eight years now. Originally from Long Island, I met my Italian husband while completing my Junior Spring semester of college abroad in Florence, Italy. I
quickly fell in love with both the country and my future husband so I decided to move to Florence immediately after graduating college to follow my heart.
At first the transition was extremely difficult and frustrating, having a new language, culture and surroundings to adapt to. I was also very anxious to begin working and knew that I wanted to find a job that would keep me connected to America plus take on something very creative with this beautiful country at my finger tips.
Soon after my move to Florence, I met the owner of a destination wedding company that wanted to begin arranging weddings for Americans in Italy. They were only coordinating weddings for Japanese couples at the time. I thought the idea was fantastic but knew it would be a small,
specialized market to reach out to.
The first few years we organized only a few weddings for English speaking couples. Then when the internet boom began and as our reputation grew, we started receiving more requests than we could handle. Our company quickly expanded and we now had an amazing staff of foreigners and Italians arranging weddings for English speaking couples throughout Italy, including Florence, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Venice, Rome and Lake Como. Just imagine the spectacular villas, castles, churches, palaces, gardens,and very characteristic Italian restaurants to choose from.
Three years ago my husband and I decided it was time to get married. Of course I wanted to have the wedding in a beautiful area in Italy and knew I could take care of all the arrangements through my own personal years of experience and with the assistance of our professional service providers.
First we had a small, intimate civil ceremony at Palazzo Vecchio, the historic town hall in Florence, with just our immediate families. The "Sala Rossa", ceremony room, is decorated elegantly, filled with large, ornate gold mirrors and antique tapestries. The ceremony itself was simple and eloquently officiated by an Italian government Registrar of Marriages with an English speaking translator. The legal paperwork was easily completed in two mornings here in Florence prior to this ceremony.
Here's where that recurring magical dream comes in...
Following the civil ceremony, we had a large, interfaith religious wedding at an 11th century castle in Fiesole, the hilltown above Florence with 160 guests in attendance. This castle is breathtaking,
with spectacular views from its terracotta terrace and tower. The excitement was overwhelming for not only my husband and I, but for all our guests, over 70 of whom traveled over 3000 miles to attend.
The backdrop for the ceremony was a lush garden in full bloom with ivy clad walls and a flowing ancient fountain . We proceeded to the cocktail hour on the terracotta terrace. Waiters served delicious Italian specialties including fried sage, warm "bomboloncini" filled with truffles, and fresh parmesan cheese. The views overlooked the rolling hills of Tuscany and the panorama of Florence with its Duomo off in the distance. An exquisite Italian catered dinner was then served, overflowing with Chianti red wine in the open-air courtyard. As dusk settled in, torches illuminated the courtyard. Following dinner, our Italian and American guests danced side by side to "That's Amore" outside on the terraced dance floor.
Everyone was in absolute awe by how all the little details for the catering, flowers and music were perfectly planned.This affair was better than our families and I could have ever imagined.
We continuously reminisce through our magnificent photo albums and video. The Americans who attended still continue to this day to tell my parents and I that it was an absolute fairy tale wedding that they would never forget.
Web site:
http://www.weddingsitaly.comEmail:
[email protected] 
....Am i asking for the moon ? Any feedback is welcome!!