Villa La Vedetta wedding in July. Weddings at this hotel are all about the view from the villa’s vantage point over Florence city. The villa has a great position close to Piazzale Michelangelo. It sits in its own small private gardens and at the back of Villa La Vedetta, there is a large terrace that hosts many wedding ceremonies and even more dinner receptions as its views of Florence are lovely.
I start the day taking a few photos of Villa La Vedetta followed by a few detail photos. Soon the groom arrives and once they are dressed I take some pictures of him, his brother, father and best men getting ready. They adjust each other and check that everything is perfect.
There is much excitement and joy as they have all been waiting for this day a long time. Once they are ready they all head off towards the church. They are having a Catholic wedding in Chiesa Ognissanti. Chiesa Ognissanti is a popular church in Florence city center, you can find it near the St.Regis Hotel just next to the river Arno.
With the men’s departure, I head up to the suite to find the bride and bridesmaids. They are finishing hair and makeup and are starting to help the bride into her dress. I capture photos of her and her sisters helping her into her dress and then with her accessories. Once the dress is on, the shoes, earrings, bracelet and necklace all follow. I take some casual group photos in the room and then we head downstairs. While we wait for the private car and driver that will take the bride and her father to her Chiesa Ognissanti wedding I take a few portraits of the bride.
Wedding Chiesa Ognissanti
The journey to the church is a short one. Not even ten minutes and we are in the small square in front of Chiesa Ognissanti. I love this church. It is quiet, well positioned and a just a beautiful church. Many photographers don’t like it because it is fairly dark but I have seen churches a lot darker. I also like it because there is plenty of space to work in without getting too close to people. The church is very popular with people that choose to hold a wedding at the St.Regis because the hotel is in the same square.
To finish their wedding in Chiesa Ognissanti, the couple exits to a long line of people throwing petals and cheering to celebrate their union. After five minutes of congratulations, we then go for photos in Florence for about 30 mins before we then head back to Villa La Vedetta.
Villa La Vedetta wedding reception
On returning to Villa La Vedetta everyone enjoys some food and refreshments in the gardens for about 45 minutes. The dinner is set up on the back terrace and people are wandering taking photos of the lovely view of the Cathedral. It is time to take some family and group photos so we do them on the terrace with Florence city and its famous monuments in the background as a reminder of where we are.
On completing the group photos I then take the couple for photos a little closer to sunset. We finish with some photos at San Miniato al Monte where the view of Florence is even better seeing as it is one of the highest points of the city.
We return to the Villa La Vedetta and dinner follows with speeches, good food, good wine and great company. Later in the evening they cut the cake and have their first dances, then a lively party follows, all with the city of Florence glowing in the background as night descends on their beautiful wedding day.