Tuscany welcome dinner
The three days began here with this Welcome Pizza Party in the Medieval hamlet of the estate. I can’t imagine a warmer, more entertaining way to welcome your guests. Click HERE to see the full feature on Style Me Pretty.
The Welcome dinner is always so much fun. You expect your guests to be tired from traveling but instead they are exhilarated, thrilled to have arrived and begin to settle in. That is why I like to start off with an evening that is fun and entertaining and lets you know right from the start that you could only be in Italy. Outdoor pizza oven, Italian folk singers, antique gelato cart with six flavors, an assortment of Italian antipasti and Tuscan wine and good old Peroni Italian beer.
For Meghan and Steven’s welcome dinner to Tuscany the theme was clearly casual, vintage Italian charm. The tables were decorated with aromatic herbs in terra cotta pots, figs, lemons, rosemary, olives and candles, candles, candles!
The welcome dinner was held in the piazzetta of the Medieval Borgo. The tiny little town square that was central to the life of the borgo (hamlet) for hundreds and hundreds of years would now gather the guests traveled from far and wide. Overhead we strung fairy lights to give even more atmosphere and to make the whole evening twinkle.
Everyone loves gelato and when the gelato cart opens after dinner the lines begin to form. The antique gelato cart offers six flavors of artisanal gelato made locally. It is always difficult to limit the choices to only six which is why we always do a gelato tasting beforehand to make the difficult selection.
For the table set-ups we chose rustic, vintage items like the rattan chairs, vintage Villeroy and Boch floral chargers, etched wine and water glasses and natural linen runners and napkins.
The folk duo moves among the tables serenading the bride and groom and their guests. They get the guests involved in a sing along which always proves to be so much fun. A sort of vintage karaoke if you will.
The guests had been arriving at the Tuscan villa throughout the day and into the early evening. Little by little you could see the estate come to life with the guests roaming around and taking photos of every little nook and cranny on the property, it is just that charming and special. With the welcome pizza party the evening always goes on longer than one would expect given that so many have been traveling for almost up to a day to get there. But the mood is contagious and it is the perfect ice breaker for your family and friends, many of whom will be meeting for the first time. It is the sort of atmosphere that immediately breaks down walls and gets one and all to participate and feel as if they have known each other for years.
Bride’s Dress: Dolce and Gabbana
Bride’s Shoes: Dolce and Gabbana
