Gosh, I don’t even know where to start with Jack & Al. There’s just too much to say. What I will say is, they did it right when it came to their Tuscany wedding. The choice to run off to Italy and secure a Tuscany wedding venue was very intentional; although Italy weddings have become extremely trendy in the last few years, Jack & Al have actually spent a lot of time in this country, and traveling together is specifically something that means a lot to them in their relationship, so having a wedding in this way felt very authentic to them.

They invited about 15 people total, which consisted of only their parents, siblings, close aunts and uncles and their very best friends, all staying together at their venue about an hour outside of Pisa. The venue itself had a catering connection, and they brought me from Denver along for the ride.

Is a Tuscany wedding expensive?

While most people think a Tuscany wedding can be extremely luxury and expensive, Allie & Jack said it was actually more affordable than even an intimate wedding in the states. Their largest expenses were the venue itself (but also served as lodging for all of them), the expense of travel itself (but the entire family actually went off to have separate vacations of their own, and Allie & Jack honeymooned here!), and me as photographer (but they valued our connection and ability to connect with me in general from a language barrier, as well as loved my style), but overall it really evened out from the average ~$30k wedding expense you’d expect in the united states for a more traditional wedding.

When it comes to planning a destination wedding in another county, and especially a Tuscany wedding, I’d suggest definitely connecting with either a planner or photographer first who is familiar with the country, and traveling internationally itself. You could decide to book local vendors to the destination where you are traveling, and while they may provide a more cost effective option, they may not understand the logistics of what you’ll go through for travel and won’t be able to help you with this. Having someone who is able to guide you in this area becomes extremely important while planning and is truly a life-saver to avoid major stress and headaches when you’ve never been to the country before! AND, if you do decide to book someone that is willing to travel, make sure that they are also experienced: “willingness” means nothing if they haven’t had to navigate in multiple countries by themselves, book travel and lodging and especially transportation (and the ability to drive in these countries!), all while navigating without their native tongue.

Here’s a snippet of Jack & Allie’s Tuscany wedding day, literally one of my favorite days of all time:

vendors

photography & videography @hennessyphotoco

venue tuscan retreats

floral rebel rebel italia