Emily and Jared travelled from Chicago to Italy's beautiful Tuscan countryside with friends and family for their destination wedding. They chose the traditional farmhouse of Casa Cornacci as their venue for its gorgeous garden ceremony space just above the pool with a breathtaking view overlooking the valley. After the ceremony guests gathered around a single long reception table as the warm Tuscan dusk set in, captured by Angelica Braccini. We just love the lush bright florals in this wedding, and there's more from Emily below on choosing their location and the details of their day.

DECIDING ON THE DESTINATION

"We wanted an intimate destination wedding with 30 of our closest family and friends. Italy was our favorite of the trips we'd taken together, so it was the obvious choice for our celebration. We held the wedding over three days at gorgeous, private villa Casa Cornacci nestled in the Tuscan countryside. This allowed us to spend quality time with each and every person who made the trip from our hometown of Chicago and throughout the United States.

STYLE

We wanted our wedding to feel relaxed yet elegant. The villa grounds and the breathtaking view over the valley meant we barely needed to decorate a thing! We didn't choose specific colors but tended to use wines and greens to reflect the authenticity of Italy's favorite drink and the beautiful rolling hillsides. My "something borrowed" was my lace one-shouldered bridal dress, which came from one of my closest friends. It was such a wonderful thing to share and my hope is to pass it along to another someday. I added a personal touch to the gown with an ivory Swarovski belt, and had a large group of friends as bridesmaids together with my twin sister who was the maid of honor.

CEREMONY AND RECEPTION

Jared and I were glad we decided to have a few moments together for a "first look" before the ceremony. The ceremony was very personal with readings from our mothers and notes written to each other. The soprano who sang Con Te Partiro as we walked down the aisle made it feel so quintessentially Italian! It was very emotional and was performed so well by Jo Bertolino of Tuscan Pledges. The wedding party then moved under the main porch for reception. We loved our single long, wooden reception table, decorated with a lace runner, lanterns and lush arrangements of pink and white flowers by Stiatti Fiori. We will never forget the joy of seeing everyone around that one table, drinking, toasting, laughing and celebrating, while we looked out past the candles that twinkled to the trees and valley beyond. Even though there were a few drops of rain, the day couldn't have been more romantic and perfect!"

Photography: Angelica Braccini | Second Shooter: Ilaria Constanzo | Venue: Casa Cornacchi | Florist: Stiatti Fiori | Officiant: Jo Bertolino of Tuscan Pledges | Dress: 'Bianca' from Ulla Maija | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaid Dresses: BCBG | Groom's Attire: Duru's | Wedding Favors & Gifts: The Left Bank | Submitted via: Two Bright Lights