Romance in the region

Wedding planners from The Wedding Bliss Thailand, recently organized a destination wedding at the stunning Tenuta di Artimino Melià Collection in the hills of the Carmignano area just 20 kilometres from Florence, thanks to the collaboration with Tuscany for Weddings, the dedicated division of Destination Florence CVB operating on behalf of Toscana Promozione Turistica. The historic villa of Medici origins was the jaw-dropping setting chosen by the planners with their high-profile clients, Lena and Charyl, who are well-known in Thailand and their wedding was even featured in Vogue Thailand. We spoke with Jess, the executive director of the renowned wedding planning team that’s led alongside her sister, Nanya, to discuss the process.

Why did you decide on Tuscany for this important wedding?
Firstly, we discussed with our clients about the location and venue. Most of our couples would like to host their wedding in our country, Thailand, however, some ask if we can help them have a wedding elsewhere, and Italy is number one on their minds when it comes to destination weddings. Our clients always sent us reference photos of weddings in Tuscany, so we confirmed with them that we have very good contacts with venues and vendors in Tuscany, and that was it! Once they explored the options with us, they set their heart on a Tuscan wedding.

What was important for you in terms of choice of location? How did Tuscany deliver?
Of course, the beauty of the location was first and secondly, the functionality of the space. We have to check all the spaces that each venue offers. We need to know that there are the right spots to host a wedding ceremony, cocktail hours, dinner reception, and the after party, in keeping with our clients’ visions. Tuscany has everything our clients dreamed: the natural beauty which is almost surreal, the historical venues, and the qualified vendors.

What were the benefits in terms of arranging a wedding in Tuscany?
We are very grateful to expand our portfolio to Tuscany as one of the world’s top wedding destinations. The vendors there are very experienced and understand the assignment. Even though they are new to us in terms of collaboration, we worked very well together. It’s such a good experience for all of us and we are looking forward to coming back again in the near future.

How did you find the collaboration with Tuscany for Weddings and how did you come to know about them?
We got to know Tuscany for Weddings at the Destination Wedding Planners Congress (DWP 2016) hosted in Florence. At that time, I was attending the congress with Nanya, my sister who is the wedding planning director of the company, and we were impressed by how excellently the congress was executed; everything seemed impeccable. We got to know Chiara from Tuscany for Weddings and when our company got a chance to host DWP Congress 2017 in Phuket as an event partner the next year, we got in touch again with Chiara and asked for her advice. We have been in quite close contact since then. Chiara has always sent us positive vibes and assured us that if we one day hosted weddings in Tuscany, her team would be there for the support. We are so grateful to get to know Tuscany for Weddings. Arranging a wedding far away from home has never been this easy and pleasant!

Linda Rossi, Sales Manager at Tenuta di Artimino Melià Collection, commented

“Tenuta di Artimino and Tuscany for Weddings have been collaborating for years and it’s also thanks to this type of relationship that we are able to reach a large international public. We are proud to be able to represent this authentic corner of Tuscany with its past that’s packed with history and culture, without forgetting the extraordinary landscape that surrounds us. The context in which the estate is located was in fact one of the strengths for which the couple chose us months ago, together with the possibility of being able to let all the guests stay overnight on site between the hotel and the Borgo lodges. Lena and Charyl and the wedding planners from The Wedding Bliss Thailand immediately conveyed their desire to create a wedding in which the element of nature was present and evocative. The ceremony was set up among the olive trees, right next to the garden of the Villa, and it was magical, as was the dinner at the foot of the steps with a view of the village and the hills. We love our work thanks to events and weddings like these which make great use of strengths and careful planning to create special memories for couples, guests, and also for us”.