Chianti Relais Wedding Photographer & Filmmaker
A Luxury Tuscany Villa Wedding in the Heart of Chianti
SOLE DEL chianti
There are some places in Tuscany that just feel exactly like you imagined Tuscany would feel. Chianti Relais is one of them.
Surrounded by rolling hills, vineyards and the quiet Tuscan countryside, it has that effortless Italian feeling I love so much. Beautiful views, warm stone, long dinners outside and golden light that seems to last forever.
Having photographed a wedding here, what I loved most was how intimate everything felt. You are not moving from one place to another all day. You get to settle in, slow down and actually enjoy being in Tuscany with the people you love.
A Wedding Weekend in Tuscany
One of the best parts about getting married at a private villa in Chianti is that your wedding doesn't have to feel like one single day.
Your closest people can stay together, spend time by the pool, have dinner together the night before and slowly ease into the wedding celebrations. The morning of the wedding feels calmer because everyone is already there.
And when the wedding is over, you wake up in Tuscany and get to keep enjoying it.
That is probably my favorite thing about destination weddings. The wedding becomes part of a much bigger experience.
What a Private Luxury Villa Can Offer
Choosing a private villa for your wedding in Tuscany gives you something completely different from a traditional venue. It becomes your home for a few days, a place where your closest people can stay together and where the wedding feels like an entire experience rather than just one day.
Privacy & exclusivity
Having the property to yourselves creates a completely different atmosphere. Your wedding feels intimate, relaxed and removed from everything happening outside of it.
Everything in one place
Getting ready, spending time by the pool, having aperitivo, dinner and celebrating can all happen within the same property. Less travelling between locations means more time actually enjoying the day.
A full wedding weekend
Welcome drinks the night before, a slow morning together, the wedding day, breakfast by the pool the next morning. A private villa gives you the opportunity to turn your wedding into a few days in Tuscany with the people you love most.
Your own little piece of Tuscany
The gardens, terraces, architecture and surrounding countryside become part of the experience. You can create different moments throughout the property while everything still feels connected.
More freedom to make it yours
From where you hold the ceremony to the way you set up dinner, a private villa gives you more freedom to create a celebration that actually feels like you rather than fitting your wedding into a traditional venue format.
A slower experience
Maybe the biggest luxury of all. There is nowhere else you need to be. Everyone is already there, the wine is open, dinner can stretch into the evening and you actually have time to enjoy being in Tuscany.
A Typical Wedding Weekend at a Private Villa in Tuscany
One of the reasons I love villa weddings so much is that the experience doesn't begin when the ceremony starts. When everyone is staying together in Tuscany, the wedding naturally becomes part of a much bigger trip.
Day One | Arrive & Settle Into Tuscany
Guests arrive at the villa, check into their rooms and slowly settle in. Spend the afternoon by the pool, open a bottle of wine and let everyone recover from travelling.
That evening, keep things simple with welcome drinks, a pizza party or a relaxed Tuscan dinner outside. Nothing too formal. Just good food, wine and everyone finally together in Italy.
Day Two | Explore & Welcome Dinner
Give your guests the day to actually experience Tuscany. A wine tasting in Chianti, lunch in a nearby village, a cooking class or simply another slow afternoon by the pool.
Later that evening, bring everyone together for your official welcome dinner. This is also such a beautiful opportunity for speeches, family-style food and a more relaxed evening before the wedding day.
Day Three | The Wedding
Start slowly.
Breakfast at the villa, coffee outside and plenty of time to get ready without having to travel anywhere.
The ceremony can take place surrounded by the Tuscan landscape, followed by aperitivo while the sun starts to soften. Then dinner outside with long tables, local food, wine and candlelight before everyone moves into the party.
And somewhere in between all of that, we sneak away for a few minutes in that golden Tuscan light.
Day Four | The Morning After
No alarms. No rushing to check out immediately after the biggest night of your lives.
Meet everyone downstairs for a long breakfast or brunch, spend the afternoon by the pool and talk about everything that happened the night before.
This is one of my favourite parts of a destination wedding. You actually get time with your people instead of watching the entire experience disappear in one day.
How Much Does a Wedding at Sole del Chianti Cost?
A little note before we talk numbers: I’m a photographer, not a wedding planner, so please take these estimates with a grain of salt. This is simply what I found through my own research to give you a general idea of what a wedding here could cost. Pricing can change depending on the year, season, guest count and what you’re planning, so always reach out to the venue and your planner for the most accurate numbers.
A destination wedding at a private villa is a little different from booking a traditional wedding venue because you're not simply renting the space for one day.
Sole del Chianti is rented by the week and can accommodate up to 20 guests directly at the villa. Depending on the season, current published rental rates are approximately €12,000 to €17,500 for seven nights, with peak dates priced higher.
Your total wedding budget will depend on your guest count and what you decide to create around the experience. Catering, a wedding planner, florals, rentals, music, lighting, transportation, photography and film, as well as any welcome dinner or day-after celebration, would all be additional.
The benefit is that the villa isn't only your wedding venue. It becomes home for the week.
Your closest people can stay together, spend afternoons by the pool, explore Chianti, have dinner together and experience Tuscany beyond the wedding itself.
Pricing changes by season and year, so always contact Chianti Relais directly for current wedding and accommodation rates : https://chiantirelais.it
The Team Behind This Tuscany Wedding
Wedding Planning | Claudia Magni
Claudia Magni is a Tuscany-based destination wedding planner who plans, designs and coordinates weddings throughout the region. She works with couples from abroad and can take care of everything from venue and vendor sourcing to design and the coordination of the wedding day itself.
For a destination wedding especially, having someone local who speaks the language, knows the vendors and understands how weddings work in Italy can make such a difference.
Catering | Chef's Tale
Food is such a huge part of getting married in Italy, and Chef's Tale took care of the catering for this wedding.
For a private villa wedding, your caterer is essentially creating a restaurant from scratch for the evening. Beyond the food itself, your quote can include chefs, service staff, equipment, table service and sometimes rentals depending on the caterer and package.
Floral Design | Elena Mainoldi
Elena Mainoldi is a Tuscany-based floral designer creating florals for weddings and events throughout the region.
Flowers are one of those categories where the budget can change dramatically depending on your vision. A bridal bouquet and simple table arrangements are completely different from large ceremony installations, floral arches and a full reception design.
Lighting | Terrini Light
Lighting can completely change a private Tuscan villa once the sun goes down. Terrini Lights handled the lighting for this wedding, helping transition the property from an outdoor dinner into the evening celebration.
For a villa wedding, lighting can include dinner lighting, string or festoon lights, architectural lighting, dance-floor lighting and the technical setup required around the property.
DJ | GilsanderDJ
Once dinner is over, this is where the energy changes. GilsanderDJ handled the music and party for the evening.
When booking a DJ for a destination wedding, make sure to ask exactly what is included. Sound equipment, microphones for speeches, ceremony audio, dance-floor lighting and additional hours aren't necessarily included in every DJ package.
Live Saxophone | Mattia Sax Tofani
Mattia Tofani brought live saxophone into the celebration, which is such a fun addition when you want to build the energy between aperitivo, dinner and the party.
He performs for ceremonies, receptions and wedding parties and can also work alongside a DJ, which gives you that mix of live music and a proper dance floor later in the night.
Hair & Makeup | Wedding Makeup Italy by Allasmakeup
For a destination wedding, having your hair and makeup team come directly to the villa makes the morning so much easier. Wedding Makeup Italy by Allasmakeup handled the bridal beauty for this wedding.
Your final beauty budget will depend on whether you're booking hair, makeup or both, whether you're doing a trial, how many bridesmaids or family members need services and whether the artists need to travel to the villa.
What a Wedding at Chianti Relais Looks Like
This venue gives you endless opportunities for strong visuals.
Getting ready in the villa
No rushing between hotels and venues. You can get ready surrounded by your closest people while everything happens around the property.
A ceremony overlooking Tuscany
The countryside really does most of the work. Rolling hills, greenery and that beautiful Tuscan landscape create a ceremony backdrop that doesn't need much else.
Aperitivo in the golden light
This is one of my favorite moments to photograph in Italy. Everyone finally relaxes, drinks start flowing, people are talking and laughing, and the late afternoon light completely changes the property.
Dinner outside
Long tables, Italian food, wine, candles and everyone gathered together under the Tuscan sky. Simple, intimate and honestly very hard to beat.
The beauty of a villa wedding in Tuscany isn’t just where you get married. It’s waking up together, slow mornings by the pool, dinners that last for hours, and turning one wedding day into a few days you’ll never forget.
Why Chianti Is Such a Beautiful Place to Get Married
Chianti gives you the Tuscany people dream about.
Vineyards, olive trees, little villages, incredible food and some of the most beautiful countryside in Italy. You're also close enough to Florence, Siena and places like Greve in Chianti that your guests can turn the wedding into a real Italian vacation.
For couples planning a destination wedding in Tuscany, I especially love the idea of choosing a villa where everyone can stay together. It changes the entire energy of the wedding.
There is less rushing and more living.
Photographing a Wedding at Chianti Relais
Having already photographed a wedding here, I know how much variety the property gives us without having to leave.
I can document the quieter moments happening inside the villa, the ceremony surrounded by the landscape, everyone enjoying aperitivo and then completely change the feeling of the photographs once that warm evening light arrives.
My approach is never about turning your wedding into a photoshoot. I want you to experience Tuscany, eat the food, drink the wine, laugh with your people and actually be present.
I'll guide you when you need me, then step back when you don't.
Because years from now, I don't just want you to remember what Tuscany looked like.
I want you to remember exactly how it felt.
Planning a Wedding at Chianti Relais?
If you're planning your wedding at Chianti Relais or another private villa in Tuscany and you're looking for photography and film that feels natural, emotional and true to the experience, I would love to hear what you're planning.
Italy has a very special place in my heart, and getting to document weddings here will never feel like just another wedding.
Some places become part of your wedding story. Tuscany has a way of becoming part of you.
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