Cassie and Adam’s Italian wedding photography story at Castello Di Bibbione in Tuscany.
If you believe in magic and romance then you’ll love Cassie and Adam’s rustic Italian castle wedding in Tuscany. The couple tied the knot in Italy surrounded by breathtaking views of the Chianti Hills at a magnificent medieval castle called Castello Di Bibbione in Tuscany.
WEDDING IN TUSCANY AT CASTELLO DI BIBBIONE
Cassie and Adam are from Buckley, North Wales; they met at their local Cricket club in 2013 and quickly began dating. In 2016 whilst on a skiing trip in Morzine, Adam proposed on the slopes.
A few years later, Cassie literally dreamt of a romantic wedding in Tuscany whilst she was in the hospital, her dream came true when they found the perfect castle in Italy called Castello Di Bibbione.
The couple booked Wes Simpson Weddings for their wedding in Tuscany via a recommendation after viewing Zara and Ryan’s Wedding in Sorrento and Jade and Mike’s Cyprus Wedding.
Cassie and Adam wanted wedding photographs that would allow them to stay true to themselves and enjoy their day. I photographed them at their best and moments that matter so that they have meaningful pictures and a wedding they love.
Here is their story…
TUSCANY WEDDING DREAM
Words by Cassie the bride:
The story of our magical wedding in Tuscany at Castello Di Bibbione started whilst I was in the hospital; after coming around from surgery I told my fiancé Adam that I had dreamt of marrying him in an Italian castle under the open air. I have no recollection of this as things were a bit of a blur.
A few days later Adam turned to me and said that we should marry in a castle in Italy, I said, “WOW, how magical and romantic would that be, what a wonderful idea.” to which he replied, “It was yours”. So an Italian wedding it was and we began to make the dream come true…
CASTLE WEDDING VENUES IN TUSCANY
We decided on Tuscany so headed on over there to seek out our perfect wedding venue. We visited around 5 venues in total, all of which were beautiful, but we both knew when we had found THE ONE, which was called Castello Di Bibbione.
The castle is located in the heart of Tuscany, Chianti region between Florence and Siena. The setting was magnificent and the venue has it’s very own vineyard and olive grove, which we thought was idyllic.
The castle offers a charming courtyard and an open-air gallery, so on our wedding day, we dined outside and enjoyed our wedding breakfast in the open air. The courtyard was kept secret and hidden from our guests until it was revealed after the ceremony on the big day.
TUSCANY CASTLE WEDDING VENUE
Castello Di Bibbione is a 10th-century Tuscany castle wedding venue just 30-minute drive from Pisa airport. A beautiful rustic wedding venue with an old farm stay about it complimented with incredible views overlooking the Tuscan hills of Chianti.
Our guests were blown away by the choice of wedding venue; it was great to see their faces upon arrival. Beautiful cottages surround Castello Di Bibbione so it meant that all of our guests could stay with us for the wedding week.
We wanted to stretch out the celebrations as long as possible, making sure that our travelling family and friends would have the best experience of Tuscany. The night before our wedding we had a pre-wedding BBQ and finished the week off with a post-wedding photoshoot in Florence with Wes.
WHAT TO WEAR FOR A WEDDING IN TUSCANY
My wedding gown was ‘ODETTE’ by Maggie Sottero, which I felt was perfect for our destination wedding in Italy and I loved the lace detail on the train. I finished the look with a two-tier scatter crystal cathedral length veil and must have Jimmy Choo heels.
Getting ready on the wedding day morning, Adam and I were in separate parts of the castle. The bridesmaids, my mum and I were up in the tower and my mum gave me a facial to help keep me relaxed as we drank prosecco and opened presents. I was actually a lot calmer than I imagined!
Adam and I sent each other gifts the morning of the wedding, this made me very emotional and the bridesmaids for that matter, there were lots of happy tears.
OUTSIDE OLIVE GARDEN WEDDING IN TUSCANY
On arrival at Castello Di Bibbione, guests were greeted with an Italian speciality of sparkling wine, prosecco and mingled on the terrace above the beautiful infinity pool, which dropped into the Tuscany countryside.
My Dad walked me down the aisle and we said our vows in front of family and friends outside in the beautiful picturesque olive gardens situated within in the grounds of Castello DI Bibbione.
After the ceremony, we made our way up to the terrace, which offered amazing panoramic sunset views as far as the eyes could see over the Chianti hills of Tuscany.
TUSCANY WEDDING THEME
We tried to create a glamorous & classy theme with sparkling crystal glass wear and eye-catching tall crystal candelabras, dusky pink roses on all of the tables surrounded by tea lights.
For a personal touch, we had our initials projected onto the castle walls of Castello Di Bibbione at night and we planted hidden golden envelopes under our guest’s plates with the lyrics printed for a sing-along to “That’s Amore” it was a great way to get the evening started after our delicious 5-course meal.
FUN WEDDING BREAKFAST IDEAS
A highlight of the day for us was the bridal party entrances during the wedding breakfast; we all entered the charming courtyard at Castello Di Bibbione in style with props dancing away to our chosen songs.
It started with both of our mothers walking into the room to ‘Mamma Mia’ followed by our fathers to ‘Daddy cool’ the ushers to Run D.M.C and the bridesmaids entered to Spice Girls ‘Wannabe’ which was followed by the Best men dancing to ‘That’s the way’ with and Adam and myself entering last to George Ezra’s ‘Paradise’ it was so much fun, we loved it.
COURTYARD WEDDING RECEPTION
We were all seated outside for our evening reception at Castello Di Bibbione in the courtyard of the castle, which offers an open gallery. The caterers began to serve the antipasto, whilst the DJ played ‘Be our guest’ from beauty & the beast, which was a nice little touch.
Our wedding cake was simply beautiful and theatrical. We went with a traditional Italian option where the chef came out and created the wedding cake in front of our guests. Using layered puff pastry, fresh cream with strawberries and flaked almonds.
We had an open bar serving dry ice his & her signature cocktails. Later in the evening, we had a surprise saxophonist, which was one of my favourite parts of the wedding as it filled the dance floor until 2 am. The caterers circled with a pizza as a midnight snack.
TUSCANY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
The best photographs from our day are the un-posed shots; Wes somehow manages to get in between the main events and captures the ‘in-between moments’ that would be missed. These are the photographs that tell the unique story of the day.
Our favourite picture (if we had to only pick one) would be the shot of us walking back up the aisle in the olive gardens at Castello Di Bibbione with confetti falling on us. It’s so magical, It not only captures the pure happiness that we both felt in that moment but you can feel the happiness and joy from those close to us and from of our guests.
We loved working with Wes, so much so that we added a ‘post-wedding photo-shoot” to our Tuscany wedding photography collection, this took place in Florence on the Friday following the wedding, it was so much fun, and the perfect excuse to wear my Maggie Sottero wedding dress again.
The photo-shoot was really relaxed, creative and incorporated some iconic Florence landmarks. The pictures are amazing so we got a second album! Both albums together look really special and are displayed in our home.
PLANNING A WEDDING IN TUSCANY
If I had any advice for future Bride and Grooms reading this, it would be to use a photographer that you can form a relationship with and not just who the venue/planner wants you to have. It’s worth paying extra for peace of mind and quality.
There were so many people that helped us to achieve our perfect wedding in Tuscany at Castello Di Bibbione. These include our wedding planners, Valentina at Blanc wedding production, our photographer Wes Simpson Weddings and caterers from Galateo. It really was a dream come true .
Mr & Mrs Harper
ABOUT THE VENUE
Castello di Bibbione is composed of a farmhouse with a pool on the Chianti hills and a villa with a private pool which can accommodate up to twelve people with four bedrooms. The apartments of the farmhouse can accommodate from two to six people. Apartment guests have access to the shared pool open from May to October that overlooks the hilly landscape of the Chianti area, between Florence and Siena.
The location is perfect for those looking for a private Italian castle for their wedding in the Chianti region of Tuscany. For wedding receptions, Castello di Bibbione, offers a charming courtyard and an open gallery where you can dine outside on summer evenings.
The rooms of the Castello di Bibbione are ideal for marriages performed for the winter months. You can also use the small Romanesque church of Santa Maria a Bibbione located in the village to celebrate your wedding.
Castello Di Bibbione – Via Collina 66 – 50026 Loc. Montefridolfi San Casciano in Val di Pesa (Florence)
TUSCANY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
If you’re getting married at Castello Di Bibbione and want me to be your Tuscany wedding photographer don’t hesitate to get in touch. If you’re planning a wedding in Tuscany, Italy or somewhere else in the world, my passport is ready!
I am based in the North West of England and available for weddings worldwide. You deal with me before, during and after the wedding, so you can trust the style of photography you see on my website is the type of wedding photography you will receive.
Visit my destination wedding page for more information and view the destination gallery for examples of weddings from around the world. Check out my portfolio, the blog for the latest weddings and my approach to photographing your wedding. Anything else, just ask!
