Weddings at Villa Rossi, Lucca
Villa Rossi, just outside Lucca
Villa Rossi stands in Gattaiola, on the hills just outside the walls of Lucca. It was built in the early 1500s to a design by Nicolao Civitali. In the 17th century the whole first floor was painted with Baroque frescoes, and they are still there in their original form.
The villa sits in four hectares of walled park. The romantic English park around it was laid out in the 1790s, and the lawns in front of the villa are made for an aperitivo with your guests.
This season I photographed two very different weddings at Villa Rossi. One couple had an Orthodox wedding in the park. The other married in church and came back to the villa for their vows in the garden and a gala dinner. Here are both days, so you can picture your own.
I am Inna, a wedding photographer. I photograph weddings across Italy and Europe and I adapt to any light, from the Tuscan sun at noon to a candlelit hall.
An Orthodox wedding in the park of Villa Rossi
Many couples hold an outdoor civil or symbolic ceremony at Villa Rossi. This couple wanted a real church wedding instead. They invited a priest, and he performed the full rite of the Orthodox Church in the park of the villa, with the crowns and every part of the service.
Getting ready at the villa
The day began in the bride’s room at Villa Rossi. The ceremony and the dinner were at the same villa, so the whole day happened in one place.
An altar on the lawn
The couple built an altar on the lawn in front of the woods, with the villa behind it. The chairs were carried out into the park, and for the ceremony the garden became a church.
Dinner in the main hall
Dinner was served in the main hall of the villa. Later in the evening came the couple’s first dance and the cutting of the cake.
Planning a church wedding at a villa in Tuscany?
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A church wedding, vows in the garden and a gala dinner
The second couple had a long day with two ceremonies: a Catholic wedding in church, then their own vows in the garden of Villa Rossi.
From getting ready to the church
The day began with the bride getting ready. From there we left for the church, where the couple married with a Catholic ceremony.
Vows in the garden and Aperol with live music
Back at Villa Rossi, the couple said their own vows to each other in the garden. Then the party moved on to Aperol with live music.
Gala dinner
The evening went on with a gala dinner, the couple’s first dance and the cutting of the cake. The celebration lasted more than one day: there was a pre-wedding day before and a pool party after, at another villa nearby.
Getting married near Lucca and Pisa
Lucca is one of the easiest places in Tuscany to bring guests from abroad. Pisa International Airport is about 30 minutes from Lucca by car, and trains run between Pisa and Lucca.
The Renaissance walls of Lucca were built between 1544 and 1650. They are 4.2 km long, and you can walk or cycle all the way around on top, under the trees. It is an easy plan for your guests on the day before the wedding, and a beautiful place for a portrait walk.
A wedding weekend near Lucca can move between places: one villa for the wedding day, another for the welcome dinner or a pool party.
Questions about weddings at Villa Rossi
Do you photograph weddings in Tuscany?
Yes. I photograph weddings at villas around Lucca and Pisa and all over Italy, and I adapt to any light.
Do you photograph church weddings and religious ceremonies?
Yes. At Villa Rossi this season I photographed an Orthodox wedding in the park and a Catholic wedding in church with vows in the villa garden afterwards.
Can you photograph the whole wedding weekend?
Yes. For one of the Villa Rossi couples I also photographed the pre-wedding day and the pool party after the wedding.
Which languages do you speak?
English, German and Russian, so I can talk to you, your families and your guests.
How do we book you?
Send me a request with the date, the venue and your plans. I will send you a contract, and once you pay 50% in advance, your date is booked.
Getting married near Lucca?
Tell me your date, your venue and your plans. I answer within two business days.