Anna and Martin’s wedding at Villa il Garofalo, Fiesole

Anna and Martin celebrated a two day destination wedding in Florence: a welcome party in the city center at Palazzo San Niccolò, then the wedding at Villa il Garofalo, in Fiesole.

A villa above Florence

Located on the Florentine slope of Fiesole, Villa il Garofalo offers a breathtaking view of the historic center of Florence. It is a charming place, full of history: it was built in the late 13th century and was home to the Alighieri family.

A rainy day, all indoors

We met the bride and groom at the villa some days before the wedding and planned the day together. We had already photographed weddings there, so we knew its gardens and wonderful halls quite well. That was really useful, because it rained and the entire day had to be shot inside the venue.

Anna and Martin got ready in Dante’s Manor, the wing of the villa reserved for accommodation. Then they moved to the main halls for the ceremony, where all the guests were waiting for them.

Dinner and dancing in the frescoed hall

After the aperitif, everyone moved into the wonderful frescoed hall, where the couple and their guests enjoyed an amazing dinner punctuated by dozens of speeches from the parents and friends of the couple.

Dinner ended with the cake cooking show, and while the guests were enjoying dessert, the frescoed hall was completely transformed into a ballroom. Anna and Martin had their first dance, the disco lights were amazing, and it was really captivating to photograph the couple and all the guests who joined the party until late at night.

Because of the rain it was definitely a different wedding at Villa il Garofalo, but the uniqueness of those two venues and the cheerfulness of all the guests gave us the chance to show the love of Anna and Martin in candid, unposed photos.

More weddings in the Florence hills: an elopement overlooking Florence at Villa le Fontanelle and Pascal and Jamil at Villa Corsini a Mezzomonte. Planning yours? See how we photograph weddings and check your date.