Villa Lena Destination Wedding, Italy
Kyra & Robert
An intimate multi-day wedding at Villa Lena in Tuscany
When UK-based German couple Kyra and Robert set out to plan their Tuscan wedding, their primary wish was simple: bring all 50 of their closest family and friends under one roof for three days of wholesome celebrating. They chose Villa Lena - an artistic retreat in Palaia - envisioning a celebration where every event unfolded across different corners of the estate. The design narrative centred around harmony and connection, which we conceptualised through soft circular geometry in our ceremony and dinner table layouts.
Highlights
UK-based client
50 guests
Event duration: 3 event days
Venue: Villa Lena (Tuscany, Italy)
Guest accommodation: Villa Lena (estate buyout)
Design narrative: harmonious, romantic, playful
Key features: olive grove ceremony, ceremony draping, circular serpentine dinner tables, candlelit dinner, custom cocktail napkins, cabaret afterparty
Day one: pizza and reunions
The celebration opened on Friday evening with a casual welcome reception by the pool designed to encourage mingling. Set against red striped umbrellas and a mix of standing and seated table and lounge areas, guests enjoyed wood-fired pizzas, cocktails and local wines as the sun set over the hills.
Day two: olive grove vows
Saturday evening’s ceremony took place in the estate's olive grove, where a fabric-draped olive tree and organic floral floor meadows provided the ceremony backdrop. Reflecting the couple's theme of harmony, guests sat in curved seating rows. Later, everyone gathered in front of the main villa for dinner around a bespoke circular table constructed around Villa Lena's central fountain. To keep the focus on the architecture and geometry, we omitted flowers on the dining table, relying entirely on layered candlelight for atmosphere. As night fell, guests were guided behind the villa to a hidden space transformed into a sophisticated cabaret-style evening club.
Day three: Aperol Spritz by the pool
The weekend concluded on Sunday with a laid-back poolside gathering. Yellow striped floats filled the water while guests enjoyed an Aperol Spritz bar and a casual pasta buffet. The bar featured a playful orange floral installation set inside a ceramic head vase wearing orange sunglasses.
Site visits and logistics
Turning a creative concept into reality requires an in-depth understanding of the venue’s spaces and limitations. For Kyra & Robert’s wedding, we visited the venue on four separate occasions.
14 months out: location trip to explore shortlisted venues matching the couple's practical and aesthetic criteria, Villa Lena being one of three locations we visited.
7 months out: planner trip in which we visited the venue independently while in the area for another client and took detailed measurements of all spaces and planned layouts.
3 months out: logistics trip to conduct a menu tasting and full venue tour during which we walked the client through all layouts and plans made up to that point.
And the wedding weekend itself.
However, for clients with demanding schedules, traveling to Europe for multiple site visits is not always feasible nor required. We frequently tour properties on our clients' behalf, creating detailed reports and comprehensive walk-and-talk video tours so decisions can be made remotely with clarity. But for Kyra and Robert, who had the luxury of being located only a couple of hours away by plane, this structured approach ensured that every custom layout was engineered well in advance, allowing the three-day gathering to feel completely effortless on the ground.
Full gallery coming soon
Design, Styling and Planning | Emma Jane Weddings
Photographer | Joshua Woodland Photography
Venue | Villa Lena Tuscany