Liat and Lucas' wedding in picturesque Tuscany, amidst green hills and terracotta villas, was an event that epitomized rustic charm with romantic timeless elegance. An intimate destination wedding steeped in unforgettable moments, immersing them in an ambiance where love harmoniously intertwined with the natural beauty of the region. Against a backdrop of scenic green hills, the ceremony seamlessly merged Jewish tradition with the sentiment of their sweetheart love story. As day fell into night, guests were delighted with an enchanting candelit open-air reception, celebrating classic Italian cuisine and local wines with a chicly ambient and understated atmosphere. Here, enjoy the couple's insights on planning a destination wedding as well as the wonderful gallery captured by our member, Yana Korn.
Our Love Story
The Day We Met
Lucas and I met when we were 14 years old at Beverly Hills High School. We both played volleyball and were in the same friend group and I truly had the biggest crush on him, so much so that I made him promise me that we would go to senior prom together if we were both single by then. Three years of high school had gone by, and by summer going into senior year, Lucas had won me over by bringing over Bigg Chill frozen yogurt every night after volleyball practice. Ten years later and we have been together ever since.
The Proposal
In June 2022 Lucas and I were on vacation with his family in Mexico at one of our favorite places in the world, the Viceroy Los Cabos. On the last night of our trip, Lucas had asked to go on a walk to watch the sunset. As we walked down to the beach we approached a path of roses that led to a bbq set-up on the beach along with a sit-in fire pit (that the hotel staff had spent the entire day digging up in the sand). Lucas got down on one knee and I was so completely surprised, no one has ever surprised me like this! It was the easiest “yes” I have ever made in my life, one I had been ready to make for 10 years.
The Engagement Ring
I had never had a dream ring in mind before getting engaged, which makes my ring even more special because Lucas designed my engagement ring and it truly is my favorite ring ever and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. Lucas bought a 2.5 carat Asscher cut diamond and custom made a yellow gold setting with a hidden halo. Lucas chose an Asscher cut because he believes it’s a timeless diamond, known for it’s clarity as it allows for a clear view into the heart of the diamond.
Our Wedding
The Vision
We aimed to embody rustic charm with a romantic timeless elegance. Lucas and I had always known we wanted an intimate destination wedding. After visiting the charming Montestigliano farm in 2019, we knew that when we got married someday we’d want to create a rustic romantic celebration that harmonized with the natural beauty of Tuscany. Our goal was to blend the natural beauty of the picturesque countryside setting with elegant and refined decor, highlighting Italian culture and our Jewish roots. The focus was to achieve an intimate atmosphere with personal touches through thoughtful decor like our customized signage, menus and a genuine connection to the Tuscan landscape where guests stayed all week.
Our Team of Vendors
I am truly so lucky to have a step mom who is a media executive by day and was our American wedding planner by night. Having a destination wedding means you need your t’s crossed and your i’s dotted, and my step mom LeAnne Hackmann stepped in to organize a lot of the pre-planning that is needed for a wedding across the globe. Our very established, yet truly down to earth, Italian wedding planner Cecilia Reghini has planned many weddings at our venue before. We needed to hire a planner that has a lot of experience at our type of venue, being that Montestigliano is a farm in rural Tuscany, as well as that has tight connections with local vendors. Through Cecilia, we hired Roland’s to do our catering (and we were told by many guests that we had the best wedding food they had ever eaten), as well as Roberto Fiori to do our florals (which I truly couldn’t have drawn up more beautiful flower arrangements).
It was important for me to have a content team that I could trust since I work as a creative director, aka it’s my job to critique content. I was looking for a photographer that could catch the raw moments in between the poses, and someone that could truly capture the romantic and intimate ambiance, and Yana Korn was just that. I knew that I wanted our wedding video to feel like The Great Gatsby, highlighting the magical timeless elegance, and The Wedding Valley (Andy & Tania) knew exactly how to turn the best night of our lives into a real movie. Getting married across the country meant not being able to do a makeup or hair trial before my wedding, which made me very undoubtedly nervous, of course. Luckily, I somehow trusted my gut and knew that working with Vera Osminina for my hair and makeup would be one of the best blind decisions I would ever make — she made me feel more beautiful than I have ever felt in my life!
The Venue
Lucas and I had stayed on our wedding venue property together in 2019 and knew that we needed to come back and rent it out for our wedding. Located in the heart of Tuscany, the family-owned estate of Montestigliano sits perched on an hill with numerous picturesque views from the skyline of Siena, to the Chianti Hills. It’s location, numerous curated gardens and olive groves, allowed for numerous events to take place on the property including: the Welcome Pizza Dinner catered by the onsite chef and featuring Montestigliano wines from vineyards on property, to the Wedding Ceremony placed to capture the Tuscan valley views as the backdrop, to the Wedding Cocktails in a privately revealed garden tucked behind Villa Donati, and the Black-tie Wedding Dinner that utilized the original welcoming Piazza at the heart of the property.
Lucas and I and several of our closest friends stayed in a private villa on the property overlooking the valley over an infinity pool. This location served as a gathering place throughout the week and specifically hosted guests for two events, a welcome barbecue for onsite guests as they arrived for a week-long stay on property and the Wedding After Party, which utilized the garden and pool as the location of an all-night DJ and dance party. On the 2000-acre estate and working farm, Montestigliano is a hamlet of villas. This was the perfect location to invite family and close friends to stay with the couple for a full week inclusive of the wedding events. Additional wedding guests stayed nearby at La Bagnaia Golf Resort.
The Ceremony
Lucas and I honored our Jewish roots by signing our Ketubah (Jewish marriage certificate) in my parents backyard in Los Angeles with our rabbi who has known me my entire life. It was a special moment to be able to have my grandmother there, who couldn’t make the trip to Italy for our actual wedding. In Tuscany, our best friends since middle school, Jacob Price & Josh Levi, were our officiants- delivering a raw, teary-filled ceremony under a chuppah made from my grandfather’s tallit (prayer shawl) that survived the Holocaust. Our florists leaned into the rustic charm of our farm-style venue and created a curved aisle with abundant arrangements of white peonies, tuscan flowers, and greenery. A strings quartet played music as guests overlooked the picturesque lush rolling hills of Tuscan countryside. Lucas and his parents walked down the aisle to “At Last” by Etta James, and my dad & step-dad walked me down to “Canon in D” by Pachelbel (a song I had always known I’d walk down the aisle to).
The Reception
As soon as our ceremony ended, we had a cocktail hour in the garden, filling our guests up on spritzes and Tuscan apertivo (the fried sage and squash blossoms were a huge hit). We then led our guests through a secret gate to our reception- which was truly beyond our wildest dreams, the most magical night that embodied the elegance and charm of the Tuscan countryside. We wanted a personalized touch to every element of the wedding since our guests flew all the way across the world to celebrate us. We decided on an imperial-style table, a “U” around the dance floor, so that it felt like everyone was at one big table together. The fairy lights and lanterns reflected onto our mirrored dance floor, providing a gentle glow as the evening progressed, adding the most magical touch to the setting. Our reception was in between terracota-colored historic villas dating back to the 1700s, so we kept our color palette more soft with ivory, green, and earthy tones for our floral tablescapes.
Our guests waved their napkins in the air as Lucas and I entered for the first time as The Wohls, getting everyone to join us on the dancefloor for “World Hold On” - Bob Sinclair (Fisher remix). Our new combined family joined hand in hand and danced the Horah around us as Lucas and I were flung into the air on chairs- an old Jewish wedding tradition. Guests danced the rest of the night away, while pausing to sit down for bites of a 3 course traditional Tuscan meal in between (filet mignon, cacio e pepe, squash blossom soufflé, among a few). The focus was on high-quality, locally sourced ingredients that showcased the flavor of Italy. The real highlights of the evening were the speeches given by my bridesmaids (who brought the house down) as well as both my dad and step-dad, a moment I truly waited for my entire life, there was not a dry eye there. Our reception ended at midnight, where guests were then shuttled to our villa for an after party by the pool that lasted until 6am (the beauty of renting your entire venue is ~no sound curfew~).
The Special Touches
Our decor combined rustic elements with personalized touches that made our wedding so uniquely special. All of our wedding personalization was illustrated by our friend Ale Carda, from our bar menu drinks which were named after our dogs & cat, to our welcome pizza party menus, to our wedding welcome sign which was printed on linen fabric and draped from an olive tree. Some favorite special touches we had were a limoncello wall as our table seating chart with homemade limoncello made from the farm we were staying on, an Italian wedding cake (millefuille) made directly on the dance floor in front of everyone, and projecting photos of our entire 10 year relationship onto the wall for everyone to laugh at.
Our Favorite Moment
Our one rule was that we wanted to have an after party with no sound curfew and we did just that! Since we rented out the entire farm property for our guests for the entire wedding week, we were able to have our after party go until 6am. We had our friend Biggie Murray DJ the evening, spinning tropical Afrobeats & Keinemusik (bride & groom’s request!) and we served panzerotti (Italian pizza pockets) and kept the drinks flowing until the sun came up. We had been told by many guests that this was the best night of their life.
Our Style
The Bridal Looks
For my wedding I wore the Amour gown by Lee Grebenau. I had tried on many wedding dresses but one day I somehow stumbled into NWLA on Montana in Santa Monica, tried this dress on and knew right away that it was the one. It sounds crazy, but when you know you know. I always knew I wanted something unique yet timeless, and the dress’s sparkly dramatic lace completely won me over. I wore a plain veil & blusher that had “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” embroidered in Hebrew, which is what Lucas & and I had said to each other under the Chuppah. I wore my hair down, with a volumized blowout, for the ceremony, and then put it up in an Audrey Hepburn style bun for the rest of the evening. I wore a tennis necklace gifted to me by my mother in law as well as dangly pearl earrings from her which was my “something borrowed”. When it was time to move into the after party I put on a simple beaded white set from Meshki. For our welcome pizza party I wore a simple floral-embroidered House of CB maxi dress that played into our Italian themed decor.
The Groom Looks
Lucas wore a classic Ralph Lauren Purple Label black tux. For the welcome party he wore a handmade linen blazer from Kartik Research, linen pants from Jacquemus, and loafers by Jacques Solovire. I had always known that I had wanted to buy Lucas a Rolex as a wedding gift so I gifted him a vintage Rolex Datejust Silver Tapestry from the 80’s right before our welcome party.
Our Bridesmaid’s Looks
We had the women in our wedding wear “Tuscan sunset” themed colors: shades of orange, gold, and bronze, which complimented our entirely green surroundings.
Our Groomsmen’s Looks
Our wedding attire was “black tie/Italian Elegance” so men in the wedding party wore black tuxes.
Our Advice
For The Planning Process
The best and most important advice we learned through the planning process is to not listen to family & friends advice, unless you’re asking them for it! Through the process you will run into many unnecessary opinions and remarks about how you should do your wedding but it’s important to remember that at the end of the day, the only opinions that matter are yours and your partner’s. When the planning and opinions get stressful, remember that this wedding is truly all about your love for one another, and all of the extra details are just add-ons to your love story! Another tip is to choose a wedding planner who is used to your venue and has good relationships with it’s local vendors. Your planner is really meant to be your quarterback in pushing through to get you the touchdown- if they have close relationships with your vendors, your planning process will be so much more seamless.
For On The Day
The best advice I learned was to stay with your partner the entire time and take it all in together! Also, it is rare that you will ever be in the same room with all of the closest people in your life, ever again, so take it all in and be present! Don’t let wedding details that don’t go your way stop you from enjoying everything you worked so hard to build!
Vendors
Photography: Yana Korn
Videography: The Wedding Valley
Wedding Planner: Cecilia Righini Events , LeAnne Hackmann
Venue: Montestigliano
Florist: Roberto Fiori
Stationery: Aleecarda
Cake & Catering: Roland's
Music: Kaleydo , Miles Murray
Hair & Makeup: Vera Osminina
Style
Bridal Dress: Lee Petra Grebenau
Bridal Boutique: NWLA Bridal
Wedding Ring: Cartier
Engagement Ring: Lauren Ashley Perez
