Danielle Mastrangelo and Brad Walish’s Tuscan Wedding

As soon as I met makeup artist and hairstylist Giulia Cresci, I knew we would hit it off. She made me feel so at ease in the moments leading up to the ceremony. We decided on a glamorous but soft look, very much inspired by Lee Radziwill. Brad is giving his friend Eric a bow-tying tutorial. Brad bought bow ties for all of his groomsmen, thinking they would be able to tie them, but in the end Brad tied them all. I needed to wear a wedge because our destination wedding in Tuscany (where I had studied and lived after college) was outside, and I had a long walk from the villa to the garden where the ceremony was. I love how simple and classic these shoes are, and they have since been integrated into my wardrobe. Every time I wear them, I think of our wedding day. This is Giulia putting the finishing touches on my hair. I remember this moment, looking out the window and feeling very peaceful. All the guys got ready together in my brother Nick’s room. They all wore black tuxedos paired with regular dress shirts, which added an element of sprezzatura. This is my mother holding my great-grandmother’s Italian prayer book. My aunt carried it down the aisle when her daughter was married, and my mother carried it as well. It was my aunt’s idea to wrap the book in extra lace from my dress, and you can see on the top a bit of lace from my cousin’s dress peeking through. I love how four generations of women are now linked through this family heirloom. This is my best friend, Ashley, buttoning up my Anna Maier dress. I loved how my dress felt structured but also romantic. I originally didn’t think I wanted a strapless dress, and it was Ashley who convinced me to try it on. It’s good to have friends who know you better than you know yourself sometimes! My bouquet was a beautiful combination of peonies, garden roses, bouvardia, white veronica, and olive branches. Our floral designer, Dario Benvenuti, was a true artist, and told me that he couldn’t determine the size of my bouquet until he met me in person, which was the morning of our wedding. My dear friend and business partner, Jessica, saw me struggling to put on my shoe and graciously came to the rescue. I promised I would return the act! Brad with his groomsmen posing on the main staircase of Badia di Campoleone before the ceremony. I’m looking at my mom, sister, and best friends in this photo. This was the moment before I put on my veil. The one piece of hair sticking out of my bun was fixed immediately after the photo was taken, but I love how our photographer, Lelia Scarfiotti, was so good at capturing these natural, imperfect moments. We worked with our illustrator, Lindsay Gardner, to create our ceremony programs. On the front side, Lindsay water-colored one of my favorite poems by Hafiz, “The Sun Never Says.” When Brad and I were putting together the ceremony, we knew we wanted to incorporate this poem in a very meaningful way, and as the cover, it was perfect. On the back side of the program, Lindsay hand-lettered a thank-you note we wrote to our guests. We got married in a wooded garden, and the guests sat in a semicircle, which made the ceremony feel very intimate. We had a guitarist and a pianist accompany the ceremony. While the guests waited for the bridesmaids to enter, the musicians played Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California,” an homage to Brad’s West Coast roots. Katie, one of my oldest and best friends, walking Coco, our adorable flower girl, down the aisle, while the musicians played Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” As soon as my father started to walk me down the aisle, we both started to cry. I love this photo because we have the exact same expression on our faces—trying to hold it all together! The bridesmaids held bouquets of olive branches and baby’s breath, tied together with vintage ribbon. I loved how the insouciance of the bouquets contrasted with their minimal black dresses from Reformation. We stood under a very old tree that was draped with fabric and garlands of Greek leaves. Our friend Mike officiated the ceremony. We had family members read passages, and my friend Katie, my brother Nicholas, and my mother performed “Heaven” by the Talking Heads. This may be my favorite photo from our wedding! Coco finally decided to toss the flower petals during the ceremony. I loved her outfit so much! My friend Johanna found Coco’s shoes while they were traveling in Portofino a few days before the wedding, and her dress was made of Italian silk. At the end of our ceremony, our guests showered us with rainbow-colored confetti as we danced down the aisle to The Rolling Stones’s “She’s a Rainbow.” It was so fun! Walking back to the villa after the ceremony. We couldn’t stop smiling and were ready to celebrate! While our guests enjoyed the cocktail hour, Brad and I went with our photographer to one of the fields on the property to take some photos. The light was incredible at this point in the afternoon. I wanted to carry through the multicolored spirit that our ceremony ended on into the tablescapes. Our floral designer reused one of the garlands from our ceremony on our tabletop and created beautiful arrangements that spilled out of antique urns. The gold chargers alluded to the area's history in the gold market. Lindsay designed menu cards for each setting, which were garnished with olive branches. Walking into the gazebo, prosecco in hand. There was music playing in the background from the soundtrack of La Dolce Vita. My brother Mike put together a fantastic dinner playlist that included everything from Dean Martin to D’Angelo. Behind us you can see our wedding coordinator, Cindy Salgado. As a designer, I know how difficult it is to execute a vision and have things run smoothly. Cindy is a master. Posing for a photo as Brad’s brother George’s girlfriend Sabrina smiles with us. Our local caterers, Lodovichi, made the most delicious food the entire weekend. The cake was a vanilla cake with strawberries and Chantilly cream. It was also enormous! Enjoying my father’s speech, which had us equally laughing and crying. After dinner, we danced to Leon Bridges’s “Coming Home,” which our Italian band, Umagroso, learned to play. This was just the beginning of an all-night dance party that lasted until dawn!