Sofia + Filippo: 110 Guests, a family Borgo & dancing until sunrise

A family borgo and dancing until sunrise : Sofia + Fillipo in Tuscany

Real Wedding

In true Italian fashion, Sofia + Filippo’s story began back home in Florence, on a night out with mutual friends, even though they were both living in London at the time. Their first date was in a pub in Angel, and ten years later, after building a life together in the city, Filippo proposed at The Fish Hotel in the Cotswolds. But when it came to the wedding, there was really only one place that felt right. They headed back to their roots, celebrating at home in Tuscany with a traditional Catholic ceremony, followed by al fresco dining and dancing until sunrise.

THE VISION + VENUE

For us, Italy was never a decision — it’s home. And the venue was the easiest choice of the entire wedding: Borgo Casa al Vento is my family’s borgo. My grandparents on my father’s side founded it, my dad runs it today, and I have some of my best memories there. Getting married in the place that raised me, hosted by my own family, made the whole day feel like it belonged to us in a way no hired venue ever could.

With surroundings like that, our styling philosophy was simple: don’t compete with them. White and green formed the base, echoing the landscape, with soft touches of burgundy and blush woven through the church and the dinner tables. The detail everyone remembers, though, was the place settings — each guest found a tambourine with their name on it. By the end of dinner, 110 tambourines were out of their seats and dancing around the tables.

Three words: emotional, fun, authentic.

THE LOGISTICS

We had 110 guests, and most of them stayed at Borgo Casa al Vento with us. Waking up surrounded by everyone we love, in the place I grew up, turned the wedding into a whole weekend rather than a single day.

On the day I started getting ready at 11am with my closest people around me, stepped into my dress at 4.30pm, and the church ceremony began at 5pm. We timed the aperitivo for golden hour at 7pm, when the Tuscan light is at its most beautiful, then sat down to dinner around 9pm. The night officially ended at 5am — with half the wedding party jumping into the pool as the sun came up.

THE VOWS

We had a full religious ceremony in the church. But we saved our personal vows for dinner, sharing them in front of everyone alongside the speeches.

Our traditions were simply the Italian way of celebrating — a golden-hour aperitivo, a long dinner that’s as much about the table as the food, spontaneous dancing, and a party that refuses to end before sunrise.

REFLECTIONS

Looking back, the most important thing to us was that the day felt genuinely ours — not a production, but a celebration in the place my family built, with the people who’ve shaped our ten years together.

The stand-out moment was the speeches. We kept them deliberately few — just four, plus our vows — and it made each one land. Laughter, tears, and then, the second they finished, everyone up dancing around the tables with their tambourines. Very Italian, very full of joy. Our guests still talk about it. And the best thing is that none of our guests had their phones out during these moments. They were fully present.

FOR FUTURE COUPLES

Invest in a proper rehearsal dinner. All the emotional reunions and “I can’t believe you’re here” moments happen the night before — which frees you to be fully present on the day itself.