Your Tuscany Wedding Day
Timeline

What Does a Typical Wedding Day in Tuscany Look Like?

After photographing hundreds of destination weddings across Tuscany since 2010, we've seen what makes a wedding day flow beautifully — and what causes unnecessary stress. Here's what a typical Tuscany wedding day actually looks like, based on real experience at villas, estates, and historic venues throughout the region.

Morning: Getting Ready at Your Villa

The day begins 4 to 5 hours before the ceremony. Most Tuscan wedding venues are historic villas with beautiful bridal suites — stone walls, natural light through tall windows, and the kind of atmosphere that photographs effortlessly. Hair and makeup takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the complexity of your look. If your bridesmaids are also getting hair and makeup done together, plan for 4 to 5 hours. We always recommend a relaxed start: a light lunch, some Prosecco, and time to enjoy the anticipation. Your photographer arrives about 2.5 hours before the ceremony to capture detail shots — dress, shoes, rings, invitation suite — and the candid getting ready moments that become some of the most treasured images.

The Ceremony

Tuscany wedding ceremonies typically last around 45 minutes, whether civil, symbolic, or religious. For the best light and the smoothest day, most couples schedule their ceremony for late afternoon — between 4:00 and 5:00 PM in summer, and between 3:00 and 4:00 PM in autumn and spring. This leaves enough time afterward for aperitivo, photos, and couple portraits before dinner.

Aperitivo: The Heart of Italian Celebration

Immediately after the ceremony, the couple joins their guests for aperitivo — the Italian tradition of Prosecco, bruschetta, local wines, and antipasti. This isn't a brief cocktail hour; the aperitivo runs for about 2 hours, all the way until dinner. The couple typically enjoys about 45 minutes with their guests first, soaking in the congratulations and the joy, before stepping away for photos. While the couple is doing group shots and portraits, the guests continue enjoying the aperitivo — nobody is left waiting around.

Group Photos and Couple Portraits

After enjoying aperitivo, we do quick family and group photos — about 15 to 20 minutes. We strongly recommend preparing a list of group combinations ahead of time. Keeping it short is important: too many group photos eats into your couple's portrait session. The couple's portrait session is scheduled to finish about 15 minutes before dinner. This is the most important photography window of the day — the light before dinner in Tuscany is soft, warm, and romantic. We walk through vineyards, along cypress-lined paths, and find the views that create the images you'll frame on your walls.

Dinner, Speeches, and the Evening

Dinner timing varies by season. In summer (June through August), guests are seated around 7:15 PM with dinner starting at 7:30 PM. In spring and autumn, dinner begins around 6:30 to 7:00 PM. In late autumn, it moves to around 6:00 PM. A traditional Tuscan wedding dinner lasts about 2.5 hours — multiple courses of local cuisine, toasts, and the warmth that comes from gathering people you love around a table in Italy.

A note on speeches: keep dinner speeches to 2 or 3 at most. Too many speeches delay the food service and create issues with catering — courses need to be served warm. If more people want to speak, the welcome dinner the night before, the aperitivo, or the cake moment are all great alternatives. Always inform your vendors of the speech schedule in advance so everyone is prepared.

After dinner, there's cake cutting, espresso, and digestivi (about 30 minutes), followed by dancing and celebrations into the night.

The Summer Golden Hour Secret

In June, July, and August, the most beautiful golden hour light often falls during dinner — typically starting around 8:00 PM. When this happens, your photographer can gently steal you away from the table for just 5 to 10 minutes. The key is timing: the best light is in the first half hour of golden hour — after that, it can start getting dark quickly. Your guests barely notice you're gone, and you get some of the most magical images of the entire day.

Dinner Times by Season

Every wedding is unique, and these timelines adjust based on your specific venue, guest count, and preferences. Use the timeline builder above to generate a personalized schedule for your exact date, or get in touch to plan your day together.

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