Agnese&Nicola’s Civil Ceremony in the Wood
Agnese & Nicola’s Civil Ceremony in the Wood
A romantic outdoor wedding in the Tuscan countryside
Some weddings stay with you long after the last guest has gone home. Agnese and Nicola’s civil ceremony is one of those. When they came to us, they had a very clear idea: no ballroom, no formal venue, no conventional setup. They wanted to get married in nature, surrounded by the people they love, in a setting that felt entirely their own. What came together was one of the most intimate and original ceremonies we have ever had the pleasure of designing — a civil wedding celebrated deep in the heart of a Tuscan wood.
The Setting: a woodland ceremony in Tuscany
The property where Agnese and Nicola chose to celebrate sits on a hillside in Tuscany, with sweeping views over the valley and the surrounding mountains. The grounds include a formal garden with a stone fountain — elegant, classic, unmistakably Italian — but the heart of the day was hidden further in: a clearing in the woods, sheltered by tall trees whose canopy filtered the spring light into something soft and almost magical.
We set up the ceremony space directly on the forest floor, using the natural landscape as the backdrop. Wooden chairs with rush seats were arranged in two curved rows along a white runner, creating a simple aisle that led to a large stone altar at the centre of the clearing. No arch, no draping, no artificial decoration — just the trees, the moss-covered rocks, the scattered wildflowers growing between the roots, and the sound of the wind moving through the branches above.
The Details: natural, handmade, personal
Every detail of this wedding was chosen to feel organic and authentic. The signage was handmade — a white wooden arrow with “Ceremony” written in brushstroke lettering, nestled in a wicker basket lined with burlap alongside petals for the confetti throw. Terracotta pots and wooden barrels marked the edges of the aisle. A hand-tied ribbon in cream and white polka dots decorated the favour baskets. Nothing was overwrought; everything was considered.
Agnese’s bouquet reflected the same philosophy: white daisies, gypsophila and wheat ears bound together with wicker and natural twine — wild-looking, seasonal, deeply Tuscan. The secondary bouquet, carried during the cocktail hour, mixed sunflowers and white roses wrapped in burlap, warm and joyful against the green of the garden.
Climbing roses in blush and cream framed the exit arch through which the couple walked as newlyweds, while guests gathered in the garden beyond, glimpsed through a natural tunnel of intertwined branches.
The Ceremony
Agnese walked to the altar arm in arm with her father along a gravel path lined by hedges and open countryside. She wore a fluid white gown with a jewelled belt, layered under a chocolate-brown linen wrap — elegant and unconventional in equal measure, perfectly in tune with the setting.
The civil officiant — the Mayor wearing the Italian tricolour sash — read the vows at the stone altar while Nicola and Agnese sat side by side, visibly moved. The ceremony included a candle unity ritual: two thin tapers lit from a single flame in a wooden bowl, a quiet and powerful gesture of two lives becoming one.
The rings arrived on a linen and white organza pillow, tied with small brass studs — another handmade detail that added texture and warmth to the moment.
The Exit
After the pronouncement, Agnese and Nicola walked out through the rose arch into a shower of petals thrown by children and guests alike. The joy in that moment — both of them laughing, surprised, completely present — is the kind of thing you cannot plan. It simply happens when everything around a couple feels right.
This is what we love most about outdoor weddings in Tuscany: when the setting, the details and the people align, the result is something that goes far beyond aesthetics. It becomes a lived experience that guests carry with them for years.
Planning an outdoor civil wedding in Tuscany?
If you are dreaming of a ceremony in nature — intimate, personal and rooted in the Tuscan landscape — we would love to hear from you. As wedding planners based in Tuscany, we specialise in creating ceremonies that feel genuine and one of a kind, whether in a woodland clearing, a private garden or an open hillside with views over the valley.
Explore our civil ceremony options in Italy or browse our Tuscany weddings for more inspiration.
