Francesco and Esperanca, from Rome and Dubai, met in Dubai five years ago. They decided to travel to Italy's Tuscan countryside last September with friends and family as it was the perfect place to to celebrate their intimate wedding. Their sunset ceremony takes place in one of the prettiest locations we've come across, and we love Petar Jurica 's flair for capturing both dramatic and intimate moments to perfection.

HOW THEY MET

Francesco and I met at a party (that he gatecrashed!) in Dubai almost five years ago. Last year, after a day filled with art projects, he surprised me with a midnight proposal and a handcrafted ring. We tied the knot firstly in an intimate ceremony in Dubai but held this symbolic celebration in Tuscany last September with friends and family.

CHOOSING A DESTINATION

I've always been smitten with Tuscany and our wedding celebration here was simply a dream come true. We first started exploring our options in March by researching venues online and, after seeing a few that we liked, we got in touch with Emma Villas with our requirements. A few weeks later, we travelled to Italy to view a few villas that were shortlisted for us, including the one we ended up choosing- the very first villa we saw. The breathtaking views over Val d'Orcia were enough to seal the deal!

PLANNING

We used Emma Villas primarily to help us with finding a suitable villa and in securing caterers, an electrician, and a florist. The rest we did ourselves as we're both rather keen on DIY as we feel it's more personal. It was truly a team effort and we split tasks by whatever we felt we could handle individually. Francesco is fab at using Excel sheets to stay on top of things and he ensured we were on schedule; he took care of all the logistics, dealing with the caterers, talking to the musicians and the villa organisers. I handled the rest- the creative side, the research, purchasing the props, the invitations, and the small details.

CHALLENGES

I think coordinating things from afar made things slightly more challenging than we expected in terms of having to hear back from vendors, chasing them and getting confirmations. However, persistence pays and it all worked out well in the end!

STYLE & THEME

We wanted something rustic that would complement instead of compete with the stunning Tuscan landscape. Our favourite flowers weren't in season so we picked from a list of available flowers the florists sent over. These were then styled based on a mood board I created. In lieu of vases, and because we both love tea, I collected vintage tea tins over several months that also represented different countries we've been to (we're avid globe-trotters). I wanted everything to reflect what we both love or reference them in some manner, including our signature cocktails which hinted at our professions.

We wanted to keep things casual and lighthearted and so decided to avoid traditional wedding attire. Everyone kept asking us if we colour-coordinated our attire but until a week before we travelled, we had no clue what the other was wearing and I love how the colours turned out!

BEST DECISION

Our best decision would probably be renting the villa for a week- it was a great way to spend time with our families and decompress after the celebrations by exploring Tuscany. We are also glad we kept the party small as it was more intimate and we could catch up with our friends who travelled from overseas.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

I think this would have to be when Petar coaxed us away to take some more pictures a bit later on that evening. A glimpse of the full moon made me gasp- it was the perfect magical touch. From the gorgeous sunset to the luminous moon, I loved how nature gloriously accentuated our day.

REGRETS/ADVICE

We were both so swept up with conversations and reconnecting with friends that we didn't have time to feast on the antipasti. As we're both foodies, it was a great selection we missed out on and that everyone kept reminding us about the day after! If we had any advice, it would be to always have a backup plan. The day before we were to fly to Tuscany, the weather forecast was far from reassuring- all thunderstorms and scattered showers. We planned to move the party indoors as the villa is rather spacious and would accommodate all our guests but this would mean losing out on some incredible shots and renewing our vows at sunset. I fretted, we crossed our fingers and well, it was the only day that week that it didn't rain! Finally we would say- don't aim for perfection, instead aim to be perfectly in the moment.

Photography: Petar Jurica | Venue: Emma Villas | Florist: Oasi Verde | Stationery: The Story House | Catering: Preludio Catering | Groom's Suit: Collars & Cuffs | Bride's Dress: Designed by Bride | Bride's Shoes: Sophia Webster | Musicians: Michele and Michela