Villa Rizzardi Wedding in Verona: Jodie & Thomas’s Three-Day Celebration

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Villa Rizzardi Wedding in Tuscany: Jodie & Thomas’s Three-Day Celebration

A Villa Rizzardi wedding near Verona is the kind of celebration that feels almost impossible to overstate. Historic architecture, beautiful gardens, elegant outdoor spaces and the unmistakable atmosphere of an Italian summer create an extraordinary setting for a destination wedding.

In June 2026, we had the pleasure of photographing Jodie and Thomas’s spectacular three-day wedding celebration at Villa Rizzardi. Their wedding brought together everything that makes a destination wedding in Italy so memorable: black-tie elegance, incredible food, a beautiful bride in a Vivienne Westwood wedding dress, champagne and cigars, live music, a Chinese dragon performance, CO2 guns, sparkling cake-cutting and a packed dance floor.

The wedding took place during a particularly intense Italian heatwave, but the heat did little to dampen the celebrations. If anything, it added to the atmosphere of a long, unforgettable Italian summer evening.

The wedding was planned by Foor Event Wedding, with catering by Food and Sweet Catering, while MomentsbyMary captured the wedding on film alongside our photography.

A Three-Day Destination Wedding at Villa Rizzardi

Jodie and Thomas didn't simply plan a wedding day. They created an entire wedding weekend for their guests.

The three-day celebration included the main wedding, followed by a relaxed day-after pool party — giving friends and family the opportunity to spend more time together and enjoy the surroundings of Villa Rizzardi.

This is one of the things that makes destination weddings in Verona so special. Instead of everything happening within a few hours, the celebration becomes an experience shared over several days.

For us as wedding photographers, it also means being able to tell a much richer story. From the anticipation and preparations to the ceremony, dinner, speeches, party and relaxed poolside celebrations the next day, there are so many more moments to document.

The Bride in a Vivienne Westwood Wedding Dress

Jodie looked incredible in her Vivienne Westwood wedding dress.

The dress perfectly suited the atmosphere of the day — elegant, fashion-forward and unmistakably bridal, while still feeling effortless against the backdrop of the Italian villa and gardens.

With a historic italian setting, black-tie guests and such a fashion-conscious celebration, the visual elements of the wedding came together beautifully.

As photographers, we always pay attention to the relationship between the couple, their surroundings and the details they've chosen. Here, Jodie's dress, the villa's architecture and the gardens created some particularly beautiful opportunities for portraits.

A Ceremony on the White Steps of Villa Rizzardi

The wedding ceremony took place outside in the gardens of Villa Rizzardi, on the villa's beautiful white steps.

It was an incredibly atmospheric setting for Jodie and Thomas to exchange their vows.

The intense June sunshine and heatwave created a bright Mediterranean feeling, while the gardens and architecture provided an elegant backdrop.

Surrounded by their closest friends and family, Jodie and Thomas said their vows outdoors before everyone moved into the next part of the celebration.

The ceremony was a beautiful example of why couples looking for a Villa Rizzardi wedding venue are drawn to the location. The architecture doesn't need to be hidden behind decorations — it becomes an important part of the wedding itself.

Black-Tie Cocktail Hour in the Gardens

After the ceremony, guests gathered outside the villa for cocktail hour.

Almost everyone was dressed in black tie, creating an incredibly elegant scene against the Italian gardens.

Champagne flowed, guests relaxed and the atmosphere began to shift from the emotion of the ceremony towards the excitement of the evening ahead.

There were also cigars, adding another wonderfully cinematic element to the photographs. The combination of black-tie guests, champagne, cigars and the historic Italian setting gave the cocktail hour a timeless, almost film-like quality.

These in-between moments are an important part of how we photograph destination weddings. Not everything needs to be posed. Often, the most memorable photographs come from simply allowing guests to enjoy themselves while we document what naturally unfolds.

Dinner Beneath the Trees

As the sun began to soften, everyone moved towards the dinner setting beneath the trees.

The tables were surrounded by greenery, creating an intimate and magical atmosphere within the gardens of Villa Rizzardi.

Catering for the celebration was provided by Food and Sweet Catering, with guests enjoying an elegant four-course meal.

Dinner was long, relaxed and full of conversation — exactly how a summer wedding dinner in Verona should feel.

From our perspective, photographing dinner is about much more than the food itself. It's about the atmosphere around the tables: laughter, reactions, conversations, glasses being raised and the little moments between family and friends.

The setting beneath the trees made this part of the evening particularly atmospheric.

Emotional Speeches Beneath the Trees

After dinner came the speeches.

With everyone gathered together, it was a chance for friends and family to celebrate Jodie and Thomas, share stories and, inevitably, make everyone laugh and shed a few tears.

Speeches can be some of the most emotionally revealing moments of a wedding day. The couple may know what is coming, but they don't always know how their guests will react — and those reactions are exactly what we want to preserve.

While Jodie and Thomas were the focus, we also photographed the people listening, laughing and becoming emotional around them.

Those photographs help tell the story of the entire wedding rather than just the couple.

A Chinese Dragon Performance at Villa Rizzardi

Then came one of the most unexpected and spectacular moments of the evening.

A Chinese dragon performance brought a completely different energy to the celebration.

The traditional dragons moving through the wedding created an incredible visual spectacle, particularly against the backdrop of the villa and gardens.

For a wedding photographer, moments like this are gold. They are visually dynamic, full of movement and completely different from the formal elegance of the ceremony and dinner.

It also made the wedding feel deeply personal and representative of the couple and their families — a celebration that brought different traditions and cultures together in one extraordinary setting.

From Dinner to a Full-Scale Party

After the speeches and performances, guests moved towards the Villa Rizzardi amphitheatre.

This is where the atmosphere really exploded.

A massive stage had been prepared for the evening, with a live band ready to take over the party.

The elegant black-tie wedding had transformed into a full-scale celebration.

Champagne continued to flow, cigars came back out and guests filled the amphitheatre ready to dance.

Then came the CO2 guns.

The combination of live music, dancing, CO2 effects and hundreds of small moments happening around the dance floor created an incredibly energetic atmosphere.

This was no quiet end to the wedding. It was the kind of party where everyone was completely immersed in the moment.

Cake Cutting with Sparkles

The cake cutting became another spectacular moment in the amphitheatre.

With the stage and party atmosphere surrounding them, Jodie and Thomas cut their wedding cake while sparkling effects lit up the scene.

It was dramatic, energetic and perfectly suited to the scale of their celebration.

From a photography perspective, these moments are all about timing — balancing the couple, the reactions of their guests, the light, movement and special effects to create photographs that convey the energy of the moment.

Live Music and Dancing in the Amphitheatre

With the band playing, the amphitheatre became the centre of the wedding celebration.

Guests danced together late into the evening, with the stage, music, CO2 effects and incredible setting creating a party that felt more like a festival than a traditional wedding reception.

It was the perfect final chapter to the main wedding day.

And because the celebration continued the following day, nobody had to say goodbye just yet.

The Day-After Pool Party

The next day brought a completely different atmosphere.

After the formality, black tie and high-energy party of the wedding, Jodie, Thomas and their guests gathered for a relaxed pool party.

It was an opportunity to slow down, spend time together and enjoy the Italian summer without the schedule and structure of the wedding day.

These relaxed day-after celebrations are becoming increasingly popular with destination wedding couples, and for good reason.

The wedding day can be a whirlwind. A pool party the following day gives everyone another opportunity to actually spend time together.

For us, it also creates a completely different set of photographs — less formal, more spontaneous and often filled with some of the most genuine interactions of the entire wedding weekend.

Wedding Photography at Villa Rizzardi

Photographing Jodie and Thomas's wedding at Villa Rizzardi was about capturing the contrast between all these different parts of their celebration.

There was the elegance of the Vivienne Westwood dress and black-tie ceremony.

There was the beauty of the villa gardens and the dinner beneath the trees.

There were emotional speeches, champagne and cigars.

There was the unexpected spectacle of a Chinese dragon performance.

And then there was the party: a huge stage, live band, dancing, CO2 guns, cake cutting and sparkling effects.

Our approach to Villa Rizzardi wedding photography is to capture all of those layers.

We want the photographs to show the beauty of the venue, but also the people and atmosphere that make each wedding unique.

Beautiful portraits matter. So do the photographs nobody planned — the reaction during a speech, a friend laughing over champagne, a cigar during cocktail hour, a guest dancing beneath the stage lights or the moment the CO2 fills the dance floor.

Those are the photographs that bring a wedding gallery to life.

Villa Rizzardi Wedding Photographer in Tuscany

If you're considering Villa Rizzardi for your wedding in Tuscany, Jodie and Thomas's celebration is a wonderful example of what is possible at this extraordinary venue.

A wedding here can be elegant and intimate, but it can also become a spectacular multi-day celebration filled with entertainment, incredible food, music and unforgettable experiences.

Their June 2026 wedding brought together the beauty of Verona with their own personalities, traditions and vision — resulting in a celebration that was completely unique to them.

We were incredibly grateful to document it.

If you're planning a Villa Rizzardi wedding and looking for a photographer to capture the full story of your destination wedding weekend, from the first celebrations through to the wedding and day-after party, we'd love to hear from you.

Wedding Team

Venue: Villa Rizzardi, Verona, Italy

Wedding Planner: Foor Event Wedding

Catering: Food and Sweet Catering

Photography: Urban Photo Lab

Videography: Moments by Mary

Bride's Dress: Vivienne Westwood

Jodie & Thomas's Villa Rizzardi wedding was a celebration of elegance, culture, incredible food and an unforgettable party — all set against one of Verona most beautiful wedding backdrops.