Category Archives: Editorials & Press

Villa di Geggiano – located on the Tuscan hills of Siena – was given to the Bianchi Bandinelli family as the dowry of Girolama Santi
when she married Girolamo Bandinelli in 1527. Its majestic appearance, including original 18th century furniture and decorations, is layered
with an elegant and rich history, as generations have each decorated and restored the estate over the centuries.

The famous archeologist and art historian Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, made the Villa his main residence from 1930 and wrote about his
‘love for this special place’ with its original furniture in ‘veneziano rustico’ style and its original French wallpaper and fabrics.
The journals above – artistically handwritten in calligraphy – are original school “notebooks” of one of the family’s young ascendants.

Amongst the ancestry of the Bianchi Bandinelli family are Pope Alexander III – depicted on the crest in the master bedroom’s bed (above).

Many of the rooms remain intact from the 18th century, along with photographs and relics from the family’s history. Both the Villa and the
surrounding grounds make for an amazingly romantic and rustic setting for a wedding. I was invited to stay for a few days
to capture what a bride’s stroll through this magical place might look and feel like.

These images were mainly taken in the “Sala Azzurra” (blue room). With so many gorgeous places to shoot, I will continue this series in another blog post!
Meanwhile, check out Villa Di Geggiano on Facebook for the latest happenings, or directly on their website for information on planning an event.
wedding photography in Italy

CATEGORY Editorials & Press | European Weddings | Featured | Italy | Weddings

And so, the second and final series from the shoot I did at Villa Di Geggiano. Just six kilometres north-east of Siena,
its façade looks out onto the enchanting hills of Chianti Classico, a region of Italy world famous for its wines, natural beauty and rich history.This elongated room, facing the landscaped gardens, was designed as a room for the ladies to gather and “gossip” on the elongated bench
that lines the entire wall. It now makes for a stunning room to photograph in, with beautiful light softened by the sheer curtains.
To each side of the open-air theatre, Teatro di Verzura, are niches containing statues of Tragedy and Comedy, by the Maltese sculptor Bosio.
It was here that Vittorio Alfieri, during one of his many stays at the Villa di Geggiano, performed one of his tragedies in the late 18th century.
It is now used for open air concerts in the summer, and of course makes a beautiful outdoor setting for weddings.
 At the main entrance of the Villa, a stunning hallways is covered by original frescoes depicting scenery from Tuscan rural life.
Through one of the gates (below, right)  you’ll find the Pomario, a mixture of flowerbeds and vegetables, which contains a topiary and
a terrace fish pond and has a magnificent view over nearby Siena.

As you can see, the Villa Di Geggiano offers one of the most romantic, idyllic settings for a imaginable for a wedding photographer.
There were not enough hours in the three days of my stay to capture all of the beauty and mystique of this national heritage site.
In addition to the beautiful scenery and interiors seen in this series as well as the first series (see below, or click here), the villa also has
it’s own eighteenth-century chapel, built for the marriage of Anton Domenico Bianchi Bandinelli and Cecilia Chigi Zondadari in 1768.
Villa Di Geggiano works with recognized Italian and foreign wedding planners, and with their extensive experience in wedding
and event planning, it will be a dream wedding venue for those seeking to get married under the tuscan sun.

CATEGORY Editorials & Press | European Weddings | Italy | Weddings

FOOD·IE

[foo-dee] –noun Slang . a person keenly interested in food, especially in eating or cooking.

Although I consider myself to be a foodie, I cannot think of anything better than having an extremely talented chef do the cooking, and leave the eating to me. In this case, Lauren Cartmel – Executive Chef de Cuisine at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge – did all of the cooking! For our first culinary / photographic collaboration we wanted to do something simple yet sophisticated. We spent a lovely, bright afternoon in the kitchen where Lauren kept her hands busy preparing and cooking the food, and I kept my hands busy documenting the steps, the ingredients (fresh from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market), and the finished plates. Those of you who know me may remember my year-long stint where I studied Pastry Arts and worked in a Pastry Kitchen in New York. Needless to say, opportunities where I am able to combine my lust for food with my love of photography, and my design background is a delicious combination to satiate my full creative palette!

CLICK HERE to download the high-resolution (aka. readable) version! Those of you who love seasonal, local and beautiful simple food will love Chef Lauren’s recipes!

Happy cooking & merry eating,

 

CATEGORY Editorials & Press | Featured

Thank you to all the SMP readers who submitted an entry. We would love to work with each one of you to create a beautiful
engagement session that tells your story. To show our appreciation for those who participated, we are offering a 15% discount
for your engagement session. Please email us at linda@lindaarredondo.com, we would love to hear from you!

We are excited to announce the winner of our Style Me Pretty giveaway! There were so many great entries submitted by
SMP readers, that we had to resort to narrowing down some of our favorites and picking a name from this bowl!

The complimentary engagement session goes to Jill for her entry (below).
Can’t wait to meet Jill and her fiancé to make this creative engagement session come alive!

“Lucas and I met over 4 years ago at the University of Georgia through the Model United Nations team (haha).
A year and a half ago he began a PhD program at Stanford, so when I graduated a year later
I relocated to Silicon Valley to be closer to him. We are loving California and taking every opportunity
to take day trips (Napa, Tahoe, Santa Cruz, Muir Woods etc.) to enjoy it as much as we can during our time here,
but we also feel nostalgic for the South. Our engagement session will definitely have to highlight both
of our homes – the South and California and also the thing that brought us together – Model UN.
We will probably wear boots and southern garb to showcase our Southern roots and somehow include
maps into the mix, while also including gorgeous California backdrops. XO Jill”

 

CATEGORY Editorials & Press

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