Dear Terenzio at Villa Ortaglia,
 
What constitutes a “perfect” wedding? For us, I suppose, it was the following:
 
--A group of our closest family and friends;
--an unbelievably gorgeous vineyard with picturesque views at every turn;
--marvelous food and wine;
--and an incredibly accommodating host (and host family), who set our minds at ease from the start.
 
But we also love surprises and imperfections, and there were a few of those at our wedding. From a theatrical display put on by the hundreds of starlings that raced around over our heads before the wedding, to the rain that lasted ONLY during the ceremony, to mine and Julia’s homemade flower arrangements, to my forgetting to take the price tag off of Stephen’s ring before the ceremony, there was cause for us to keep a sense of humor and wonderment about us.
 
Stephen and I set out to create a special environment for our guests. We wanted a simple ceremony and an intimate, luxe reception that would capture the love that we have for each other and create a truly magical night. We set out to do this in April, with a wedding date of September. That left me with a bit less than six months to plan an overseas wedding. Your willingness to pitch in and essentially act as my wedding coordinator was amazing – a God-send. You were so generous with your time. From helping me choose a caterer, to translating the menus for me, to recommending and planning the “rehearsal dinner” wine tasting, to steering me in the right direction for flowers and everything else, you helped me to throw a great party and, most importantly, to relax and enjoy the process.
 
We never could have pulled our wedding celebration off successfully without you and your family!
 
Your idea for our rehearsal dinner was simply genius. Nicola was a terrific sommelier, and everyone enjoyed his tour through the vineyard to discuss the viticulture side of winemaking. The wine tasting was fabulous – it was the perfect way to unwind and relax with everyone before the big day. Of course, your family helped us to relax in other ways as well. For example, when Maura and Maria found me pacing the property at 8:00 a.m. the day before the wedding, they decided to get up early the morning of our wedding day to make sure I was able to eat as soon as I wanted to. And when our brother-in-law, Tom, became sick with appendicitis the day of the wedding, Nicola handled it with grace and ease, providing shuttle service to and from the hospital for Tom and his family.
 
 
As to Ortaglia vineyards, I think the pictures speak for themselves. I could not think of a more beautiful place for our celebration.
 
The hospitality of your family made our entire entourage feel right at home. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us to plan and host an incredible wedding celebration! You can bet we’ll be back to visit in the near future.
 
Ciao! Ci vediamo!
 
Carolyn and Stephen  
San Francisco, California