A Tuscan Love Story photography by Jules Bower. Event planning & design: Sabrina Carbone.
The wedding day
Chance and John arrived at Villa Monaciano in a vintage convertible, the kind of entrance that makes guests pause mid-conversation and reach for their cameras. The two grooms had spent eight years building their life together since meeting as Disney television assistants, and now they were about to marry in the Chianti hills outside Siena. Their choice of Tuscany stemmed from years of returning to Italy, where they found themselves slowing down, lingering over meals, and becoming the people they recognized as their truest selves. Villa Monaciano, with its weathered stone walls and amphitheater nestled among century-old trees, provided the perfect canvas for a three-day celebration that would feel less like a ticking clock and more like a weekend suspended in time.
A husband and wife team lead the project. Wedding planner Sabrina Carbone and photographer Jules Bower received the couple’s brief with clarity: create something effortless, emotional, and present. Chance and John rejected the traditional wedding template entirely. No wedding party. No obligatory guest list. No choreographed first dance. What they wanted was a gathering that encouraged connection through laughter, tears, and the quiet beauty of being fully present together.
Curating the Team
Sabrina’s role extended far past logistics. She became the couple’s cultural translator, connecting them with Tuscan artisans who could execute their citrus-toned vision while maintaining the villa’s rustic elegance. Martina and her team at Tonino handled catering with precision, ensuring glasses stayed full and plates arrived at exactly the right temperature. Stiatti Fiori created warm arrangements that complemented the countryside without competing with it, and also produced custom menus, table plans, and ceremony pillows that carried the couple’s aesthetic through every moment.
Matthew from Opus Eventi handled lighting design and sound, transformed into DJ, and brought in saxophonist Matteo, who learned Chance and John’s grand entrance song Run Away With Me by Carly Rae Jepsen.
The couple brought their own design sensibility to the celebration. They worked with Serendipity Beyond Design on save-the-date postcards and welcome materials, commissioned custom illustrations from Charlie Taylor Design, and collaborated with Alex Micha Art on a wedding crest. The Koa Collective printed and fulfilled their invitations. Each vendor selection reflected hours of conversation about what mattered, what felt authentic, and what would make guests feel seen and valued.
The vision realized
Villa Monaciano’s amphitheater was filled with guests who had traveled internationally for the occasion. The ceremony included a surprise video message from Betty Who, the artist whose concert had been the couple’s first date eight years earlier. When the string quartet played their recessional (Run Away With Me by Carly Rae Jepsen), guests rose to their feet in the golden afternoon light.
Dinner unfolded in the villa’s historic wine cellar. Two pasta courses preceded the traditional Fiorentina steak. Later, the couple changed into their dance-floor looks: Chance in pearl satin and black sequin velvet, and John in sheer chiffon and white pleated trousers, both wearing custom Nike shoes. The party stretched past 2:30 a.m., followed by a recovery brunch, pool party, and closing barbecue.
Watching from behind the lens, Jules saw what the couple had articulated from the beginning. “To watch our families blending, our friends bonding, our communities becoming one was nothing short of magic,” the couple later reflected. “Our wedding was never just about us. It was about all of us, together.”
Sabrina and Jules’s collaboration produced more than beautiful images and smooth execution. They created space for a gay wedding in Tuscany that celebrated love without apology, where two men could stand in an Italian amphitheater and speak vows that reflected exactly who they were. The photography tells that story in every frame: joy unguarded, acceptance complete, community woven tight.
Event Planning & Design: Sabrina Carbone | www.the-extraordinaire.com
Photography: Jules Bower | www.jules-photographer.com
Videography: www.ivancaiazzafilms.com
Location: www.monaciano.com
Florals & decor: www.stiattifiori.it
Catering & Rentals: www.ristorantetonino.com
Music & Lighting: www.matthewdj.it
Ice Cream cart: Dolce Sosta Pienza
Vintage car: www.slowhills.com
Stationary: www.serendipitybeyonddesign.com
Illustrations: https://bio.site/charlietaylordesign
Wedding Crest: Michael Alex Fine Art
Wedding Content Creator: Content and Amore
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
