DOCUMENTARY MODERN EDITORIAL | DIGITAL & FILM
Tuscany Wedding Photographer
Weddings in Tuscany, Italy
A villa wedding in Tuscany doesn’t run like a wedding at home, and the schedule shouldn’t either.
The summer evenings are long here – in June and July the sun doesn’t set until after nine – and that is the single biggest gift Tuscany gives your photos. The afternoon is a different story: 32°C (90°F), hard overhead light, and a gravel courtyard that bounces it straight back up under everyone’s chin. So the first thing I ask every couple is: what time is the ceremony? If the answer is 4 p.m., we talk.
Here’s what works. Ceremony at six, in the garden or under the pergola, once the light has gone soft and your guests have stopped squinting. Aperitivo right after, with a real gap – nobody hunting you down for family photos while you’re still being hugged. Couple portraits around eight, when the cypress rows and the hills turn gold for about twenty minutes. Then dinner at long tables outside, speeches, and a party that starts once it’s finally cool enough to dance.
Villa logistics matter too. Most Tuscan villas are twenty to forty minutes from the nearest town on roads that look great in photos and feel long at midnight, so your guests’ shuttle times shape the whole evening. And if you’re getting married in Florence itself, the city has its own clock: the streets around the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio are only quiet before eight in the morning, which is exactly when the light is best.
After 350-odd weddings I’ve learned that timing protects the feeling of the day more than any detail you can buy. A rushed schedule looks rushed in the photos, and even more so in the film. A relaxed one, glass of Chianti in hand, looks exactly like what you flew here for.
Travel and accommodation are included in every option. I plan the timeline with you (and your planner, if you have one), and I’ll tell you honestly when something won’t work. That’s the job.
/ Miks Sels, wedding photographer
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“AFTER ALL THE CELEBRATION IS OVER, MEMORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE THE ONLY TWO THINGS YOU’LL HAVE LEFT.“
PHOTOGRAPHIC
LEITMOTIV & INFO
I
CONNECT
INCLUDES
I send the full packages by email within a day — tell me your date and venue.
ALL TAXES AND TRAVEL COSTS INCLUDED
II
SIGNATURE
INCLUDES
I send the full packages by email within a day — tell me your date and venue.
ALL TAXES AND TRAVEL COSTS INCLUDED
III
DEDICATED
INCLUDES
I send the full packages by email within a day — tell me your date and venue.
ALL TAXES AND TRAVEL COSTS INCLUDED
Curated Additions
PHOTOSHOOTS
pre-wedding | family | rehearsal | afterparty
2h | € 700
3h | € 900
5h | € 1200
MULTIPLE DAY WEDDINGS
On request
ALBUMS
Starting at € 500
Parent albums starting at € 350
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER (2nd shooter)
€ 600 ceremony + aperitivo + speeches
€ 1200 for a full day
VIDEOGRAPHY
starting at:
€ 3000 SHORT FILM (4-6 min highlights)
€ 3800 SHORT FILM (4-6 min highlights + DOCUMENTARY film 20- 30 min) + speeches.
€ 5500 16MM wedding videography (see more).
Real weddings in Tuscany
Three Tuscany weddings, three very different venues – a wine estate in the hills above Florence, a garden an hour out, and a three-day resort wedding. Every couple flew in from the US. Click through for the full galleries, the timelines and, where the couple agreed, the real budgets.
La Pescaia Resort
Laken & Chad from Austin, September 2024. Fifty guests, three days of events, planned by Harper Events – and the full budget is in the post.
La Selva Giardino del Belvedere
Emilie & Jake from the US, September 2024. Seventy guests in a garden an hour from Florence, with the countryside doing the decorating.
Villa Medicea di Lilliano
Eva & Jon from the US. A wine-estate wedding just outside Florence, planned by Italian Boutique Weddings.
Where I shoot in Tuscany
Florence. City weddings run on a different clock. A civil ceremony at Palazzo Vecchio, portraits in the streets before eight in the morning when they’re empty and the light is soft, and the sunset from above the city rather than in it. I fly into Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA) – both are an hour or less from most venues.
Chianti and the hills around Florence. Villas and wine estates within an hour of the city – close enough for guests staying in Florence, far enough that the evening is quiet. Two of the three weddings above are here.
Siena and the Val d’Orcia. The cypress rows and bare hills from every Tuscany photo you’ve seen. The light at eight in the evening is the best in the region; the transfers are the longest, so plan the shuttles before the flowers.
Lucca, Pisa and the coast. Quieter, greener, and the sea is close. Fewer tour buses, the same golden hour.
If your venue isn’t on this list, write anyway. Tuscany is bigger than Chianti, and I’ll come to wherever the ceremony is.
What Tuscany couples say
I would give 10 stars if I could!! Miks was at our wedding in Tuscany for 3 days and he was INCREDIBLE. He didn’t miss one single moment and was such a dream to work with. We met with so many photographers during the planning process and from the start we knew we wanted to work with him – he’s kind, professional, and understood our vision exactly. His portfolio speaks for itself. We have only seen the sneak peak so far (which was 200+ pictures!!!) and every single photo is perfect. Having him in Italy with us was magical, and we are forever grateful.
Laken & Chad, USA (Austin) — La Pescaia Resort, Tuscany
There are so many great things I have to say about Miks & his team! It’s really a challenge to not have the opportunity to really meet in person beforehand and capture the essence of a couple as well as their desires for capturing a destination wedding. Especially when neither us nor Miks had the chance to visit the venue until days leading up to the big day. Not only did he do an excellent job – he went above our wildest expectations! Miks was able to capture all of our special moments, and capture all of their emotion in an artistic way we asked for! All the while, he did so without any distraction to us – which let us truly be in the moment. He’s a master of his craft and I would recommend him to anyone doing a destination event or wedding.
Emilie & Jake, USA — La Selva Giardino del Belvedere, Tuscany
More on the Kind words page and on Google reviews.
A Zoom call (optional) or e-mail to finalise the package
An online agreement form so all of us can feel satisfied and safe.
A deposit of € 700 to secure the date
Important tips for a wedding in Florence and Tuscany
Guides for planning your Tuscany wedding
I write these for the couples who email me before they’ve picked a venue or a planner. They save you a week of browser tabs.
Wedding venues in Tuscany near Florence
My top ten, with the notes on light and logistics I’d give you on a call.
Wedding planners in Tuscany
The people who will say no to a 4 p.m. ceremony in July so I don’t have to.
Do you need a planner in Tuscany?
Honest answer: usually yes, and here is when you can get away without one.
What a wedding photographer costs in Italy
Market ranges, what drives the price, and what is usually missing from the quote.
Also worth reading before you book anything: the mistakes couples make planning a wedding in Italy, and why I still shoot 35mm film next to digital. And if you’re still choosing between regions, here’s how I work as an Italy wedding photographer, with Puglia, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast side by side.
Questions couples ask me
Do you really travel from Latvia for this?
Yes, every time. I’m based in Latvia and fly into Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA), usually the day before so I can see the venue in the evening light and work out where the sun will be at eight. Travel and accommodation are in the package, so there is nothing for you to arrange or add up later.
How far ahead should we book a Tuscany wedding photographer?
Most couples write 12 to 18 months before the wedding, and the Saturdays in June, September and early October go first. If your date is closer than that, write anyway – I’d rather tell you I’m free than have you assume I’m not.
Do you work with our wedding planner?
Happily. I’ll ask for the planner’s contact early so we can talk timeline before the day, not on it. The best Tuscany weddings I’ve photographed had a planner who could say “no” to a 4 p.m. ceremony in July, and a photographer who had already explained why.
Can you shoot in Florence itself, not just the countryside?
Yes. A city wedding is mostly a question of timing: the streets around the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio are empty before eight in the morning and packed by ten, so the couple portraits either happen early or from above the city at sunset. I’ll help you build the day around that rather than fight the crowds.
How do we get your packages and prices?
Write to me with your date and venue. I send the full packages by email within a day, usually the same one. They aren’t on the site because they make more sense next to your own plans than in a comparison tab with eleven other photographers.
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HI !
I’m MIKS
I am incredibly thankful to be the husband to my beautiful wife and father to my two children. Education? I am a real estate manager and worked in the industry for almost a decade, but 10 years ago I discovered my real passion: photography. Since then, I’ve photographed 350+ weddings across Europe and still look forward to new adventures and meeting the coolest people on the planet.
Why do I love weddings? I love to be near happy people. There are always loads of good vibes and good moments at weddings. I’m the solution guy, and it does not matter where the wedding is planned – you will need the wedding visual arts service solution.
It would be a real honour to meet you in person and work on your wedding day, whether it’s a small family wedding or a massive luxury event. I work with a team of up to 4 people – other wedding pro photographers, assistants and wedding videographers with various editing styles. A full wedding visual art service from idea to delivery!
I’m happy for some crazy nominees and features in the wedding photography world, but nothing is better than a real and enjoyable wedding like yours. Please let me know if you have any questions – I want to make sure you have all the answers, solutions & safety!
Hope to see you soon!
Take care!
Let’s talk about your day
Tell me your date and the venue – even a shortlist. I’ll check I’m free, put a soft hold on the date for a week, and send the full packages by email within a day. If you’d rather talk first, a 20-minute call is usually enough for me to ask the two questions that matter: what time is the ceremony, and who decided that.
