I believe a wedding truly matters when it leaves an emotional trace, not just an aesthetic memory. When space, light, materials and people resonate together, something rare happens. For a few hours, everything finds its place without apparent effort. Love, kindness and aesthetics guide me, but it is the project that makes them tangible. My work is to construct that fragile and powerful balance, so that couples and their guests remember not only what they saw, but what they felt. When that happens, a wedding stops being an event and becomes an experience that continues to live on…”
Giovanni Impagliazzo, Wedding Art Director & Planner
Giovanni Impagliazzo is an Art Director and Wedding Planner based in Tuscany, Italy. Here we discuss his thoughtful approach to design, and what makes his company entirely unique…
C&B: “Giovanni, firstly – Happy New Year, and congratulations for appearing on the CITY & BEACH NEW YEARS HONOURS LIST! What first inspired you to become a wedding art director and planner in Italy?”
GI: “I come from a background in architecture and from the world of design, and this shaped my way of thinking long before I entered the wedding industry. My personal values are love, kindness and aesthetics, but the true centre of my work is always the project itself. Only through a solid structure can those values become a real, lived experience…”
C&B: “What would you say is your design philosophy?”
GI: “I design weddings as spatial and emotional experiences. I work with volumes, proportions, solids and voids, sequences and rhythm. Aesthetic choices come later, as the natural consequence of a clear structure. I oversee planning, design development, art direction and coordination as a single, continuous process. Nothing is isolated, everything must speak the same language. When the project is right, the event feels effortless, even though every detail has been carefully considered…”
Italy is a place that does not tolerate superficiality. Here, space carries memory, volume has weight, and every intervention must dialogue with what already exists. For me, a wedding is the meeting point between emotion and conscious construction…”
Giovanni Impagliazzo, Wedding Art Director & Planner
C&B: “Yes, an incredible amount of work goes into every detail of a wedding. In what ways do you incorporate the unique cultural elements of Italy into your wedding designs?”
GI: “I don’t treat Italy as a backdrop, but as a design material. I study architecture, light, materials and proportions, and build each project from that starting point. Every intervention begins with listening to the ‘genius loci’. Understanding it is the first step toward designing without imposing. This approach allows me to avoid clichés and create events that could exist only in that specific place…”
C&B: “Keeping in mind the distinctive atmosphere and spirit of Italy, how do you tailor your services to meet the needs of your international clients?”
GI: “I don’t work by adapting, I work by synthesising. International clients often arrive with strong but fragmented visual and emotional references. My role is to organise them, establish a hierarchy and transform them into a coherent project that works both aesthetically and logistically. Planning becomes the invisible framework that allows the vision to take shape smoothly, even from afar…”
I approach logistics as an integral part of the design process. Venue selection is never purely aesthetic. I analyse volumes, heights, circulation, technical constraints and real transformation potential. Vendor coordination is guided by art direction. Each professional works within a shared vision. Without a strong operational structure, even the most ambitious concept loses its impact…”
Giovanni Impagliazzo, Wedding Art Director & Planner
C&B: “Can you share with us a couple of the most memorable weddings you have planned?”
GI: “One of the most representative projects was a wedding set in a castle for an Asian couple. The architecture itself suggested the concept of a magical forest, a recurring imagery where castles and enchanted woods coexist in films and storytelling. At the heart of the project was a single serpentine imperial table, conceived as a fluid line moving through the space. Forest-green velvet table linens created a deep, tactile base, made regal by surrounding tones of black, blue and gold, with crystal accents reflecting light in a controlled, almost theatrical way. To heighten the sensory experience, real trees were brought into the venue, allowing the forest to be not only imagined, but physically experienced. The result was an immersive environment, dense yet balanced, where space itself became an active part of the narrative. Another meaningful project was created for a Swiss couple and built entirely around the colours of sunset. The spatial layout followed a radial composition, conceived more as a symbolic gesture than a conventional table plan. A mix of round and rectangular tables formed a sun-inspired design, with colour acting as both structure and story. Yellow radiated from the centre, orange marked the transition, red defined the outer edge, like warmth expanding outward. Around this more graphic composition, I introduced deliberately bucolic elements to maintain a direct connection with the surrounding landscape. The result was a subtle balance between design and instinct, between controlled composition and human warmth, an atmosphere that was felt more than explained…”
I speak fluent English, but more importantly, I work with a structured planning process that allows the entire journey to be managed digitally. Organised calls, shared materials, layouts, renders, and clear documentation are all crucial to the success of the planning process…”
Giovanni Impagliazzo, Wedding Art Director & Planner
C&B: “You clearly create amazing experiences – what are your first steps to ensuring that each wedding you plan feels unique and personal to the couple involved?”
GI: “I don’t chase the idea of the ‘never seen before’; I’m interested in creating something that could not exist in any other place. For me, uniqueness comes from coherence, from respect for the genius loci, and from spatial composition. I don’t design by style, but by structure…”
C&B: “What themes do you currently see emerging in the Italian wedding industry?”
GI: “I see a strong desire to live, and to offer others, a sensorial experience that is deeply human. Couples are no longer seeking only visual impact, but moments to share, relationships to nurture, atmospheres that encourage connection. Design becomes a tool to create intense yet sincere experiences, where aesthetics serve people, not the other way around…”
I collaborate with artisans and vendors who understand the value of restraint and detail.
Giovanni Impagliazzo, Wedding Art Director & Planner
Their work is not decorative, but architectural in nature. Materials, finishes and craftsmanship help build depth, quality and authenticity…”
C&B: “What is the importance of floral arrangements and décor in your wedding designs?”
GI: “Flowers and décor are never an afterthought. They are fundamental tools for shaping space, guiding the senses and modulating the experience. Through florals, I work with volume, density and height. Through décor, I define rhythm, depth and perception. When these elements are integrated into the project, they don’t decorate, they communicate. They become a silent language that guests feel before they consciously understand it…”
C&B: “In your experience, what is the most challenging aspect of planning a wedding in Italy?”
GI: “Managing complexity without making it visible. Italy is full of unwritten rules, constraints and slow rhythms. The real challenge is absorbing that complexity and returning a fluid, natural experience to the couple and their guests…”
C&B: “What would you say is your proudest achievement as a wedding art director and planner?”
GI: “Building a recognisable and awarded approach. Being honoured twice with the award for Best Wedding Design has confirmed a method that places project, space and vision at the centre, without ever losing emotional depth…”
CREDITS:
@coconoir_wedding_flowering
@giardinodellefateflowerdesign
CONTACT: http://www.giovanniimpagliazzo.it
