Your Destination Wedding in Italy

Your Destination Wedding in Italy

HOW TO HAVE A DESTINATION WEDDING IN ITALY:

An increasing number of couples are choosing to plan their destination wedding in Italy. Of the locations, some of the most popular are Tuscany, Lake Como, Italian Riviera, Amalfi, and Sicily.

Every region in Italy is different and has its charms, like the sweet hills of the Tuscany countryside, the beautiful villages near the lovely sea in the Italian Riviera, the stunning villas that overlooks the exclusive Lake Como, and the wonderful landscape of Southern Italy.

Every area has its own traditions and particular food, castles and buildings belonging to wealthy families of years past. While I believe that putting together a destination wedding is very rewarding and can be a truly magical experience, I feel that it can also be difficult for wedding couples from abroad to know what to choose, unless you’ve been in Italy before and had the chance to experience our beautiful country.

Are you looking for the right wedding venue? Have a look at some of the venues I propose in Lake Como, the Italian Riviera, Tuscany and Umbria.

How can you start planning it?

10 HELPFUL POINTS TO PLAN YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING IN ITALY:

1) First, do research about the places and landscapes you might prefer, just to imagine how your wedding would be, and to understand which one would be the right one for you!

Choose an area that you find especially interesting, since you should consider that once you and you guests will be here, it would be nice to organize some activities close to the wedding venue the day before and the day after, or maybe you would like to extend your wedding celebrations and have your honeymoon in Italy too!

2) Another important thing is to choose the date: the best season to get married in Italy is from April/May to September/October. This is the period in which most Italians get married, so if you want to arrange your wedding in this season, it’s better for you to make the decision at least one year before.

Let me specify that if you get married in the days from Monday to Thursday, you will have  a better chance to find the best venues and the suppliers available, because Italians usually get married from Friday to Sunday, and therefore you could have best prices on those days.

3) Set the budget. If you have a budget in mind, it will help you decide how much you feel comfortable spending on each service and aspect of the wedding. Remember to consider the form of currency, so that you’re able to keep track of every cost.

THE BEST ITALIAN VENUE FOR YOUR WEDDING, AND THE COST:

4) The venue is the most important decision. This will be the place where most of the services will take place! Lots of venues have a lovely garden and view outside, but consider a locations indoor space as well, in case the weather won’t be good, therefore adapting the space to your needs.

If definitely want to have your dinner outside, think about a marquee to protect you and your guests from any bad weather, and consider that it has its own cost. If you can, I would recommend you to visit Italy at least once to have a look at the venue, decide the wedding details, and have an idea of the environment, so that you’ll be more confident on your wedding day.

5) It’s better if you can decide as soon as possible which kind of celebration you would like: is it a civil one? Or it will be just a symbolic one? Or a religious one? From this choice, a large part of the organization of your wedding abroad can start to happen.

A symbolic ceremony can take place anywhere because it has not legally binding, but for a civil one, you need to prepare the proper documents and it can happen only in the Town Hall or in another authorized venue. For the Catholic ceremony, you can have it only in a catholic church with the priest, and of course the proper documents have to be prepared before.

Take care that the church has not to be too far from the venues, no more than 30 minutes, otherwise it may not be that easy for your guests to reach.

THE NECESSITIES OF YOUR GUESTS.

6) How many guests are you anticipating for your wedding? The guest list is very important, and can change everything! Your guests will obviously be excited to attend your beautiful wedding in Italy, but make sure to advise them beforehand of all the details, so that they can take the best tariffs for their trip to Italy, and the accommodation! Send them a “Save-the-Date” notice as soon as possible!

If you have lot of guests and you need to stick to a certain budget, it would be more convenient to choose a venue with a restaurant inside with a beautiful view, than a well-known villa with exclusive catering. Also, remember to ask to the hotel for a group discount. Please notice that if you book in advance, you can negotiate prices of the accommodation!

7) Transfers: since your guests will need some sort of travel option, you will need to organize the proper transfer from the airport to the hotel (or give them all the instructions) and the shuttle service for the day of your wedding.

8) If you have guests with particular physical problems, please avoid some venues that are not comfortable, such as hill-top castles with lot of stairs or villas where they don’t have a lift.

9) Activities for your guests: consider that they have spent money for the trip to Italy and other expenses for your destination wedding, so you have to accommodate them and organize some great activities and options. Think about the rehearsal dinner the day before, an excursion organized to show them what’s around, hairdressing and make-up service for the ladies on the day of your wedding, a nice gift (I would suggest something typical of Italy to have a souvenir of this experience), a brunch the day after your wedding before departure, etc.

10 The suppliers: it’s not easy to find the right one for every service. Unless you decide to bring some of them from home (in this case, remember the expenses for their trip and accommodation), you will have to choose the right photographer, musicians, make-up service, caterer, etc in Italy. Take your time, but not too much! Have a look at their websites, and try to have at least a Skype call with them, and have a look at their reviews if you can find them.

ORGANIZE YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING IN ITALY

My best advice is to choose an Italian wedding planner that will help you to organize everything, and will ensure that everything will be perfect on your wedding day. Contact me for a WhatsApp/Facetime or Skype call in order to meet each other, and organize one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life: your destination wedding in Italy! 

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