Is anyone getting married in Europe?

[Positanobride10]

Is anyone out there getting married in Europe as I am? Just curious if anyone has any specific advise regarding Italian weddings.

[GracieBebe]

FH and I are having our ceremony in France. Technically, we cannot get married in France as we are not French citizens, but we will do the legal ceremony quietly here in the States, and have our destination wedding ceremony and reception at a Chateau in France. We are also combining it with our honeymoon so that we can tour areas in Europe. Feel free to check out our wedding website, if you like. We have pictures of the chateau where we will be getting married. We're so excited, we can't wait!!!

 

What made you decide on Italy? We also looked at getting married in Italy. I saw in another post of yours that you are looking for a wedding coordinator in Italy. I found that Elena Piemonte of Chateau and Villa Weddings (Plan a destination wedding abroad in France or Italy, in exclusive locations - European castles) was very helpful when I was first inquiring about locations. Her email address is [email protected]. Hope that helps!

[Positanobride10]

Thanks Grace for the recommendation. I am going to check them out. I am interviewing 7 coordinators which I found on the Association for Wedding Professionals international website.

 

We chose Italy for many reasons but the main reason is we are both of Italian descent. My dad is from Abruzzi and my FH's dad is from Tuscany. We decided on the Amalfi Coast because it isn't near any of our homes so to speak. We also have never been there and it seems like it would be a fairy tale. I know that sounds corny but true. I have been to Italy and I wanted to share a new experience with my FH. So instead of just doing the honeymoon, why not do the wedding there too. We are also going to be married by the mayor of Positano in a civil ceremony overlooking the Bay of Napoli. We are able to do the legal ceremony there but we have to go to the U.S. consulate and get our license there.

 

Your website is great. I hope we can chat some more about our DWs. I wish you the best. Thanks again for the post.

 

Robin

[GracieBebe]

Definitely! Feel free to PM me or just post on this thread anytime! I would love to chat about our DW's! When we were considering Italy, we definitely were considering the Amalfi Coast or the Tuscany area. The coast was just so pretty! We decided on France because when we were looking at the various venues in both locations, we knew we wanted to rent a chateau/castle and we just fell in love with the styles of chateau/castles in France. I totally know what you mean when you say fairy tale wedding. Even my dress looks princessy! Have you found your dress yet? Other than location, how much of the wedding planning have you gotten done? Well, I see you're wedding's not until May 2010 so you have plenty of time. :-)

[Positanobride10]

I really just started planning. I am working on our budget. We set one but just making sure everything will fit nicely into it. I have chosen some coordinators over there that I will start emailing now for quotes and a better understanding of what they really offer. Also, I want to see who I click with. I think you understand from your previous posts.

 

I also have picked out a few different wedding dresses online and have pinpointed two bridal shops in my area to start dress shopping. I am going to look for a dress in March and May. I am in grad school right now and I have spring break in March and a break in May. I would like to go on the first run in March just in case it takes me a long time to find a dress. I also want to do it on a free weekend so my mom can come too. I'm also planning on inviting my step-mom from PA.

 

I have also priced out invitations and save the dates. I am going to DIY them since I am only going to make 10. We are not inviting a lot of people to the ceremony in Italy.

 

I also know I would like to use as many local and in season flowers not only to save a bit of cash, but to have an Italian wedding. I don't want to spend all of this money just to go over there to have an American wedding. It kind of defeats the purpose ...for me at least. Plus a lot of the local flowers I do like (Peonies and roses). I have been on Trip Adviser and received lots of advise on hotels, wedding planners, hair and make-up stylists in Positano. Check it out if you need any assistance. That site/forum really surprised me because it had a lot of wedding planning advise.

 

That is about it for right now. Again, I am going to start with my email interviews of coordinators and go from there. Oh I also have figured in a tentative plan, transportation from the airport ot a Naples hotel, cab/walk to the U.S. Consulate to do license and transportation to Positano from Naples. There are three ways of doing that...it should be interesting what we acutally do. Talk to you soon.

 

Robin

[GracieBebe]

Wow! It seems like you have a lot planned and know what you want already which is half the battle. That's definitely good to look at dresses online. That's what I did for my wedding dress. I brought a bunch of pictures of the styles that I liked to try on. However, I ended up going with a dress my friend tried on the year before for her wedding (she ended up choosing another dress), and when I tried on the dress, I just fell in love with it!

 

I also love Tripadvisor. We use that site for every vacation we go on to find out which hotel to book at and what we want to do in the area. Sure, there are a few bad reviews for a location, but that's with every place. Some will like it, some will not. We're definitely still in the planning stages too and time's running out. We have our coordinator, the flowers (roses and stargazer lillies), color scheme (red, white, black, and hints of gold), STD's, and invites all set (not necessarily completed but at least picked out), but we still are trying to decide on music, menu, entertainment, etc. So much to do!!!

[ipodgirl]

graciebebe - Oooo I'm to be in Paris around the same time as you! I heard April and September are the best times to be in France, I'm so excited!

[nathanielthompsonphoto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Positanobride10 Is anyone out there getting married in Europe as I am? Just curious if anyone has any specific advise regarding Italian weddings.

How exciting to be getting married in Italy! I shot a wedding in Positano in September, and now the Amalfi Coast is one of my favorite places in the world!
It's so beautiful, and dramatic! Let me know if you have any questions about Positano - I'd be happy to give you my thoughts! In case you're curious, here is a slideshow from the wedding in Positano. We also did a day after session where we walked through Positano, then took a ferry over to Capri and took shots at different spots on the island - here is the slideshow of that session.

Have fun with you're planning! I'm sure your wedding will be amazing!

[thephotogirl]

Wow, that sounds romantic. Unfortunately I don't have advice, but I just wanted to say congrats!

[GarlicBride]

Robin hi,

 

I'm a european bride in many ways, being British and having a French FI; like Gracie we're getting married in France. I totally agree with Nathaniel, the Amalfi coast is gorgeous, my step-mother had an apartment in Naples for a few years so I know the area, although I haven't been for a while. We've been invited to a wedding in Sorrento two weeks after ours and are really gutted to miss it because we're on our Honeymoon - it looks amazing. I'm sure Gracie can help you with the planning a wedding across the Atlantic but if I can add anything please PM me.

ciao

Hannah

P.S. CONGRATULATIONS!!