How to plan a Wedding in Italy

If you have recently decided to get married in Italy and are struggling with the wedding planning, this article is for you!
But I warn you: this is not a complete step-by-step guide in which I teach you the rudiments of the profession of the Wedding Planner, far from me! Rather, it is a series of tips which, if followed, will open your eyes to some aspects that you may not have yet thought about: you will see things from a different point of view and you will be able to make important decisions with the peace of mind of those who are aware of what they are facing. I guarantee you!

Vanessa and Nick were be able to plan a wedding in Rome from Australia by theirselves

1. Don't follow fads

Every year the wedding industry creates always new things with the aim, of course, of getting as much money as possible out of you. Already in the middle of a season we are starting to see articles on what the colors and "trends" of the following season will be. Or, at the end of the season, new improbable services come out for the following season: each sector, from fashion to photography, from food to installations, will present new services that will last the time of being sold, and then will fall into oblivion leaving room for new ones once the season has passed.
I'm not saying that innovation is not needed, which is fundamental for the growth of each sector, but innovation must be really such and not just a way to present extra services that are completely negligible behind evocative names or high-sounding.

Alice and Simone planned a wedding into the woods just as they wanted

When you are faced with the many proposals like "the essential latest product of the year!" with which you will surely be pressed, always keep in mind one thing: marriage is one of the most important days of your life and as such should be treated. Together with your loved ones you will celebrate your union and the desire to spend the rest of your life next to each other: the wedding day must represent you two in all its parts. So forget the fads of the moment and concentrate on making a day memorable. A day made of several moments, each important in its own way: the getting ready, the ceremony, the couple's photographs, the banquet and the party.
Whichever way you want to live those moments, the important thing is that you feel free and at ease: so don't make hasty decisions that you may regret later. You usually have a lot of time for plan your wedding in Italy, so consider well each offer without panicking to grab this or that service.

2. Have fun!

This is a message that we always try to get to our couples and I must admit that we always manage to get their confirmations: during the planning of the wedding, have fun!

Trust me if I tell you that the wedding day will last a blink and will slip through your hands without even realizing it: it happened to me too and fortunately, after almost 10 years, I keep a vivid memory of it, also helped by the photographs that were taken that day.

It's so easy to have fun planning your wedding in Italy!

Unlike the wedding day, however, the planning is usually very long. Try to live it together, investing the right time in a series of activities that, in this way, will surely feel more yours. Furthermore it will be essential to ensure that everything related to your wedding reflects you, your way of being and your characters:

• first of all try to assess your budget for the wedding;
• decide the style you want for your wedding;
• start looking on the Internet for examples of your ideal wedding: Pinterest is really a precious source of inspirations and allows you to organize the various images in very convenient boards;
• put down a first list of guests, to get an idea of ​​the final number of people you will have as guests at your wedding;
• think about the time of year you would like to get married and consider two or three possible dates;
• start looking for the venue and eventually the sacred place where you would like to celebrate your wedding;
• choose the suppliers that are right for you (the next point will help you in this very important choice);
• it's time to look for dresses for the bride and, if you plan to expect them, for the bridesmaids; usually the groom suit is more simple, but it's a good idea start looking for the best model for him;
• at this point you can focus on details for all aspects of your wedding;
• inquire for the honeymoon, whether you want to hire a travel agency or if you want to organize it yourself; since you're planning a destination wedding to Italy maybe you can start the honeymoon from here;
• choose the wedding rings.

3. Suppliers

Evaluate carefully your suppliers: prefer those who want to be involved, they will be the ones that will satisfy you the most! Unfortunately in wedding industry there are many suppliers who do their job as if they had forgotten how that day is important for you. Instead, it takes attention to details, dedication, ability to solve problems should they arise, collaboration with other suppliers. On that day all of us suppliers must carry out a choral work to achieve a single goal: make the perfect wedding for you.

If you are wondering how to do this type of evaluation, the only answer to this question is: ask many, many questions to all suppliers, without fear of looking like perfectionists. And, please, ask the questions in order to choose them, not after choosing them, otherwise it is too late!
Your questions should help you understand if the supplier:

• is knowledgeable and trustworthy;
• is ready to deal with emergency situations;
• is really interested in you and your wedding;
• has an open mind and is inclined to listen to your requests;
• wants to contribute to make your wedding unique.

Before making appointments with the various suppliers, try to draw up a series of very specific questions for each of them, both to make sure of certain aspects of which you want information, and to understand, from their answer, if they satisfy all the requirements I listed above.
You must be and seem experienced: in order to do this you will need to inform yourself on various subjects, but it is essential if you do not want them to take advantage of you. If you do it with the aim of having fun, as I wrote in the second point, it will come by itself and I assure you that it will be very pleasant to see the faces of some people that will be in front of you!

Choose all your suppliers very carefully.

One last, but fundamental suggestion for those who care about planning a wedding in Italy according to their wishes, is the following: make sure that no supplier is imposed on you!
In fact, it happens much more often than you might think that, in places of worship and in venues, restrictions are even placed on service providers! Put more clearly: they impose the florist, the wedding planner, who will take care of the tableau plan and so on or, worse, they will take care directly of that services! Are you wondering why? Simple: they have an economic advantage.
My most heartfelt advice, when you are faced with such situations, is simple: run away! Fortunately our country is full of beautiful places where you can get married and celebrate your own marriage, places owned or managed by honest and respectful people not only towards the couples, but also the work of professional suppliers.
Unfortunately many couples often accept these harassment, and then regret it later, when it is too late.
Trust me, I say it for you.

4. The last word

Once you've chosen your trusted suppliers, don't be shy about asking them for advice about every aspect of their services. And don't limit yourself to making these types of requests vertically, that is, asking each supplier only about their work: in many cases, moving horizontally and asking therefore "crossed" advice, you may have different points of view from people who have been working in the wedding industry for years.

If you think about it, the same tips you find in this article or in the whole IstantiSenzaTempo's blog, do not only concern the wedding photo shoot, but all the services you need to organize the wedding in Italy and especially are oriented to your interest.
Obviously we go as far as we can, we certainly don't want to replace professionals in the most technical details, but some tips we are absolutely able to give you, as you read indeed.

If you want, also ask advice from relatives and friends, especially those who got married before you, so they can indicate the critical issues they had to face.

Come on, make your wedding day great!

Once you have collected enough information, you must try to do something that seems simple, but in reality it is not at all: give the right weight to the words of each one and do not be influenced too much by those people who, albeit sincere, limit themselves to their own personal taste without trying to understand what your tastes and your needs are.
Always remember that you have the last word on any topic, because the wedding is yours and your goal is to achieve it according to your tastes and desires!

5. Contracts

Here we are at the last tip, no less important than the previous ones.

Once you have agreed with each supplier the services that will be offered to you, expect that you will be given every detail on the contract that you will sign, which will be countersigned and delivered to you. Indeed, I can tell you more: in some cases, if you did not have full confidence of who you are facing because it is too late to back down (for example for a deposit already paid, but without having signed any contract), if there was any chance, make sure that the supplier insert in the contract pictures of what you have agreed. For example, in the case of a catering / banqueting or a venue that deals with it, insert the photos of the individual pieces of the table setup or, in the case of a florist, the flowers that will be used or the flower arrangement.

Remember though that there will be no need to go to these extremes if you can find trusted people to collaborate with: do this important skimming before pouring any amount of money.
You are the customer, so you have every right to go into any detail before closing a deal.

A "contract" that you will be happy to sign on your wedding day!

Don't forget to have a price list attached to the contract with the costs of any extras: you can't know how many times I saw suppliers taking advantage of couple on the wedding evening or the day after when, tired and happy, they hardly want to contest and ruin the party. And the saddest thing is that they lose track of these circumstances: maybe they complain about it with me but then for quiet living they let it go and do not even testify with the reviews, which would help other couples to protect themselves.