Thinking of planning an Italy wedding? Whether you dream of getting married surrounded by the rolling hills of Tuscany or overlooking the waters of the Amalfi Coast, you can’t go wrong with saying ‘I Do’ in Italy! As a destination wedding photographer who planned my own wedding in Italy, this country not only holds a very special place in my heart, but I also learned a few tips when it comes to planning a destination wedding in Italy. So, keep scrolling to read my top 3 things to consider when planning an Italy wedding.
3 Things I Learned From Planning My Own Italy Wedding
Plan Multiple Days
Getting married in Italy is one of the most exciting decisions you can make! But instead of having just one wedding day, why not spread the celebration over two, three days, or even four days if possible? Weddings go by so fast, no matter where you get married. Having multiple days to celebrate – especially when you’re in an amazing destination like Italy – allows the whole experience to feel more relaxed. Plus, with more time to celebrate, you’ll get to enjoy more activities and spend more time with your guests.
Activities to Consider for Your Italy Wedding
Speaking of activities, here are a few ideas you and your guests can enjoy during your Italy wedding:
- Vineyard tour & wine tasting
- Pool party at your villa
- Pasta-making class
- Welcome BBQ
- Pre or Post-Wedding adventure photo session
- Sailboat ride
- Ride mopeds through the countryside
Our 3-Day Italy Wedding Itinerary
For our own wedding in Italy, we planned three days of events. On day one, all of our guests checked into our villa, then met up for a tour of the property’s vineyards, followed by a wine tasting and dinner of local Tuscan cuisine. After the meal, we had an open mic night where our guests shared heartfelt stories and advice for us. It was the sweetest start to the weekend!
The next day was our wedding day. Our ceremony wasn’t until the early evening, so guests were free to explore the nearby town of San Gimignano or hang out at the villa’s pool and relax before the wedding began.
We spent the third day lounging by the pool and topped off the celebration with a pizza party and a surprise gelato truck!
Photography Coverage
One of the things I loved most about having a multi-day Italy wedding was having the entire weekend photographed. This allowed me to feel confident that all the special moments were getting documented and nothing important would get missed. Not only does having multiple days allow you to have more experiences and time with your loved ones, but when it’s all over, you will have a gallery full of images that tell the entire story of your wedding experience.
When it comes to photography coverage for your Italy wedding, each photographer will approach this a little differently. My approach is to offer a set number of hours split over a set number of days (ie – 14 hours over 3 days). This allows you to allocate coverage as needed so you only use what you need each day.
Build a Strong Vendor Team
If there is one thing I can’t stress the importance of enough, it’s having a strong vendor team in place. Having a team of vendors around you that you can trust will help ensure your days go as smoothly as possible.
One thing I learned while planning my wedding in Italy is that suppliers here often don’t have the same response times as wedding professionals in the US. When reaching out to vendors, be sure to look for someone who is excited about you two and your story, and about helping you bring your vision to life. While slower response times should be expected, don’t overlook it if you’re having to follow up multiple times or not getting the answers you need. This is especially crucial in the early stages of planning as communication only gets more important the closer you get to your event.
While we primarily worked with local vendors, like our planner and florist, sometimes, it can be worth it to hire a vendor from your home country. For our wedding, it was important for my husband and I to have a photo and video team who could easily communicate with us and our guests as well as understand our vision and execute it. We were lucky enough to find both an amazing photographer and an incredible videographer who were willing to travel from the US to document our Italy wedding, and it was the best decision ever!
Important Vendors to Consider
Whether you’re having a small celebration or a large party, I always suggest investing in a quality wedding planner. A good planner will not only execute your vision, but they can also help you find and communicate with other trustworthy vendors.
Of course, you’ll also want to hire a photographer who specializes in multi-day destination weddings (hello, that’s me) to document all the special moments of your Italy wedding. I try to make the process super easy for my couples by including all travel costs in my packages. This way, you don’t have to worry about any extra expenses down the road. To learn more about how to find the right photographer for your destination wedding, check out the guide below.
Planning a wedding abroad can be stressful enough, but building a strong, reliable vendor team will help ensure that your wedding experience is as smooth and stress-free, as possible!
Looking for a list of trusted vendors for your wedding in Italy? La Lista is my favorite Italy wedding planning resource (and the place where I found our own wedding venue).
Focus on Your Why
At some point during the wedding planning process, you’re likely to come across a few bumps in the road. This is when it becomes so important to remember why you decided to have a destination wedding. Whether it’s because the location is important to you two as a couple or because you wanted a once-in-a-lifetime experience to share with your loved ones, knowing your why and reminding yourself of that throughout the process will help you get through any challenging moments that may arise during planning.
Also, remember that not everything will go to plan, and that’s ok. If you stay focused on the fact that you get to marry the love of your life in beautiful Italy, then I can guarantee you will have the most amazing time!
Want to see more from my Italy Wedding? Click the button below to see our Italy wedding weekend featured on Wedding Chicks!
Planning a destination wedding isn’t always easy, but it’s so worth it! By allowing yourself plenty of time to enjoy the experience, building a strong vendor team, and focusing on the reason you decided to plan an Italy wedding, you’ll be better prepared to create the destination wedding of your dreams!
I hope you found these Italy wedding tips helpful. If you’re ready to start working with a destination wedding photographer (with personal experience in Italy), then reach out! I’ll be in Italy next summer (June 2025) and would love to help you plan your special day.
Thinking of planning your own Italy Wedding? I’d love to document your special day! Click on the button to reach out.
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