What I wish I knew for my European Wedding

If you’re thinking about getting married in Spain or Italy - let me share 3 things I wish I would have known - and one thing I rocked.

I got married in Rome. It was awesome—and yes, worth it. It was romantic, fun, full of food and nonstop joy. But if you’re thinking about getting married in Spain, Italy - anywhere abroad honestly - take a few tips.

What you don’t see from above when I got married in Italy:

  • our friends always waiting on us as we finished calls with the restaurant for finals numbers;

  • late night booking last minute train tickets and arranging seating (which we had been told we didn’t need);

  • fights completely rooted in stress being taken out on each other;

  • even going to a park for a run at 11:30 at night because it was the only moment we had.

I got married in Rome, and here are 3 things I wish I had done…and one thing I rocked out.

  1. Delegate. Don’t be the organizer...but delegate to the right person.

    Better yet, hire a local so you don’t have to navigate cultural barriers & communication and trusting reviews & staged photos for making a decision about your celebration or accommodation. Even though many things were awesome about my wedding week, there were a lot of misses. I actually did a pretty good delegating: certain people did the flowers, others helped with transportation, others with booking where we would have our vows. None of those ended up as I wanted - but hey, I had delegated and wasn’t stressed about them. I wish I had a local person that I had hired to find the RIGHT places. That way I would have been not stressed AND gotten what I wanted.

  2. Build a rapport with your photographer.

    I convinced myself I needed a local photographer so we would get photos in the perfect spots. Turns out, photographers are great at scouting the right places in advance and the best angle of the Colosseum isn’t too hard to find.

    When finding a photographer, focus on who you are comfortable with and who you can trust. Ask questions about where you have concerns and give information on your expectations and pain points. If those things feel right after talking and you like their portfolio - go with them.

  3. Get the videographer.

    It seems so obvious now: How can I not want to relive the best week, celebrating with my favorite people, exploring my favorite city. UGH. Yeah - we missed out on this one. I replay a lot of moments and I would have traded down on my dress to have the extra chunk of change for a videographer - and I LOVED my dress. (See fourth point about what I DID get right.)

***Pro-tip: Go for the lunch wedding. But not in August. Anyway, Spanish & Italian meals are notoriously long. And if you’re planning on celebrating in one of those countries - don’t rush the meal. You want to enjoy every plate and glass. The celebration can last as long as you want it…but in the afternoon with relaxed meal with plenty of time for…well, everything.

One thing I rocked…

I got really clear on my priorities - both in time and money.

After my partner and I discussed our priorities, it was clear for us. We overlapped on two: food and people. And added a third bonus of my dress (and by extension how we felt/looked that on our wedding day).

Those are the 3 things we put our money into. We spent most of our money on hotel blocks to make sure everyone who wanted to come - could. And then, a multi-course meal with endless antipasti, pasta, wine and a whole-roasted pig that we cut into like a cake.

If you get clear on your priorities, it will allow you to go into your planning process knowing what to do with a budget you’ve set.

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