A Wedding in Italy (featuring Ting of My Travel Monkey)

We are delighted to collaborate with Ting (of popular family travel blog My Travel Monkey) on the first of a series of posts about getting married in Italy. Ting recently wrote about Villa Pia on her blog and will be joining us at the villa with her family in July. Here she tells us all about her wonderful wedding in Italy. We think her photos are bellissima!

 
When did you fall in love with Italy?

The first time I went to Italy was with my mum. We stayed in Lake Garda and, apart from eating copious amounts of the most amazing Italian dishes and seafood, it was so wonderful exploring all the towns that surround the lake. From then on I was hooked. Italy is possibly in my top three most favourite countries in the world and I love how each region is so different from the landscape to the cuisine.

 
Where in Italy did you get married?

We got married in the hillside town of Ravello in the Amalfi Coast. We holidayed there for a week exploring the area and we both agreed when we eventually got hitched, this would be the most stunning location.

 
Why did you pick that spot?

Not only are the views from Ravello across the coast breathtaking, but Ravello is so small in comparison to its neighbours Sorrento and Positano. It’s charming, pretty and the main square flanked by the cathedral is a wonderful place to just kick back and relax.
 
 

 
What elements made your wedding in Italy extra special?

We had our wedding ceremony at the Town Hall’s gardens, while the Ravello’s mayor conducted the service. We also had Italian musicians playing their guitars throughout and following the wedding party to our beautiful venue – Villa Eva, a private house set on beautiful gardens with views to the sea below. So apart from the fairytale element, we also had so many well-wishers in Ravello congratulating us and cheering. We felt like movie stars! In fact, we were the first wedding of the year!

 
Did you have any particular challenges with getting married in Italy?

The only thing that bothered me, was not being able to decide the details until the last moment. We flew out five days before the ceremony and in that time we had to choose the wine, flowers and make sure the wedding decorations were all in order. Otherwise, organising the guests and making sure everyone had accommodation was also a little stressful.

 
Any advice for couples seeking an Italian wedding?

Don’t be put off by all the legalitiies of having a wedding in Italy. Make sure you find a recommended wedding planner – it really is worth having someone help you organise. We didn’t have the time to keep flying over, so meant we had to rely on our wedding planner a lot. He not only got us better rates at different accomodation for our guests, but because he is well-known locally, it meant we could get reasonable deals from the venue to the food. Mario stayed with us until the very last guest went home at 6am and we didn’t actually pay him the bulk of the costs until we were in Italy ourselves.
 
 
Dreaming about a wedding in Italy? We can help and we have the perfect location! To enquire about holding your wedding at Villa Pia, please visit our bookings page