When getting to know the British couple, we remember the bride, Georgia, telling us that in no uncertain terms, whatever the groom, Angelo, says, when they first met she DID NOT chase him. While separately, Angelo, had already told us with a cheeky grin that Georgia had chased him, “from the moment Georgia laid eyes on me she wanted to be a Rossi”.

While “who chased who” to this day remains a mystery, nine years later, their closest family and friends gathered right here in the Cinque Terre, to witness Georgia officially becoming a Rossi.

It was full belly laughing from the start of this fun and lively wedding, dad pranks during the wedding rehearsal, photo shoots in the bath (one of our favourite wedding photos ever – see below) and the retelling of their unique wedding proposal:

The original planned proposal was big and romantic in style: in front of a massive gold heart in Times Square, during a holiday to New York. However, the weather was freezing: –16 degrees according to Georgia and even colder still at -19 degrees according to Angelo. So due to the glacial weather, Georgia insisted they return to their hotel room. And what followed in that New York hotel room, was arguably one of the most unexpected and therefore also undeniably romantic proposals we have ever heard. Angelo got down on one knee, while Georgia was brushing her teeth, and proposed. Magic!

As intensive care nurses, it is no surprise that this kind-hearted, witty and beautiful couple put their family and friends front and center of their wedding experience.

For wedding flowers and decor, we took inspiration from the couple’s brilliant sparkle and went bright and bold in a way only our fabulously flawless florist can.

So, in the spirit of the five lands of the Cinque Terre, here are Georgia and Angelo’s top five tips and pics captured by our clever clicker photographer.

Why a destination wedding in Itay?

Angelo’s Nonno is from Liguria, and we have always loved going to Italy. We just knew that is where we wanted to get married.

Why the Cinque Terre in Italy?

The question should be, why not the Cinque Terre? It is the most beautiful, picture perfect place to get married.  We just knew, we wanted to have our special day in Vernazza, there is no  better place to share our day with our closest friends and family.

How was the destination wedding planning process?

Planning a wedding during covid was no easy task, and quite daunting. However, Melina made the planning process so easy.

Best part of your wedding day in the Cinque Terre?

The service written by celebrant, Matteo, and spending the day with our loved ones.

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms?

Put your faith in Melina, and you won’t go far wrong.

For more information on your Cinque Terre Wedding contact us.

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The wedding fairies in Manarola have declared a new wedding location for destination weddings in the Cinque Terre, Italy. Well it’s not new, the clifftop terrace has been here for thousands of years – pretty magical, but it’s being used for the first time for official civil weddings.

What’s more, it is one of the few locations in the Cinque Terre where civil weddings can be held outdoors in mother nature’s beauty – bliss! The new wedding terrace, nestled into the vine-covered cliffs and overlooking the Mediterranean sea, is a new wedding ceremony spot experienced by few but guaranteed to wow all – especially those who choose it to say “I do!”

After 14 years in business here, we are so excited to be able to offer this dreamy site to our brides and grooms and can’t wait to celebrate – we have Prosecco bubbles at the ready!

To be one of the first to marry in this destination wedding location in the Cinque Terre, Italy, contact us.

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With the sea and land all to themselves, local Cinque Terre animals here are reclaiming their space, loving life and reminding us of just how beautiful nature is.

Much like humans, the wildlife here is relishing the very same popular outdoor activities enjoyed by our brides, grooms and their guests when they holiday here in the Cinque Terre. So let’s find out what fun holiday activities the true locals of the Cinque Terre like best:

Hiking

Here is a video of a group of the cutest wild baby boar who are out for a day of hiking the famous Cinque Terre walking trails.

Sea Sports

Meanwhile, local tuna are well and truly jumping for joy in the gulf of La Spezia.

Beach Day

This wild roe deer is definitely Italian as it takes its post lunch passeggiata (stroll) along the foreshore, dipping its toes into the sea at Camogli.

Video by La Stampa

Once rejuvenated by the sun and sea it heads home for dinner: bruschetta, pasta al pesto and gelato, we think.

Photo by Levante News.

Sunbathing

While further on down the coast this octopus is spoilt for choice – sea or land? He can’t decide which but as long as he’s catching the sun he’s happy as Larry on the port wall in Capri.

Video by Corriere del mezzogiorno

So we hope you enjoy our tribute to local Cinque Terre animals on International Mother Earth Day and have delighted in the tips from our wildlife locals on what activities to enjoy when holidaying in the region soon.

Written by Melina Nicholson

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So decide on what your overall budget is and then simply breakdown your budget into these categories to discover your spend for each item.

No idea where to start with your overall budget? Well industry leading wedding blog, The Knot, places the average destination spend at US$27,227, which we think is a realistic guide to follow.

Though here in the Cinque Terre you may be suprised to know that the average wedding budget is well below this figure. For instance, if we look closer at Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts we see that the average destination wedding budget here in the Cinque Terre is just €14,646*. If we break it down further, weddings with under 50 guests spend an average of just €7,644*.

This does change slightly when looking at weddings with 50 guests or more, this is when we come closer to the industry average, with Cinque Terre Wedding couples looking at an average budget of €28,419*.

So now you have the budget and an idea of costs, next question, who’s paying?

Well, if it was ancient Roman times payment responsibility for the wedding would completely be in the hands of the bride’s family. Traditionally, when parents were negotiating the arranged marriage, the bride would be presented with a valued dowry. As the bride and groom most probably did not know each other at the time, the healthier the dowry, the more attractive the bride to the potential groom. And the dowry didn’t just include money but also household items, like furniture, linens and even animals. So a bride with a chicken, may be less attractive than a bride with a pig. And a bride with a cow?  Next level, completely.

So in ancient Roman times both the dowry and payment of the wedding celebrations were all covered by the bride’s family. In return the groom and in-laws would take on the responsibility of providing for the bride till death do them part.

So depending on where you lie on the traditional fence, and since you are marrying in Italy, why not try using the: When in Rome… line and see how that flies with the parents of the bride (though you didn’t hear this suggestion from your wedding planner of course)?

Alternatively, if you are looking to do something a little bit more millennial, you will probably be looking at paying for your own wedding. Here at Cinque Terre most couples do cover the wedding costs themselves, with some also benefiting from help from parents depending on individual circumstances.

One way of approaching this topic with parents who do wish to contribute is to have them cover a category of your day, like catering, music, or photography. Or even breaking it down further into things like cake, open bar or ceremony music. This is a great way to make your family feel involved in the wedding and give them ownership over a special part of your day.

And once you know your overall budget, how much to spend on each category and who will foot the bill, you’ll be set.

For more tips and ideas on what the budget for your destination wedding in the Cinque Terre could look like contact us.

Photo by Pure Wedding Photography

Written by Melina Nicholson.

*Statistics are from Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts, based on 89 destination weddings held in the Cinque Terre. And please note the above budgets exclude travel costs, accommodation, attire and bridal jewelry and accessories.

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It’s a modern day anomaly from the old world – the bridal veil – more often than not it is bought and then pops up on wedding day prepared to go, but there’s always a lingering question on whether it will be confirmed for the main event at the last minute or not. We feel for the veil as often its staring role is left in the hands of the hairdressers: will it go with the desired hairstyle or be up staged by a glittery hairpiece or fresh flower? Or will mother of the bride or the bride herself deem it uncomplimentary to the final overall look? Or will the bride’s modern accustomization to ease-of-movement and easy-to-wear banish the veil to the never-to-wear realms of the corset, garter belt and the crinoline (the highly flammable petticoat that killed thousands of women in the Victorian era)?

And if the veil does make the cut, the second question is, how do I wear it? And then when do I take it off? So before we analyse what our brides have been doing today, in our Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts*, let’s jump back in time to find out what our brides of yesteryear did.

So super interesting fact is that the wedding veil is the oldest member of the bridal ensemble, going back to ancient tribes who would wrap the bride head to toe to represent the untouched maiden and protect her from prying eyes and evil spirits. We also know, over 1,000 years ago, in the Middle East, bridal parties traveled beneath a protective canopy. The modern veil is thought to be a miniature version of this. Symbolic of purity, privacy and concealment, it has always been reserved for brides marrying for the first time.

Photo: Reproduction of a terracotta slab from Campania during the Roman period, of the Marriage of Peleus and Thetis. Source: Mikimedia Commons

Historically the veil has also been used for practical purposes. In the days of arranged marriages, which were very common around the world until the 1700s, the veil was used to hide the bride’s face from the groom and only to be raised after the vows had been said. With many couples not having seen each other before the wedding day, this was a way of stopping the groom from reneging on the deal, in the case he found his new wife not pleasing to the eye.

And in the past, different cultures used the veil in different ways. The ancient Greeks wore scarlet coloured veils, representing Hymen, the god of marriage and after the ceremony offered up their veils to Hera, the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth. While the ancient Romans wore vivid saffron coloured veils over braided hairstyles or garlands of wildflowers.

Perhaps due to the cost of creating the sheer veil, it lapsed in popularity from the early anglo-saxon brides of the 400s until it disappeared completely by the 1700s. But two important events brought the veil back into fashion in the 1800s, firstly advances in technology brought the mass production of tulle to the market and secondly Queen Victoria decided to be the first modern monarch to marry in a veil. Apparently not wanting to hide her face from her subjects, instead of wearing the veil over her face she wore it cascading over her shoulders and down her back. And if ever there was a love story to influence the ages it was the love story of Victoria and Albert so it’s not surprising that her legacy still carries on today.

Painting of Victoria and Albert Wedding by Sir George Hayter.

In the 1930s Vogue magazine declared the practice of wearing the veil over the face “outmoded” but for religious ceremonies and romantic-minded brides we still see some brides celebrate the lifting of the veil as one of the high points of the ceremony. Think Duchess Kate and Meghan – “outmoded” we think not!

Photo: Dominic Lipinksi/AFP/Getty Images                                        Photo: Pascale Le Segretain/Getty Images

So what are brides today doing? To veil or not to veil? Well, our Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts show that around half, 51 per cent, of brides are still wearing veils for the ceremony.

And for those who are wearing the veil, the majority are wearing it Queen Victoria style, face exposed, cascading down back. In fact, just 14 per cent are opting for the long-held tradition of wearing the veil over the face when walking down the aisle, Kate and Meghan style. Notably, 83 per cent of those covering the face are religious weddings.

Real Cinque Terre Wedding of Kelly and Ross.  Photo by  Pure Wedding Photography.

And when it’s time to partay? The majority, 70 per cent of brides, remove the veil for the reception part of the wedding.

And for those brides going without the veils, what seems to be the popular alternative? Well, around 16 per cent of our brides are wearing hair pieces such as decorative hair combs, vines or tiaras.

Real Cinque Terre Wedding of Jess and Dan. Photo by Facibeni Fotografia. 

While 10 per cent are wearing floral crowns and 9 per cent are wearing fresh flowers.

Real Cinque Terre Wedding of Dominique and Rick. Photo by Ed Peers.

And if in doubt, a small number, around 14 per cent of brides, are opting to go naturale with no veil or hair embellishment, at all.

So by the looks of things we are still, in the main, carrying on the traditions of our ancient tribal ancestors, wearing veils for the ceremony and then offering them up to the goddess Hera, before partying on at the reception. Literally, following in the footsteps of women who have walked down the aisle before us as brides for thousands of years. Kind of makes every step all the more special, right? We think so.

Real Cinque Terre Wedding of Marianne and Andreas. Photo by Miriamo Rossignoli.

Written by Melina Nicholson. Feature photo: Real Cinque Terre Wedding Stephanie and Ben. Photo by Facibeni Fotografia. 

*These Cinque Terre Wedding Fun Facts are based on 82 destination weddings held in the Cinque Terre, Italy, with couples from around the world including but not limited to: Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America.

In the purpose of recognising and respecting cultural diversity, we acknowledge that this article is Anglo-Saxon focused, written from the insight of destination weddings in Italy, and does not explore veil wearing traditions at weddings that could be practised in many other parts of the world by many other different cultural and religious backgrounds.

Reference: I do! I do! By Susan Waggoner, 2002.

The post The great unveiling – should I wear a veil? appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

Brace your bellies, Italian food lovers, as we introduce you to typical Cinque Terre Italian Wedding Food – the dishes most likely to have you and your guests kissing your fingertips and singing buonissimo!  

So quick backflip into the landscape of food in Italy – it’s very much a regional thing. So while supermarkets abroad may have all types of Italian foods gathered together neatly into one aisle, in Italy, for the most part, you need to go from state to state to find dishes. In fact, many Italians do just that, basing their holiday destinations on where they can try a particular dish.

Don’t believe us: try finding proper focaccia in Milano, or an arancini ball in Florence. Or better still a Fiorentina steak in Naples. Not going to happen.

With some of the best food in the world, Italy’s regions are proud of their heritage dishes, so when in Rome… do as the Italians do and be sure to go local when choosing your Italian wedding food.

Lucky for Cinque Terre Wedding couples this means it’s all about Ligurian cuisine, so get ready to drool!

Pesto

We once spoke to a Genovese (the founders of the pesto) who told us that true pesto derives from an ancient Roman garlic sauce and that the Genovese added the local basil to it in the 1800s. And how happy we are they did. Throw in a bit of parmesan cheese, olive oil and pine nuts, then pestare (the action to pound and crush with a mortar and pestle, and also the root of the dish’s name), it’s done.

Most Ligurians will say that the key to pesto is the Ligurian basil, so arguably you’ve never tried true pesto until you eat it here. Others say the quantities of the ingredients are also key.

With our local chefs using pesto recipes that have been passed down from generations, you can be the judge of whether it’s the best pesto you’ve ever tasted. We bet it will be!

Trofie

If you want to double your Ligurian dining experience there is no better way to do it than with Trofie Pesto. So regional pasta sauce: pesto, with regional pasta: Trofie. From just up the road, in the Riviera di Levante, hails the Trofie pasta. Thin, short and twisty, the Trofie clings onto the sauce with an almighty hold to create bite size pieces that will make you want more!

Focaccia

These days any bread that is thick and fluffy seems to call itself a Focaccia, but when you come to Liguria, the home of the Focaccia, you will recall past imposters and rejoice in finally meeting the one and only true Focaccia. True Focaccia is a bit oily, a bit salty, a bit elastic, a bit light and a bit spongy. It’s one of life’s greatest pleasures to bite into a warm freshly made piece of Focaccia, with saltiness on your lips and oil running down your fingertips – pure bliss!   

In the Cinque Terre the locals have plain Focaccia for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And Focacciarias here also make Focaccia varieties, with tomato and mozzarella, pesto and olives, to name just a few. So whatever time of day, whatever flavour you like, know that when creating a list of Italian wedding food for your big day there is always a true Focaccia waiting here for you.

Anchovies

In the Cinque Terre we are serious about our anchovies. So much so we celebrate them two times a year with the Sagra Dell’acciuga Fritta (Fried Anchovy Party) and the Sagra Dell’acciuga Salata (Salted Anchovy Party). Told you we are serious.

So key anchovy lesson: forget about their salty, fishy foreign cousins that are usually found crammed together into cans or sprinkled out on to Pizza Napoli. Or if you like these types of anchovies don’t forget about them at all but imagine them as the teaser as to what’s to come.

In the Cinque Terre anchovies are fresh, fished right out of the Mediterranean Sea in front of the villages. In fact, at night the dark sea is full of little looming lights as the fishing boats carryout the Lampara, the traditional method of fishing for anchovies with lights here.

So you’ll find the anchovies here taste a little different from what you may be used to and a lot more delicious. No matter your tastes, there’s bound to be an anchovy dish for you as they are prepared in many different ways. Kids of the Cinque Terre eat the fried variety like hot chips. From summertime on, most home kitchens in the Cinque Terre will have a tub of anchovies sitting in salt to be eaten later in the year in their salted form with olives and olive oil or bread and a nice smudge of butter. And in Monterosso, the village famous for its lemons, you’ll find Acciughe al Limone, raw anchovies that basically self-transform into tasty wonders with just a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice.

These three anchovy dishes are regular stars in the aperitivo or antipasti of Italian wedding food served in the Cinque Terre.

Known in the region also as Alici, don’t bypass the opportunity to try pasta with alice, taggiasche olives and capers, a local favourite with anchovie lovers. 

Pansotti in Salsa di Noci

A type of ravioli, Pansotti is different to its meat based relatives as it comes from the steep cliffs of Liguria, unsuitable grounds for farming cattle. So the Ligurians make their Pansotti with vegetable fillings, instead of meat, often with herbs and silver beets. Keeping to the plants that grow in the area the Pansotti is most often paired with Salsa di Noci, a walnut-based sauce. The mortar and pestle are used again for this seductive sauce of walnuts, garlic, salt and milk soaked bread. Please sir, can I have some more!  

Farinata

Celiacs rejoice, here is a bread type made from chickpeas that is naturally gluten free. Eaten by the ancient Romans when they inhabited the Ligurian coast, you can literally do as the Romans did. Smother it in some soft stracchino cheese and you’ll be happy to turn back the clock and live as a Roman forever, toga and all.

Mediterranean Fish

The Cinque Terre are medieval fishing villages. Each day residents awake, much like their ancestors hundreds of years before them, to find what the local fishermen have brought in. Traditional menus will be prepared based on the catch of the day and people will travel far and wide, nationally and internationally, for a taste. You know it’s been a good catch if the local Branzino (Sea Bass), Orata (Sea Bream), Triglia (Red Mullet), Polpo (Octopus) or Tonno (Tuna) are in the mix.

In the Cinque Terre, one of the most popular ways to prepare fish like Branzino or Orata is baking it with local taggiasche olives, potatoes and tomatoes. The tuna instead, is often cut into steaks, seared and served with caramelized onions, or served raw, a la tuna carpaccio.

And don’t miss the antipasto misto di mare, a taste of a wide variety of local Cinque Terre seafood favourites that will make your jaw drop on first sight and quickly pop back up again on first bite!

And we’d even go as far to say that you haven’t dined in the Cinque Terre until you have tried the Fritto Misto. Whether finger food or a feasty fry, the Fritto Misto, which usually includes fried calamari, anchovies, triglia, prawns and pesciolini (tinsy winsy tiny fish), is your passport to true and simple Cinque Terre dining. Squeeze some fresh local lemon juice on top and you’ll never want to leave.   

To find out more about what your Italian wedding food in the Cinque Terre could look like, contact us for a free quote and sample menu here.  

Written by Melina Nicholson.

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Adding An Italian Touch to Your Wedding Day

Many choose a destination wedding in Italy for the country’s natural beauty and gorgeous Mediterranean climate. With a wedding somewhere as beautiful as Cinque Terre, it would be a mistake to not include the local beauty into your ceremony. There are many ways to do this, be it in your food, entertainment, or decor.

Designing your wedding decor is a great opportunity to take advantage of all that Italy has to offer. With hundreds of plant and fruit species only found in the Mediterranean, your options are limitless. When working with your wedding planner and florist, consider including some of the local flower and fruit species available in Cinque Terre.

Tips for Using Fruit in Weddings with Floral Arrangements

Using fruit (and vegetables) in bouquets requires some pre-planning and decision-making prior to arranging. Check out some of our Pro Tips for using produce in floral arrangements so you can start off on the right foot!

• If you’re using fruit in a handheld bouquet, like a bridal bouquet, make sure you secure the fruit before you begin to walk around with it.
• Try to pick fruits that still have a stem so you can use floral wire or floral tape to secure it to the stems in your bouquet.
• Larger fruits, like pomegranates, sit better towards the center of your bouquet where they’re less likely to tip over and fall out.
• The best way to keep your arrangement together is to keep your bouquet upright!
• If you are using fruit in a bridal bouquet, we do not recommend using it for your bouquet toss (unless you have full confidence that someone will catch it and it won’t land on the floor)! Use an alternative toss-bouquet instead to save your beautiful fruit bouquet from any potential damage.
• Fruits that grow on vines, like grapes and blackberries, easily add depth to any spot in your arrangement. The vines also make it easier to tie to your bouquet. The abundance of fruit can also add easy height or width to your bouquet depending on your placement.
• Keep in mind that fruits produce ethylene gas. This gas speeds up the ripening process for other produce and can accelerate the blooming process for flowers, so take this into account when incorporating fruit into your arrangements and bouquets.

Now that you have a few tips and tricks up your sleeve, you can take a look at different bouquets to get an idea about what you’d like to create!

Floral Fruit Arrangement Inspiration

Photo courtesy of Bowtie & Bell

Kumquats

This autumn-inspired bouquet incorporates warm colors and tiny fruit to create a showstopping arrangement. The orange and red kumquats complement the rich colors of the flowers while adding a cheery feel to the overall display.

• Kumquat – These rounded are the perfect choice if you’re looking for smaller fruit accents instead of a large statement piece. The fruit casually hang down and out of the way of their floral neighbors.
• Rose – The light pink roses help round out the rich color palette for this bouquet and set the mood for this fall-themed arrangement.
• Dahlia – Full-bodied dahlias add texture to this highly contrasting arrangement. These big blooms accompany the roses as beautiful statement flowers.

Photo courtesy of Esther Sun Photography

Brunia Berries

Brunia berries are an easy way to pull a bouquet together without adding too much texture or weight to your arrangement. This bouquet thoughtfully places the smooth berries amongst the posh flowers and other protruding greenery for a delicate contrast. The light orange roses tie the arrangement together with their beautiful petals and soft color.

• Brunia Berries – These decorative berries are popular choices for winter bouquets and arrangements. Silver brunia are especially known for their soft color and effortless beauty.
• Anemone – The anemone flowers gently poke out of this bouquet to complement the beautiful roses and protruding foliage. Their distinguishable dark centers and soft petals make these eye-catching flowers popular choices for wedding bouquets.
• Rose – These light orange roses add the right touch of elegance to this lush bouquet. The big blooms of the roses protrude in the right spots to contrast the wild greenery in the bouquet.

Blueberries

Berries, succulents and voluminous blooms create a gorgeous arrangement with subtle touches of color. The tiny berries contrast the big florals and vibrant greenery in the bouquet to give a balanced and graceful look.

• Blueberry – Tiny blueberries add a whimsical touch to any floral bouquet. Keep these berries on the branch to easily place in any part of the arrangement.
• Succulent – Light-colored succulents are another unique greenery choice that instantly elevates your bouquets look and adds unique texture to the overall arrangement.
• Dahlia – The single white dahlia in this bouquet catches the eye and delicately contrasts the overall blue color palette in this arrangement. This white flower draws the eye and creates a beautiful center point for this bouquet.

Bouquet photo courtesy of Julian Kanz from Wylie and David’s wedding.

Olives

Olive trees are ubiquitous Mediterranean landscape and their branches have long been an global symbol of peace. However, their long, narrow leaves dotted in green or purple fruit can make a great addition to floral arrangements. Olive branches can be used as filler to add a subtle Mediterranean feel to your bouquet, or they can act as star of the show. Their long, willowy branches tend to create dramatic and creative shapes. Consider using flowering branches among other local blooms to add a nuanced texture to the bouquet.

Table photo courtesy of Facibeni from Andrea and Drew’s wedding.

Lemons

Lemons are a staple of Italian culture and cuisine and can be found as the key flavor in shaved ice, limoncello, lemonade, and gelato. They can also make welcome guests in any brightly colored floral arrangement.

Lemons look best among bright green, white, or blue arrangements. Sliced or whole, they serve as an excellent surprise to guests! Many florists also enjoy the look of filling up a clear glass vase with sliced lemons. The best part about using lemons in floral arrangements is that they are very acidic and will not brown leading up to your big day.

Table centerpiece photo courtesy of Ed Peers from Dominique and Rick’s wedding.

Grapes

Another local fruit perfect for wedding bouquets are grapes. Italy’s Mediterranean climate is home to hundreds of sprawling vineyards that you can take advantage of. Grapes are best included in floral arrangement near the bottom, cascading over the edge of the vase.

The most popular type of grape planted in Italy are sangiovese grapes, used to make red wines. If you catch them before being sent to fermentation, their dusky violet berries will provide a brilliant burst of color in your wedding bouquets. For weddings with a muted color scheme, white grapes are an excellent addition. Place some Cinque Terre grapes: the bosco, alberola or vermentino grapes, among white hydrangeas and soft green foliage for an elegant, traditional arrangement. Or contrast with some colour pop to add some rustic fun into your day.

Fruit and flowers also add a warm and elegant aspect to any gift. In addition to the examples here, you can also take ideas from old still life paintings that feature fruit and floral centerpieces. You can easily turn a regular bouquet at your dinner table into a living work of art with the right ingredients! Take your newfound fruit and floral inspiration to the next level by gifting perfectly paired berries and flowers to the favorite people in your life!

Written by guest Maddy for Cinque Terre Wedding. Maddy is nature lover who also enjoys discovering new music, exploring local restaurants, and petting every cat she sees.

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Let Nature Help You Get Your Beauty Sleep

Your wedding day will be full of moments you’ll want to remember. Regular exercise and a well-balanced diet are crucial to looking your best, but there’s one element that’s often forgotten – sleep. Beauty sleep is real, and it can make a big difference not only in how you look on your wedding day but how you feel.

The Reality of Beauty Sleep

Sleep plays a role in your health and appearance. A study funded by Estée Lauder explored the connection between sleep deprivation and skin aging. The health of participants’ skin was evaluated through a series of tests, and it was found that those who slept less or experienced poor sleep quality showed more signs of fine lines, uneven pigmentation, slack skin, and reduced skin elasticity. Researchers also found that the skin of those who slept better recovered 30 percent more quickly from environmental stressors such as sun damage.

It’s not just your skin’s health that’s at risk. Another study compared the perceived health of participants after getting a full night’s rest to their perceived health after being awake for 31 hours. Observers looked at photos of the same people after both conditions. After sleep deprivation, participants were rated as looking less healthy, less attractive, and more tired.

Beyond your appearance, adequate sleep, that’s a full seven to eight hours, helps keep your appetite and metabolism in check, your immune system strong, and the emotional center of your brain in balance. Sleep is vital to your physical and emotional health.

Photo from Wylie and David’s Wedding in the Cinque Terre taken by Julian Kanz.

Getting Good Sleep with Nature’s Help

Destination weddings in places like the Cinque Terre, Italy, can provide a cultural experience. They also put you in the beautiful natural surroundings which can help you relax for better sleep. The outdoors can help reduce stress and anxiety, both of which are common before a wedding. Seaside weddings also have the benefit of providing natural white noise. Sudden sound changes are what wake you up at night, but white noise puts out a consistent even sound across all hearable frequencies. The rhythmic rush of waves can be the white noise that helps you drift off to sleep before your big day.

Photo from Dominique and Rick’s wedding in the Cinque Terre taken by Ed Peers.

You can also help yourself get better sleep both before and after your wedding by:

Finding the Right Mattress:

It is your mattress at home that can make all the difference to your ability to fall and stay asleep in the months leading up to your big day. If you are plagued by frequent waking or aches and pains, you might need one that supports your height, weight, and/or preferred sleep position – back, stomach, side.

Keeping a Consistent Sleep-Wake Schedule:

Going to bed and waking up at the same time helps your body follow its natural circadian rhythms, which are regular 24-hour biological and physiological cycles. Try to keep your sleep-wake schedule even on weekends.

Adjusting for Jet Lag:

A destination wedding in a place like the Cinque Terre might require you to adjust to a new time zone. While you probably can’t eliminate all the effects of jet lag, you can prepare in advance to help yourself get the rest you need. A few days before you leave, start moving your bed and wake time closer to your destinations time by 30-60 minutes each night.

Avoiding Screens Close to Bedtime:

The screens of some electronic devices like laptops and smartphones give off a bright blue light that can suppress the release of sleep hormones. Some devices have a low blue light setting otherwise you’ll need to turn them off at least two to three hours before bed to prevent a delay in the onset of sleep.

Getting your beauty sleep will help you enjoy your wedding day in a place like the Cinque Terre, Italy, to the fullest.

Photo from Wylie and David’s Wedding in the Cinque Terre taken by Julian Kanz.

Written by guest blogger Samantha Kent for Cinque Terre Wedding. Guest blogger Samantha Kent is a researcher for SleepHelp.org. Her favorite writing topic is how getting enough sleep can improve your life.

The post Beauty Sleep is Real – Top Tips for Destination Weddings from Sleep Expert appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

Cause let’s face it, it was a bit of destination wedding for American Meghan Markle who we watched do what a lot of destination wedding brides do: fly in their family and friends from a country far, far, away, fuse together the bride and groom’s cultural heritage and traditions and embrace the local culture.

So our top 5 destination wedding ideas from Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding are:

Destination Wedding Ideas Number 1: Simple Wedding Dress.

Or should we say dresses. 5 meter veil aside, (although we loved the symbolism of the embroidered flora from the 53 commonwealth countries) both of Meghan’s dresses were simple, fresh and classic. Meghan’s ceremony dress, designed by Clare Waight Keller of Parisian label Givenchy and her reception dress, by British designer Stella McCartney, were both pared down and relaxed – just perfect for a destination wedding. Think more luggage space, less time in front of the steamer and freedom of movement to explore the exotic location for your photos and most importantly to kick off your shoes to partay.

Photo credit: Glamour Magazine 

Photo credit: Hello Magazine

Destination Wedding Ideas Number 2: Incognito Cake Stands.

Allow us to drool at the cake for a moment please. Thanks. We just love, love, love the clean, fresh, semplicità of this cake. According to our Italian bakers it’s an easy cake to make and there’s even this nifty behind the scenes video on how it was put together but we’ll leave the baking to the experts.

Instead, what about the presentation? Of course, genius! Why should tiers sit squishy on top of one another when they can all have their own little perch of space to breathe and swing their arms around in joy and say: “look at me, ain’t I sweet!” We love this deconstructed approach to the traditional tiered cake, which is in fact a British design from the late 1700s inspired by the spire of St Bride’s church in London.

But enough of our geeky wedding history facts, what we love best about the cake is not the clean exterior, the deconstructed tiers or the glorious ruffled peonies (but how heavenly are they?) it is the wizardry of re-purposing the pedestal vases as cake stands that makes us gawk in holy moliness. Just when we thought we couldn’t get enough of metallic pedestal vases out they come masquerading as cake stands – you cheeky little vases, we see what you’re doing and we love it!

Photo credit: Hello Magazine

Destination Wedding Ideas Number 3: Going Han Solo.

It takes a bucket load of courage with a very big straw for a bride to walk down the aisle by herself. And Meghan did it with the eyes of the world watching. Thanks to this gutsy young lass, now brides around the world will find it easier to do the same.

Today, with nuclear families being less common, we often see brides and grooms juggle the emotions and expectations of split family dynamics when planning their big day. As a result, the tradition of the bride’s father walking her down the aisle and giving her away is becoming more and more outdated. Going solo is a diplomatic solution for many brides who would prefer to forego this tradition, a tradition that derives from, fact alert: ancient times of arranged marriages. Going solo instead brings the focus back to the bride and groom. So thank you Meghan for gifting us with a get out of jail free card for all couples who want to break away from tradition.

Photo credit: Andrew Matthews in the Times

Destination Wedding Ideas Number 4: Posey got back.

A pocket full of posies… or a bouquet full… whatever your poison, Harry and Meghan have bought posies back! Meghan’s discrete posey embraced the current wildflower bouquet trend and included white forget-me-nots, sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine astrantia and a sprig of myrtle to symbolise love.

Posies, most easily described as a small bouquet of scented flowers or herbs, are an English invention, yes, fact alert on its way: popular in Harry’s great, great, Grandmother Victoria’s era. The posey, also known as a nosegay or tussie mussie was popular in the early 1800s, when bathing opportunities were limited, so were carried to mask odours.

However, according to Hello Magazine, Buckingham Palace has 74 bathrooms, so we imagine Meghan’s bouquet choice was less to do with fragrance and more to do with taste. Or Harry’s taste to be more exact, cause here’s the real humdinger of the bouquet, Harry apparently picked the flowers himself!

This is a first! We are yet to have a groom pick the bouquet for his bride and we are hedging our bets on this becoming a top bridal trend. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s a clever way of multi-purposing the bouquet: “tadaa! Here’s your bouquet, but not just any old bouquet, it’s a bouquet with benefits: a wonderful gift, a super special gesture of love from your husband-to-be.”

So challenge to you all you up and coming grooms: Have you got what it takes to pick the bouquet of your bride’s dreams?

Photo credit: Jane Barlow – WPA Pool Getty Images in Glamour Magazine

Destination Wedding Ideas Number 5: Marry a Redhead.

(no, just kidding, though according to National Geographic redheads are said to be an endangered breed that could be extinct in the next 100 years, so not such a bad idea, after all). Anyway, let’s try that again…

Destination Wedding Ideas Number 5: Electric Wedding Car.

Our final O moment from Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding was when the couple left Windsor Castle in a Jaguar E Type Concept Zero. Yes, it was an iconic English automobile and yes, it was a little strange that the steering wheel was on the left hand side, more strange for Harry than Meghan of course, so perhaps it was a symbolic fusion of England and America, but the most trend forecasting joy was that the car was zero-emissions and battery-electric powered.

So for your destination wedding in Italy how about arriving in an electric Vespa, Ape or mini Fiat 500, or if you want to get to the chapel on time you may like to consider a Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo or our nonno’s favourite, the Ferrari? If there’s one thing Italians do well it’s cars, well, that is, aside from destination weddings, food, wine, fashion… ow, the list of what Italian do well is actually endless, so we’ll stop now and leave you to dream about the destination wedding ideas from the Royal Wedding. Sweet dreams!

Photo credit: Getty Images from Town and Country Magazine

Written by Melina Nicholson

The post Top 5 Destination Wedding Ideas from Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

As we enter our eighth year in destination wedding planning here in the Cinque Terre, Italy, helping almost 100 couples tie the knot, by golly this award: Bespoke Wedding Company of the Year for Italy, is sure to make our day, month, year!

You see the Luxury Travel Guide Wedding Awards program recognises consistent performance in the wedding industry. Nominees are put forward by industry experts, readers and satisfied customers. Then the in-house professionals and celebrity guest judges pick those most deserving of recognition.

Throughout the past 12 months, Luxury Travel Guide Wedding Awards received a whopping 9,456 nominations from 16 countries and winners were chosen for specialism, creativity, reliability and most importantly, service excellence.

What’s more – now this part makes us rather giddy – along with the in-house team at Luxury Travel Guide, the judges of our work included TV beauties Claire Newell (Travel Expert) who reaches 5.5 million viewers weekly and regularly appears on the Today Show, the Travel Channel’s Marianela Pereyra (Resident Beach Expert) who speaks Spanish, French and our language of love, Italian, while visiting the best beaches in the world – horrid job, that one – and creator of photos that make you want to go “ooh ahh”, luxury hospitality photographer Antonio Cuellar.

So what did the Luxury Travel Guide judges say about our win, you wonder? Why, we can tell you exactly what they said,

“Cinque Terre Wedding has shown a great passion for wedding services in Italy. They work with local suppliers and provide couples with an authentic Italian wedding experience.”

Now that’s pretty ace, if we do say so ourselves.

So big shout out to all the “I’m so lucky to work with you” Cinque Terre Wedding Team and all our local suppliers who help make the magic happen. And a kiss on both cheeks to all who voted for us.

Be sure to watch out for news of Cinque Terre Wedding’s win in the Luxury Travel Guide Wedding publication found in airport lounges around the world. Or simply keep your eyes peeled for news from us as we are sure to keep harping on about the awesomeness of this award for some time to come.

Eg: if you would like to have your destination wedding planned by the Travel Luxury Guide Bespoke Wedding Company of the Year for Italy contact us here at Cinque Terre Wedding – see what we did there? – awesomeness!

Written by Melina Nicholson

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