Hayley doesn’t believe in love at first sight. For humans that is. Quite rightly. We figured, there were a possible 450 sightings, between Hayley and Evan over the years, at university, fraternity parties and even actual private dates. But it wasn’t until years later, after they had parted ways and changed cities, that true love hit – a chance meeting in a Karaoke Bar, where Hayley was singing the Spice Girl’s “Wannabe” – zigazig ah!

Aside from 90s pop, this beautiful loved up couple, also share a grand passion for world travel. Together they had visited London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Paris and the Cinque Terre. Out of all these places, in all the world, it was on seeing the Cinque Terre for the very first time that Hayley and Evan experienced “love at first sight.” So we were thrilled that they decided to return to the Cinque Terre with their families, for a wedding surrounded by love and kindness, to become husband and wife.

In the spirit of the five lands of the Cinque Terre, get your goggles ready for a deep dive into Hayley and Evan’s top five tips on planning their destination wedding in Italy and their most beautiful and intimate moments snapped by Pure Wedding Photography.

Why a destination wedding?

Evan and I never imaged a big wedding for ourselves. It seemed that a big church wedding with 100+ people was something that was socially “expected” versus something we really wanted. There were many benefits to having a destination wedding. It is cost effective, it is more intimate, the location is unbeatable, and we both knew that we wanted to share our love of traveling with the people that are the most special to us, our families.

Some may say that a destination wedding does not fall under the category of a “traditional wedding”, I disagree. I believe that this experience was more traditional as it focused on our marriage and the blending of families together. This destination wedding was a trip of a lifetime for both families and the opportunity for our families to connect on a much deeper level.

Why the Cinque Terre in Italy?

In 2016, Evan and I took a day trip from Florence to visit all 5 villages of the Cinque Terre, and it was love at first sight. Each village has its own distinct beauty and charm that left a lasting impression on us both. When we got back to the US, we continued to rave about the location to family and friends. Once we got engaged in 2017, within a couple hours we decided the Cinque Terre would be the place where we would become man and wife.

How was the planning process?

I could not have asked for a better planning experience. I have been a bridesmaid 7 times over the course of the past 10 years and I saw my friends stress and obsess about every detail of their wedding to the point of exhaustion, frustration, and tears. As someone very “A-type” and prone to stress, I knew that I could not plan a wedding that way. We searched online for wedding planners and found Cinque Terre Weddings. After speaking with Melina and Sarah, I knew that I had a great team of ladies working to plan our dream day. I developed a very solid and trusting relationship with these ladies 4,900 miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean, and with a 7 hour time difference. I knew that I could email them at any time and they were very quick to respond to any emails/concerns/etc. It was the highlight of my mornings to wake up and see emails from Sarah on next steps in the planning process.

The wedding packages offered by Cinque Terre Weddings are flawless and come with everything needed for the big day. There is no need to fly over extravagant decor, as the scenery of the village is more than enough to make your day perfect. Cinque Terre Wedding listened to my wishes and hopes and incorporated these details into our wedding. In addition, I want to note that the vendors that Cinque Terre Weddings works with are all professional, talented, and easy to work with. It is obvious that Cinque Terre works exclusively with these partners and that a strong platform has been established.

Best part of your day?

As the bride, I loved being able to enjoy the day of my wedding. Cinque Terre Wedding set up a cute lunch for the ladies and kept the schedule of events while I was able to sit back and enjoy the time with my mother, mother-in-law, and matron of honor. There was no need to worry about the time of appointments, where to be, needing to pay vendors, etc. The day was so much fun and full of laughter.

Once it was time for the wedding, Evan and I were able to take in each and every moment. Having a destination wedding meant that we were relieved of pressure to entertain guests. The families could all sit together and enjoy the special day without “feeling like we had to” do anything. It was the most special day for us and we will carry these memories with us forever.

Top Tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding Brides and Grooms?

For those considering a destination wedding, always know there is a level of uncertainty and there is not room to control every single detail, but Cinque Terre Wedding takes the time to develop a relationship with you and coordinate the most highly anticipated day of your life. The uncertainty will quickly transpire into astonishment the day of your wedding.

For more information on what your Cinque Terre Wedding contact us.

Wedding Planner Sarah Pozzi from Cinque Terre Wedding.

Written by Melina Nicholson.

The post Love at first sight in the Cinque Terre appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

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.

The post Wedding Budget – how to budget for a destination wedding appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.

For a couple who never dreamed of getting married, Cassidy and Michelle found themselves tying the knot in a setting found only in dreams: a colourful Italian medieval fishing village, on top of cliffs covered in luscious grapevines and in front of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Dreamy indeedy, right?

Well, for these two fast-paced professionals, Police Officer, Michelle, and Paediatric Intensive Care Nurse, Cassidy, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, Vernazza was the perfect destination. An ancient wonderland where they could slow down, take time out and celebrate their marriage with their most loved ones – their parents.

For Cassidy and Michelle the journey to their wedding began with an extraordinary meeting in the most ordinary of places – a cross fit gym. A sweet reminder that in the split of an everyday, very ordinary, second your life may change forever.

And the proposal? Well, not so ordinary: lying in a hammock on a beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands. At the time Cassidy had been joking about how much her parents wanted her to marry – so much so, they’d probably even pay for the ring. To which, Michelle had responded “Like this one?”, presenting Cassidy with an engagement ring and asking her to marry her. Confused, Cassidy’s initial response was to berate Michelle for joking about marriage until she realised that Michelle was serious. At that point shock, tears and trembling kicked in and the only word Cassidy was able to muster was a quivering “Okkkaaayyyy”.

A quivering “Okkkaaayyy” that’s became a bit of a mantra in their relationship and we imagine one that was used when they decided to celebrate their marriage in a same-sex wedding in Italy.

And we were rather chuffed when this beautiful, ultra thoughtful and super loved up couple agreed to share their wedding journey and some of their favourite photos with us. So prepare your peepers to enjoy their real same-sex wedding in Italy captured by the snazzy lens of Pure Wedding Photography.

Why a destination wedding?

We actually never planned to get married, so it was a huge surprise when Michelle proposed. We are both very private people so we knew from the beginning we wanted a very small, intimate, destination wedding with family only.

Why the Cinque Terre in Italy?

First off, we LOVE to travel. So the two week trip had already been planned before the proposal as a graduation trip for myself. My parents had previously been to Cinque Terre and after I saw their pictures, I knew I had to go one day. So we decided to get married in the trip in Vernazza and invited Michelle’s parents along and of course they agreed. We had thought our destination wedding would have been on a beach somewhere, but who can say they got married at a castle in Italy?? WE CAN! And we wouldn’t have chosen to do it any other way.

How was the wedding planning process?

The most stress free wedding planning I think anyone could imagine. Sarah immediately had our Pinterest board set up and we didn’t hesitate to use it. The communication via email was easy and she always responded within a day. We enjoyed the Skype conversations just to be able to put a face to the extremely talented people behind the scenes. The most difficult choice we had to make was which bouquets we wanted 🙂

Best part your wedding in Italy?

The actually ceremony for sure. The weather was perfect, the views were breathtaking and the photos turned out stunning. Matteo was phenomenal and the wine ceremony was very special and unique to Cinque Terre.

Top tip for future Cinque Terre Wedding brides and grooms?

Let Cinque Terre Wedding take the reigns. Do not be nervous about the destination planning process and having to be there or involved in every single decision. They are professionals and are the best at what they do. They know when to ask your opinion or when to involve you. We trusted them with everything and it turned out better than we could have ever imagined. It was exceptional.

For more information on having a destination wedding in the Cinque Terre contact us here.

Written by Melina Nicholson.

The post Same-Sex Wedding in Italy Special: Cassidy and Michelle appeared first on Cinque Terre Wedding.